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The Color of Pomegranates

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The Color of Pomegranates

1969

Drama

Music

1h 19m

A biography of the Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova (King of Song) reveals the poet's life more through his poetry than a conventional narration of important events in Sayat Nova's life. We see the poet grow up, fall in love, enter a monastery and die, but these incidents are depicted in the context of what are images from Sergei Parajanov's imagination and Sayat Nova's poems, poems that are seen and rarely heard. Sofiko Chiaureli plays 6 roles, both male and female, and Sergei Parajanov writes, directs, edits, choreographs, works on costumes, design and decor and virtually every aspect of this revolutionary work void of any dialog or camera movement.

Directed by:

Sergei Parajanov

Written by:

Sergei Parajanov Sayat Nova

+1 more

Starring:

Sofiko Chiaureli Melkon Aleksanyan Vilen Galstyan Gogi Gegechkori Spartak Bagashvili Medea Djaparidze Hovhannes Minasyan Onik Minasyan Yuri Amiryan I. Babayan Medea Bibileishvili T. Dvali

Genres:

Drama, Music

AKAs:

The Colour of Pomegranates, Sayat Nova

Country:

Soviet Union

Languages:

Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani

More information at IMDb

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The Color of Pomegranates

1969

Drama

Music

1h 19m

Your probable score

Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Avg Percentile 65.74% from 768 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

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Moribunny

Rated 04 Dec 2010

The Color of Pomegranates tells a barely coherent narrative through a series of animate images cemented by words and music. Each of these audio-visual pictures, in and of itself, is spectacularly designed, staged, composed, edited and sometimes choreographed, not only on a superficially eye-pleasing level. Tasteful disparity of sensual and (Armenian Orthodox) cultural elements, and not necessarily decipherable symbolism, creates what amounts to a depth and richness of atmosphere and mood.

Rated 04 Dec 2010

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Henrik

Rated 28 Oct 2014

Like Jodorowsky's 'The Holy Mountain' the hypnotic imagery of this film is beyond belief, some of it probably also comprehension.

Rated 28 Oct 2014

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PeaceAnarchy

Rated 25 Apr 2009

There's an undeniable striking quality to the images, but something about them, perhaps a certain solemnity or detachment, left me completely uninvolved. I know the images are beautiful, but I didn't feel it. The same thing goes for the film as a whole I didn't like it but didn't dislike it either, I found absolutely nothing of interest yet wasn't bored in the least, I didn't understand it but wouldn't say I was confused by it. The film just elicited nothing, positive or negative, from me.

Rated 25 Apr 2009

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deaddilly

Rated 03 Jun 2023

Totally codified and totally beautiful. Perhaps best absorbed with some context but there are elements that start to connect the story together even without it.

Rated 03 Jun 2023

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hotsake

Rated 20 Sep 2018

An art house film that's really weird, bizarre, and uses nothing but surreal imagery. I was never really sure what was going on but the film was full of vibrant colors which at least made it nice to look at.

Rated 20 Sep 2018

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MartinTeller

Rated 28 Jun 2007

This is about as far from narrative storytelling as you can get without dipping into the realm of experimental cinema. No camera movement, very little dialogue, only a few recurring characters. The visuals are striking compositions with mysterious meanings. I'll admit that the symbolism flew almost entirely over my head. I feel that multiple revisits will reveal more and more of the obscured meaning. It's a shame that such unique and powerful images aren't available in a better presentation.

Rated 28 Jun 2007

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staryarabbi

Rated 21 Feb 2015

Creates dreams and poems out of a closed system of images which imitate the perspective of miniature art.

Rated 21 Feb 2015

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wetwillies

Rated 09 Feb 2016

Opens with the line "I am the man whose life and soul are torture," so clearly this is a film after my own heart. Both this and The Mirror attempt to create some sort of cinematic essence for a person, but where Tarkovsky's film is imbued with sentimentality and nostalgia, this is a detached nightmare of a film, which depicts this man's existence as a series of bloody tableaux and religion-fueled carnage. Not really a pleasant film, but one that is undoubtedly worth your time.

Rated 09 Feb 2016

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AtGiza

Rated 17 Oct 2010

lots of neat images and nice rugs. the symbolism completely escapes my understanding, unfortunately. How the hell is one supposed to understand the meaning of this thing?

Rated 17 Oct 2010

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Bagger

Rated 03 Jun 2012

Parajanov strings together some very creative visuals, but very few of them actually stay with you that long after the movie is over, which is rather unfortunate.

Rated 03 Jun 2012

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schnofel

Rated 15 Feb 2017

A magnificent artwork of unparalleled visual and metaphorical invention, droll and deeply felt, evoking a spiritual peace in the manner of Tarkovsky. And every time you feel you've had enough, they come up with a new puppet house tableau that resolves itself like clockwork. Art posturing is its very texture, and it's a complete madness - most of all that they get away with it.

Rated 15 Feb 2017

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Actionberg

Rated 11 Feb 2013

What can I say about a movie that explores a poet and his Armenian heritage in such deeply rooted cultural motifs with which I am completely unfamiliar? It was challenging to say the least, but there's certainly an appeal to the sheer visceral beauty the film constantly evokes through experimental means. While its narrative is cryptic at best, it's not so difficult to parse in a thematic sense. After all, it tells you how weird it's going to be right at the beginning.

Rated 11 Feb 2013

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MacSwell

Rated 17 Nov 2016

What a torturous ordeal. In addition to being agonisingly boring, almost all of Parajanov's stylistic choices are horrible: the carefully composed surreal imagery is pretentious, vapid and uninviting; the music is almost painfully jarring. Only a fervent affection for Sayat-Nova's poetry could foreseeably render this a remotely rewarding experience; it's completely worthless otherwise.

Rated 17 Nov 2016

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astrakhan

Rated 11 Oct 2014

Some of the most striking juxtapositions of images and sound I've come across. I loved the overdubbed, intensified soundtrack over the static shots of everyday chores such as washing, eating, or bathing. It's wonderful to watch such a splendid celebration of Armenian culture and history, compiled in a highly experimental filming style. The colour palette is perhaps what I will remember the longest. Variations on the same theme for over an hour made it feel a bit long though.

Rated 11 Oct 2014

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metis

Rated 06 Aug 2021

7????????????????

Rated 06 Aug 2021

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WongFoo

Rated 12 Apr 2018

Excruciating. Anybody praising this god-awful shite is a pretentious dweeb.

Rated 12 Apr 2018

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tulkas_

Rated 08 Feb 2019

Felt like i was in a spiritiual dreamland

Rated 08 Feb 2019

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theyshoot07

Rated 01 Mar 2008

# 388

Rated 01 Mar 2008

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jpotII

Rated 07 Mar 2019

Libra

Rated 07 Mar 2019

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auhasarderik

Rated 25 Apr 2019

So very poetic and hopeless. Oliver Stone's gay parrot thought this was too weird and didn't know who was it made for.

Rated 25 Apr 2019

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driscarpin

Rated 24 Oct 2019

https://letterboxd.com/ladyspiggott/film/the-color-of-pomegranates/

Rated 24 Oct 2019

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djross

Rated 17 Mar 2020

Each individual shot is beautifully composed and often interesting, but without doing the homework required to discover the key to interpreting them, they are essentially incomprehensible. Nevertheless, there seems to be some kind of continuity involved, and so the score given here is essentially meaningless.

Rated 17 Mar 2020

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elmakebabi

Rated 15 Sep 2020

Painting with a camera? Can't resist such a rich imagination.

Rated 15 Sep 2020

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caspian

Rated 03 Aug 2020

i think i'm orthodox now

Rated 03 Aug 2020

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HoneyB

Rated 01 Sep 2020

Poet's inner world. Beautiful.

Rated 01 Sep 2020

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voneverec

Rated 30 Jan 2021

puanlayabileceğim bir film değil izledim notu

Rated 30 Jan 2021

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SirRobbie

Rated 05 Aug 2015

hmm, maybe next time.

Rated 05 Aug 2015

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SHOCKULAR

Rated 12 Jul 2022

Probably the most pretentious movie I've ever seen--can almost be watched as a parody of pretentious movies for comedy value. For the first 20 minutes or so, I thought I was going to despise it, but later I found myself wondering what crazy pretentious shot would be next. It made it almost wrap around into me almost kind of enjoying it in an odd way. Composition and sets and props and costumes are all first rate, but more than anything it seems to be a film made entirely for film scholars.

Rated 12 Jul 2022

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sellis

Rated 29 Jul 2022

The most beautiful film I've ever seen that I'm unable to love.

Rated 29 Jul 2022

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gokseltuzun

Rated 29 Aug 2022

görüntünün dibine abanan müthiş görsellerin oldugu ama yalan yok sorsalar ne anladın diye hiçbir sk anlamadım diyeceğim harika bir iş tekrar bu sefer araştırma yaparak izleyeyim bakalım

Rated 29 Aug 2022

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NathanBates

Rated 05 Sep 2022

Sort of a "What if Buñuel made a Bollywood musical?" (Yes, I know Armenia and India are separated by about 2500 miles.) There's no hand-holding here: either you're already a fan of the poet, or, like the rest of us, you're wondering throughout what the heck is going on.

Rated 05 Sep 2022

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guyeverton

Rated 08 Mar 2023

I read (afterwards) that it's helpful to watch this movie with some prior knowledge of Sayat Nova's life. I wish I'd known before - but it's the job of a movie to tell me, and some more helpful narration or text description would make a world of difference. I loved the textiles and the outfits; I loved the colours and the compositions; I didn't love some of the editing and found the story opaque. Cf. Samsara for an equally beautiful but more comprehensible film.

Rated 08 Mar 2023

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mutter

Rated 16 Mar 2023

Lots of things that look like things that look like Andalusian dogs. I'm not Armenian enough to have any more insight than that. It was nevertheless a pleasure to experience.

Rated 16 Mar 2023

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Bown

Rated 10 Apr 2023

This film got me like Homer Simpson watching Twin Peaks - I have only the barest grasp on what was going on, but as a visceral experience and series of beautiful, poetic, confounding visuals, it was stupendous.

Rated 10 Apr 2023

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doyler29

Rated 26 Jun 2023

Sergei Parajanov does something largely unseen before this film. He kind of converts Sayat Nova's poetry to the visual medium of film. It became clear to me almost immediately that the only way to really consume this film was to let my mind go and not try to cram it into a narrative framework. It worked. This is an utterly gorgeous film that uses colour in ways I really haven't seen before.

Rated 26 Jun 2023

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overrated

Rated 18 Jul 2023

I watched this as a double bill with The Hourglass Sanatorium, and I have roughly the same review for both of them: visually rich but precious little for a viewer to relate to. Possibly being familiar with the mythology underpinning this would count for something but I doubt it.

Rated 18 Jul 2023

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twincinema

Rated 05 Nov 2023

A visual feast, even if I had absolutely no idea what was going on. That's abstract art, baby. I try to not read anything about a film before I see it, but it would have helped here. One of those films that I have always wanted to watch, solely because of the strength of its title.

Rated 05 Nov 2023

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fra paolo

Rated 24 Feb 2024

Mesmerisingly beautiful.

Rated 24 Feb 2024

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andagh

Rated 23 May 2012

Unfortunately, my knowledge of Armenian folk history (ie none) can't possibly do this movie justice.

Rated 23 May 2012

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theyshoot08

Rated 19 Dec 2008

382

Rated 19 Dec 2008

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jimmynmu

Rated 14 Aug 2007

wtf!

Rated 14 Aug 2007

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Carlospro

Rated 12 May 2015

Aula de perspectiva

Rated 12 May 2015

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karamazov.

Rated 22 Jun 2018

Certainly impressive for its time. Points of reference for me: Jodorowsky, and, especially, Jarman-- also Ken Russell and Buñuel to an extent. btw, I know liberals always like to think their favorite Eastern Bloc artists were unfairly persecuted "dissidents," but the guy spent some time in prison cos he literally raped someone, etc., you morons, not because he was just too cool and nonconformist or someshit.

Rated 22 Jun 2018

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ott

Rated 23 Feb 2015

baroque in it's overwhelmingness

Rated 23 Feb 2015

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Gnalkhere

Rated 24 Feb 2018

if I ever had to study this film in my lifetime i'm going to despise it.

Rated 24 Feb 2018

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JooJoo

Rated 18 Sep 2010

It just doesn't click with me. Love the music, though.

Rated 18 Sep 2010

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jodamico

Rated 28 Nov 2011

It's gorgeous and I'm sure it's trying to say something, but it's like the ultimate example of impenetrable experimental film.

Rated 28 Nov 2011

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Nepeta

Rated 10 Jan 2013

Is the film about artists - about their want for someone to connect to (the images of the muse and the lover serve as some of the most striking)? Their struggle for inspiration? Their innner thoughts? No matter what it all means it was all incredibly beautiful. Its lack of focus on plot and reusing of Sofiko Chiaureli in multiple major roles make it all feel like a dream.

Rated 10 Jan 2013

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Neonman

Rated 25 Nov 2013

Full of all sorts of vague symbolism, most of which is very well composed and presented. The visuals are a little too tenuous for my liking and (despite the inter-titles) muddled up the story more than it should've.

Rated 25 Nov 2013

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VinegarBob

Rated 27 Jan 2014

Not for me.

Rated 27 Jan 2014

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Icarus

Rated 08 Feb 2018

Beautiful and impenetrable. Also, thanks for not slitting that ram's throat on camera.

Rated 08 Feb 2018

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Yiannos

Rated 27 Feb 2018

T.C.O.P is the ultimate display of Parajanov's visual mastery.The colors, rhythms, textures and movements are endlessly inventive, and his images are simultaneously exotic and earthy while exuding an otherworldliness that is totally transportive. It's a radical biopic forging an unholy alliance between the avantgarde and the accessible, creatively contorting the medium to conform to his unorthodox vision. Parajanov was a true original, and T.C.O.P is a true testament to his complete brilliance.

Rated 27 Feb 2018

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Evolution

Rated 02 Jan 2018

Beautiful imagery, but I had no clue what most of the weird ass symbolism meant, which left me disengaged.

Rated 02 Jan 2018

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theyshoot10

Rated 14 Jan 2010

389

Rated 14 Jan 2010

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turin

Rated 20 Nov 2007

Among 'poetical' films - meaning no plot or sense in particular scenes - this one is quite watchable and interesting in it's way. This is also because it's not excessively long.

Rated 20 Nov 2007

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inhmn

Rated 12 Jan 2009

Parajanov is the most influential director of all time. I have seen at least 10 movies with motives from Sayat Nova

Rated 12 Jan 2009

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alanstrang

Rated 22 Feb 2015

It is next to impossible to describe such a sensually tantalising film, so I will not even dare to attempt it. If you wonder where all these experimental moviemakers like Greenaway or Barney draw their inspiration from, watch Sayat Nova.

Rated 22 Feb 2015

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e_p_o

Rated 21 Sep 2010

Very striking images, but ultimately monotonous and dull. After a while you're thinking "no, stop moving your hands over and around your face in seemingly meaningful ways". Then you start thinking that you want to watch a Bergman movie, where stylish excess usually means something or is at least more restrained.

Rated 21 Sep 2010

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CloseFriend

Rated 16 Jun 2012

I respected this film more than I liked it. It attempts to replicate the style of Byzantine/Romanesque art. I never liked that style; it always felt like dead people staring at me. Composition-wise, it feels much like a Jodorowski film, albeit with tamer subject matter. I just didn't feel the stream-of-consciousness style worked, with the plain cinematography and the overuse of long shots. I'll also admit that my lack of knowledge of this area hurt my ability to engross myself in the film.

Rated 16 Jun 2012

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Judo Koala

Rated 05 Sep 2015

Though I only understood maybe half its symbolism (if that), Parajanov's non-narrative depiction of an 18th-century poet's life bears striking resemblance to the surreal imagery of mystic symbolism we would later come to see in the films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (who happens to be one of my favourite filmmakers). Told only through a series of tableaux, Parajanov's film may be impenetrable on a narrative level, but its lush set and costume design create striking, unforgettable imagery.

Rated 05 Sep 2015

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