He was an Armenian man from Georgia who once worked in Ukraine and who sought worldwide fame. The life of Serhiy Parajanov, the famous Soviet filmmaker who lived from 1924 to 1990, is getting replayed on the big screen. The movie “Parajanov” is now in Kyiv cinemas.
His films were
highly admired, often criticized and usually left a strong aftertaste. The
biographical movie left me with the same feeling. Directed by Armenian-French Serge
Avedikian and Ukrainian Olena Fetisova, the film has already been recognized as
the Best Ukrainian Feature Film at the Odessa Film Festival this summer and was
submitted for an Oscar nomination as Best Foreign Language Film.
The drama
attempts to recreate the process of Parajanov’s genious filmmaking as he clashed
with governments and film studios, but always seemed to come out with a
masterpiece.
“I’ll make
this forgotten studio famous, trust me, ” Parajanov proclaimed at Yerevan film
studio in Armenia, where he began working on “The Color of Pomegranates” (1968) film.
Some of his other famous movies, “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” (1964)
and “Ashik Kerib” (1988) were often misunderstood by those who feared that Soviet
authorities would regard them as nationalistic.
The film also features Parajanov’s active private life, which was full
of promiscuous love affairs. His second wife, native Ukrainian Svitlana Shcherbatiuk, was his muse
and provided his sense of life, but they broke off as Parajanov started a homosexual
relationship with the son of a KGB (Committee for State Security) member.
He was convicted
of homosexuality, then illegal, and ended up in prison, where he spent five
years. Even there he managed to become a leader and at last was pardoned, when
prominent actors and filmmakers fought for his release. The appeal letter was
signed by Federico Fellini, Louis Aragon, Michelangelo Antonioni and many more.
The movie
succeeds in showing Parajanov’s way of bringing beauty to everyday life. “It’s
better to have less words and more beauty – in every gesture, in every smile,” Avedikian
says in the movie.
After his
release, Parajanov lived in his parents’ house in Tbilisi. In the movie, he has
to sleep under an umbrella when it’s raining because the ceiling is too old and
leaky. Persona non grata in the Soviet cinema industry, he still kept coming up
with new film ideas.
“Ashik
Kerib” (1988) represented Parajanov’s comeback to the cinema, coming out only two
years before his death from cancer. Avedikian brilliantly conveys Parajanov’s
rage during filming, especially when something seemed “fake” to him.
The last
years of Parajanov’s life were especially tough because of health problems, but
he never stopped working until the end – believing that he was a genious. After
seeing this biographical movie, I can’t blame him for that.
“Parajanov” is playing in Zhovten movie theater
(26 Kostyantynivska St.), “Kronverk Cinema” Skymall (2T Generala
Vatutina St.), Kyiv cinema (19 Velyka Vasylkivska St.) , Odessa Kino at Ukraina
mall (3 Peremogy Ave.).
The film is in Ukrainian with English
subtitles.
Kyiv Post staff writer Olena Goncharova can be
reached at [email protected].
