GetPapa Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

ashrafamodd I found this incredible movie when I visited Johannesburg recently because it's impossible to find films like this in Durban. Parajanov creates a fascinating, one can say, almost an orgy of cultural detail in the highest art form. The details are what fascinated me, reminding me of Asia, perhaps with Turkish influence but also a strong Eastern European flavour. I must admit that I'm not educated about the culture of the regions in the former Russian states or countries near there. The media in South Africa hasn't shown us any of this so it was a completely new experience for me.The style Parajanov uses isn't a normal way of telling a story. It reminded me of how I used to look at old books of paintings from the East or even the Middle East. So, I have to congratulate the filmmaker on achieving something that is so rich in artistic detail, to a level I've never seen before. This got me curious to find more films by him. I found Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and while it was a beautiful movie, it wasn't as brilliant as Sayat Nova. So, I highly recommend this film to anybody who loves art films and appreciate those from filmmakers such as Peter Greenaway. That's the closest example I can think of that has been shown on television in South Africa.

photo-73 This is The Movie, especially if you have some background knowledge of Sayat Nova and the Armenian culture. The picture is saturated with art and creative force. I enjoy it every time! IMDb requires six more lines to consider a review as meaningful! IMDb requires five more lines to consider a review as meaningful! IMDb requires four more lines to consider a review as meaningful! IMDb requires three more lines to consider a review as meaningful! IMDb requires two more lines to consider a review as meaningful! IMDb requires one more lines to consider a review as meaningful! Now my review is more meaningful for IMDb!!!

Jake Ray How much do you know about foreign culture? One interesting thing about world cinema is that it forces a milky white, middle-class American (like myself) to venture into the cultures of many different people. As much as I would like to say that I always enjoy that aspect of film, some films have the ability to turn even the most liberal film critic into a blatant xenophobe. For me, one of those films is The Color of Pomegranates. A Russian film directed by Sergei Parajanov, this has to be one of the least pleasant and most pretentious experiences of my life. I will say, in my introductory paragraph, that I would not recommend this snooze-fest to my worst enemy.The Color of Pomegranates is a film that only arguably tells a story. I have read that it supposedly created a cinematic language through striking visuals and material symbolism. And though I am sure that this really happened, I cannot say that I noticed any of it. The concept that Parajanov based his film around was to tell the life story of the Armenian poet, Sayat Nova (King of Song), using non-literal and poetic imagery that more closely represents his art over his actual life. This means that the entire film is relatively without dialogue and features some excruciatingly pretentious still shots. In fact, the camera hardly moves throughout the entire production. It is just a jumble of long shots that lack any solid continuity.One thing that I forced myself to remember is that I have seen this type of film before. I was automatically brought back to the surrealist movement of the late 20's and 30's with Louis Buñuel and Salvador Dali, but I think that this association would offend Sergei Parajanov. He was not making a surreal film; rather he was trying his best to tell a story through symbols and gestures. The fact that there is supposedly a story hidden in there keeps The Color of Pomegranates from being a surrealist picture.So then what is this film really? There have been several filmmakers who try and tell an artist's story through works rather than facts, and I have never been much of a fan. Though the comparison is thin, one film that succeeds with the endeavor is Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006), which narrates the life of the famous photographer using her influences as a visual. But still, Fur is a film that stays within the boundaries of convention. Parajanov is not interested in conventional anything.I suppose what you are reading is an American boy's yearning for a more Hollywood-like structure in his entertainment, and I will admit that it embarrasses me to write that. But The Color of Pomegranates is simply a painfully boring film. I may be uncultured, but I was also horribly uninterested in this dribble. We are treated to the visual of men slaughtering goats, one exposed female breast, a man riding a horse, people shooting guns and (of course) the leaking of pomegranates; which represents blood – the essence of life. Deep right? This is the part where my fellow cinophiles tell me that I do not "understand" what Parajanov is trying to tell me with The Color of Pomegranates. I assure you that the obvious religious imagery, worked in coming-of-age angst and the allusion to VERY old poetry was not lost on me. I guess I just do not have an invested interest in the culture. I am certainly not interested enough for something like this movie.At the end of the day, I want to be entertained by a film. The Color of Pomegranates can boast some beautiful scenery, but it lacks even the most basic values that interest a consumer. I have a hard time believing that there are people in the world who could legitimately enjoy something like this, but there has always been a market for the pretentious. The symbolism is ineffective and the story is lost in the fray of nonsense. I hated every minute of this film. It was an awful, boring and eye-opening experience. I gotta get out of the house more…..

Motherspot When watching this movie , one has to let loose everything that applies to 'normal'cinema. Just sit , watch and undergo this excellent and magnificent piece of visual art. For me , a Westerner with no knowledge whatsoever of Armenian History/poetry the visuals are very stunning and could have come from another Galaxy for that matter... but what a beauty is presented in this stunning pallet of images ! I know nothing of the Poet who's life is supposedly depicted here , but i don't feel that as a necessity ... Truly original cinema is made here by Paradjanov... A stunning experience is presented to everyone who is able to ' let loose ' and undergo the beauty of this 80-minute wonder ! Be taken by it and be blessed when you saw it ! One of THE most impressive Movies i'v ever watched...a religious experience!