AN ARMENIAN FILM MAKER . SERGEY PARAJANOV. EXTORIDINERY. 1924-1990
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Gothic Self Portrait 1976Fortunately a guest at our hotel suggested that we visit Sergey Parajanov Museum. I recalled that years ago I had watched a film called The Colour of Pomegranates, based on the writings of the Armenian poet Sayat-Nov dreams, but did not at the time make the connection with Parajanov. All I remembered was the film was quite unusual and filmed in Armenia. His images however have haunted me ever since, particularly the priest among the sheep inside a church. At the time I knew next to nothing about Parjianov apart from the fact his films were very surreal and seemed to be pushing the bounds of film making. Recently I have viewed two films made by Parajanov the above The Colour of Pomegranates and Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors. In making these films Sergey was to spend a considerable time in prison. Both films are highly symbolic, the first in a religious sense, while the second deals with our ancestral past, however why they should offend the Soviet Government is hard to understand.
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The opportunity to visit his museum in Yerevan was too big a
temptation to miss and my wife and I hurried down to the other end of town to
have a look. The museum occupies his last Yerevan home and is spread over two
floors and what an experience it is. I had no idea his output not only covered
film, but painting, college and sculpture, apparently film makers love to paint
and draw to sketch their frames and characters. I recall examining film stills by great film makers used to be an exercise in pictorial composition in some art schools. Sergey Parajanov however takes the drawing process to a new level, his work are not mere dabbling’s, but fine works of
art. I’m sure most visitors will be blown away by the originality of his
images. I felt his work a key to understanding Armenian culture, a bridge
between reality and the absurd. The trauma of the genocide and struggle to
re-establish their identity are dissected.
His own life was not without its own trauma, jailed for some
eleven years for speaking his mind on issues best left untouched and not
following accepted stereotypes. Whether this is because he consistently breaks
the rules I don’t know, but the range of his visual arts is nothing short of
amazing. His years in jail in some ways were a blessing as it allowed him to
develop a large body of college work a numerous ball point pen drawings. It is
hard for me to do justice to the range of his work, but I have attempted to
illustrate as many directions as possible. No matter what you may think Sergey
Parajanov is without doubt one of the greatest 20th cent. figures in
the world of cinema. 
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