The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova)
Directed by Sergei Parajanov
Written by Sergei Parajanov based on poetry by Sayat Nova
1969/USSR
IMDb link
First viewing?/Criterion Channel
Poet in the cloister: My brain is all delusional; oh, may my enemy, too, be like in misery.
I never did discern a plot but I was inspired by 80 minutes of beautiful imagery washing over me.
Parajanov takes the folkloric elements of his Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964) strips out the legends and creates a sort of minimalist surrealism that is hard to describe but enthralling to look at. The director really let his mind run wild and we are the beneficiaries. Like all plotless movies should be, but are often not, this one is blessedly short.. Recommended.
