Sergei Parajanov, an Armenian-born visionary of cinema, remains one of the most inventive and poetic filmmakers of the 20th century. His work fuses myth, folklore, and visual art into a cinema of tableaux that transcends conventional storytelling. Parajanov’s films, alive with color, texture, and rhythm, create worlds where reality and imagination collide. Despite repeated imprisonment and censorship under Soviet authorities, he pursued a singular artistic vision that continues to influence filmmakers, artists, and audiences worldwide. His cinematic language—dense, symbolic, and hypnotically beautiful—makes each of his features a distinct, unforgettable experience.
The Carpathian Dream
Parajanov’s international breakthrough came with “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” (1964), a vivid tale set in a remote Carpathian village. Adapted from a Ukrainian folk legend, it recounts the tragic love of two young people caught in a family feud. Filmed among the Hutsul tribe, the movie is a rhapsody of life, death, passion, and ritual. Parajanov transforms every frame into a living painting, with color and composition guiding the emotional rhythm.
The film’s camera, often moving like a brush, captures dances, music, and ceremonies with breathtaking fluidity. Critics hailed Parajanov as an heir to Eisenstein and Dovzhenko, and the work’s rich imagery and inventive visual style became a benchmark for Soviet and world cinema alike. The film’s power lies in its fusion of folklore, pagan myth, and human emotion, producing a cinematic experience that feels both ancient and timeless.
Poetry in Motion
With “The Color of Pomegranates” (1969), Parajanov embarked on an entirely new cinematic language. Chronicling the life of 18th-century Armenian poet Sayat Nova, the film abandons traditional narrative in favor of a sequence of tableaux that transform poetry, music, and ritual into visual experience. Each shot is a meticulously crafted composition: books flutter in the wind, garments move as if alive, and Byzantine iconography coexists with avant-garde modernism.
Time, space, and narrative dissolve into a meditation on Armenian culture, spirituality, and the senses themselves. The film was initially censored and shelved, yet its artistry is undeniable. Through painterly palettes and surreal imagery, Parajanov celebrates human creativity, national heritage, and the transcendence of the poetic image, establishing “The Color of Pomegranates” as a landmark of cinematic poetry.
Legendary Sacrifice
After a decade of imprisonment and creative suppression, Parajanov returned with “The Legend of Suram Fortress” (1984), a Georgian folk tale about a fortress that will stand only if a young man sacrifices himself to its walls. The film exemplifies Parajanov’s signature visual style: densely layered compositions, vivid fauvist colors, and objects imbued with symbolic meaning.
Every frame teems with life—peacocks, camels, hookahs, lutes, patterned fabrics, and bountiful pomegranates fill the screen with visual richness. Parajanov merges mythology, nationalism, and homoerotic reverie into a spellbinding cinematic experience. The story’s tension between duty, sacrifice, and heroism is amplified by his painterly eye, transforming legend into a visual symphony. The result is a film of opulence, imagination, and cultural resonance, confirming Parajanov’s return as a master of cinematic fantasy.
A Lyrical Farewell
Parajanov’s final feature, “Ashik Kerib” (1988), adapts a story by Mikhail Lermontov into a Caucasian fairy tale imbued with the filmmaker’s distinctive tableau style. The story follows Ashik Kerib, a young minstrel sent on a thousand-day journey to prove his worth and reclaim his beloved. Parajanov fills the film with fantastical imagery—spinning tigers, flying carpets, albino pomegranates, and brightly costumed courtesans—transforming narrative into a lyrical visual journey.
The tone is lighter and more humorous than “The Legend of Suram Fortress”, reflecting an Arabian Nights-like sensibility, yet the film retains the meticulous composition and rhythmic visual poetry characteristic of his work. Through vibrant color, music, and inventive mise-en-scène, “Ashik Kerib” stands as a triumphant culmination of Parajanov’s career: a final testament to his genius, imagination, and devotion to the poetic potential of cinema.
Enduring Legacy: Cinema as Poetry
Parajanov’s cinematic oeuvre is a singular exploration of folklore, cultural identity, and poetic imagery. From the Carpathian mountains of “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” to the Armenian visual odyssey of “The Color of Pomegranates”, the Georgian myth of “The Legend of Suram Fortress”, and the Caucasian fairy-tale adventure of “Ashik Kerib”, each film demonstrates his mastery of color, composition, and symbolism. His life, punctuated by imprisonment and censorship, underscores the courage required to pursue artistic freedom in the face of oppressive regimes.
Today, Parajanov’s work is celebrated as a cornerstone of 20th-century cinema, inspiring filmmakers and artists across the globe. His influence is evident in contemporary directors, visual artists, and designers, from Hollywood to Iran, and in musicians, painters, and theater-makers who draw from his poetic visual language. Parajanov’s films remain rare, often challenging, yet endlessly rewarding; they offer not only a glimpse into the folk traditions and national identities of the Soviet era but also a universal celebration of imagination, art, and human expression.
Parajanov’s genius lies in his ability to transform the ordinary into the sublime, to render folk rituals into cinematic miracles, and to forge a new language where every frame is a painting, every gesture a poem, and every story a living legend. In an age when cinema risks losing its sense of wonder, the films of Sergei Parajanov continue to remind us of the art form’s transformative power, its ability to resist, inspire, and endure.
References
- Harvard Film Archive, 2024. The Films of Sergei Parajanov. [online] Available at: https://harvardfilmarchive.org/programs/the-films-of-sergei-parajanov [Accessed 11 November 2025].
- BFI, 2024. Out of the Shadows: Sergei Parajanov. [online] Available at: https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/out-shadows-sergei-parajanov [Accessed 11 November 2025].
- Parajanov.com, 2024. Sergei Parajanov. [online] Available at: https://parajanov.com/sergei/ [Accessed 11 November 2025].
