Title: The color of pomegranates /
Authors: Paradzhanov, Sergei, 1924-1990,; Chiaureli, Sofʹi͡a, 1937-2008,; Aleksanian, M.,; Galstian, V.,; Shakhbazian, Suren,; Mansuryan, Tigran, 1939-; Armenfilm (Firm)
Publisher: Armenfilm,
Year: 1972
Subjects: Sayatʻ-Nova, Biography.; Poets, Armenian Biography.; Armenians Music.; Painting.; Historical drama, Russian.; Folk dancing, Armenian.; Armenians.; Art; Armenia History
Abstract: Sergei Paradzhanov's masterpiece was censored and recut due to its unabashed celebration of Armenian folklore and religious tradition, aspects of which were seen as divergent from Soviet efforts to unify the proletariat into a great undifferentiated mass. The Color of Pomegranates celebrates the life of the Armenian poet Aruthin Sayadin who lived in the 18th century and was known as the King of Song. It depicts the poet's life in eight sections, filled with symbols of the sacred and secular life of Armenian culture. The Color of Pomegranates constitutes a hymn to Armenian literature, music and painting, and the rituals of the Armenian church. Completed in 1969, it was quickly discarded by Soviet authorities, reworked and censored by Sergei Yutkevitch and finally released in the Soviet Union in 1972. Like Sergei Eisenstein who he was often compared to, Paradzhanov's artistic temperament consistently brought him into conflict with Soviet bureaucracy. Two years after the release of The Color of Pomegranates, he was sentenced to prison for five years on charges of homosexuality, dealing in stolen art and anti-Soviet agitation. An international campaign to secure his release was eventually successful, resulting in his release in 1978. After leaving prison Paradzhanov continued to face harassment by Soviet police and at one point was reduced to begging on the streets in order to survive.