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Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors Sergei Paradjanov Sergei Paradjanov's masterpiece, a brilliant, epic story of starcrossed lovers set against the ethnographic panorama of the Carpathian Mountains. The film is a visual tour-de-force of symbols, metaphor, lyrical photography and active camera as it interweaves myth and narrative into an elliptical, seamless work of art. Its images "become superimposed on the mind, and will emerge later with a new and more profound meaning, a meaning that escapes logical analysis, that cannot be grasped intellectually, but which calls upon us to respond with feeling" (Robert Walke). With Ivan Nikolaichuk and Larisa Kadochnikova. Ukrainian with English subtitles. USSR, 1964, 99 mins. Videocassette $44.95
Ashik Kerib Sergei Paradjanov/Dodo Abashidze Ashik Kerib is a wandering minstrel, forbidden to marry the daughter of a powerful merchant, who travels for one thousand days to finance his wedding. In Paradjanov's hands, it becomes a visual opera of costumes, movement and music, in which surreal framing, icons, pomegranates and other mystical symbols fill a living tableau with images that are simply miraculous. Dedicated to Andrei Tarkovsky, the theme of Ashik Kerib is the transforming power of art and the tragedy of the artist. Cinematography by Albert Yavuryan. With Yiur Mgoyan, Veronikia Metonidze and Levan Natroshvili. Azerbaijani and Georgian with English subtitles. Russia, 1988, 78 mins. Videocassette $44.95
The Color of Pomegranates Sergei Paradjanov Paradjanov's mosaic on the life, art and spiritual odyssey of the 18th-century Armenian poet Sayat Nova. The film is a collection of images and tableaux that interweaves landscapes, villages, costumes, props and music to form a metaphorical history of the Armenian nation. The film "achieves a sort of visionary para-surrealism through the most economical means of gesture, props and texture...A sublime and heartbreaking film" (J. Hoberman, The Village Voice). This director's cut repositions the shots and images and restores censored footage. With Sofico Chiaureli, M. Aleksanian and V. Galstian. Armenian with English subtitles. On the same program is Hagop Hovnatanian, Paradjanov's 12-minute short on the Armenian artist. USSR, 1969, 78 mins. Videocassette $44.95
The Color of Pomegranates/Paradjanov: A Requiem Sergei Paradjanov/Ron Holloway This disc includes director Sergei Paradjanov's best-known masterwork, an excellent documentary about the filmmaker, as well as an early short by this major figure in world cinema. The Color of Pomegranates (Paradjanov, USSR, 1969, 88 mins.) is presented here in its complete, director's cut (for years it was only available in a censored version). It is an aesthetically daring work that violated the Soviet Union's codes for "socialist realism" and against "religious sentiment" that was banned in its homeland and was largely responsible for the director's prison sentence years later. A poetic evocation of the life of 18th century Armenian poet Sayat Nova, it is widely considered one of the most important works of Russian cinema. In Russian with English subtitles. Paradjanov: A Requiem (Ron Holloway, Germany/USA, 1994, 57 mins.) features rare interviews with the director and clips from his work in an absorbing portrait of the artist, dissident, romantic and iconoclast. In English and Russian with English subtitles. Finally, Hagop Hovnatanian is Paradjanov's short film about the Armenian painter, filled with magical imagery and a deeply spiritual undertone. USSR/Germany/USA, 1965-1994, 155 mins. DVD $54.95
The Legend of Suram Fortress Sergei Paradjanov/Dodo Abashidze Based on a Georgian legend, the first feature completed by Sergei Paradjanov after being released from prison. The tale hangs on the self-sacrifice of a young man who agrees to be bricked up in a fortress wall in order to make it impregnable against invaders. The film is divided into a series of tableaux, once again using minimal dialog and searing imagery in a film of surreal, almost hypnotic power. Georgian with English subtitles. USSR, 1984, 89 mins. Videocassette $44.95
The Legend of Suram Fortress/Ashik Kerib Sergei Paradjanov/Dodo Abashidze Sergei Paradjanov's last two narrative features (co-directed with Dodo Abashidze) show the great Russian director's remarkable ability to create unforgettable images from timeless stories of the past. The Legend of Suram Fortress (1984, USSR, 89 mins.) is a surreal tale, based on Georgian legend, about a failing defensive stronghold that can only be saved by a warrior's sacrifice. "Dazzling...replete with richness and splendor" (Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times). In Georgian with English subtitles. Ashik Kerib (1988, USSR, 75 mins.) is based on a 19th century fable about a wandering minstrel pursuing the woman he loves. "Wildly beautiful...told with affection, humor and style" (Walter Goodman, New York Times). Azerbaijani and Georgian with English subtitles. USSR, 1984/1988, 164 mins. DVD $54.95
Paradjanov: A Requiem Ron Holloway An absorbing portrait of one of the most colorful and revered figures in world cinema, Paradjanov: A Requiem offers an affectionate and insightful look at the tumultuous career of the late Sergei Paradjanov; artist, dissident, romantic and iconoclast. From his early years as a protégé of silent film legends Dovzhenko and Eisenstein, Paradjanov charts the evolution of the controversial director's artistry, which culminated in the creation of brilliant, hallucinatory film fantasies of Ukranian poetry and folk legends. Rather than being celebrated for this mesmerizing work, the Armenian director was branded a "surrealist" by Soviet authorities and imprisioned for his artistic and intellectual challenges to the reigning dogma of socialist realism. Rare, extensive interviews with the outspoken director are interlaced with clips from Paradjanov's filmic sedcutions of the eye and imagination, including Ashik Kerib, The Legend Of Suram Fortress and Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors. Scenes from the director's earlier films, unavailable in the West (such as Andriesh, The First Lad, Ukranian Rhapsody), can be seen for the first time. Drawings, photographs and fragments of uncompleted films coalesce to make Paradjanov: A Requiem a revealing account of an unforgettable artist. . Germany/USA, 1994, 57 mins. Videocassette $44.95