The Color of Pomegranates is a film portrait of the Armenian poet Sayat Nova (1712-1795). His life story is not conveyed in the form of a conventional narrative, but rather unfolds as a “visual poem” in the sense of Nova’s poetic work. Parajanov illustrates key moments of his biography “(…) through a series of exquisitely orchestrated tableaux filled with rich colour and stunning iconography, each scene a celluloid painting alive (…).
Both male and female characters in The Color of Pomegranates are embodied by the actress Sofiko Chiaureli. The questioning of gender and body categories, which becomes obvious here, as well as the inclusion of lavish costumes and catchy music, form a link to Mariechen Danz’s artistic production, for which the human body repeatedly serves as the point of departure (“The body is a problem, a problem in the positive sense, not just as an obstacle but as a vehicle for thought and action” she says one of her performances). But above all the specific visual language in The Color of Pomegranates is related to Danz’s artistic questions, which revolve around cultural codes, around the relationship between visual and linguistic representations.
Film night at the suggestion of the artist to the exhibition “Mariechen Danz. cube cell stage”.
Sergei Parajanov: The Color of Pomegranates / Sayat Nova, 1968
Color, 70 min., (Armenian with English UT)