Feature Film | Historical Drama | USSR | Armenian | 1h19m
Dir: Sergei Parajanov | Scr: Sergei Parajanov | Poems: Sayat-Nova | Ph: Suren Shakhbazyan | Mus: Tigran Mansuryan | Ed: Sergei Parajanov & M. Ponomarenko | PD: Stepan Andranikyan | AD: Sergei Parajanov | Snd: Yuri Sayadyan | Cast: Sofiko Chiaureli, Melkon Alekyan, Vilen Galstyan, Giorgi Gegechkori, Spartak Bagashvili, Medea Japaridze, Hovhannes Minasyan, Onik Minasyan
With a series of painterly, static, straight-to-camera compositions, Sergei Parajanov mercurially captures the (inner) life of 18th century Armenian poet Sayat-Nova. From boyhood discovery of literature, through courtship and monastic life, to eventual death, the film explores not the biographical details of his life, but the spirit of his work through the themes, metaphors, and symbols of which it was crafted. Exquisite mise en scène, stunning production and sound design, and wonderfully old-fashioned editing combine to masterful effect.
