Disc 1:
"Memories about Sayat Nova" (2005, 30 min.)
Paradzhanov’s celebrated film “Sayat Nova” was maimed by the Soviet censors and renamed “The Colour of Pomegranates”. The negative had been cut up, love and erotic scenes removed, and the line of a well structured plot remade and confused. Forty years later, several episodes, cut out by the censors, were found, in some mysterious way, in one of the dark basements of the “Armenfilm” studio.
Levon Grigoryan, who worked with Paradzhanov on the film as his assistant, restored the original film in a video version, and told an absorbing story of its tragic fate.
"Eros and Tanatos" (2005, 35 min.)
The film explores the two central themes of Sergey Paradzhanov’s works that the great master had been particularly interested in: “Eros and Thanatos”… (Love and Death). His reflections on these eternal and never-to-be-solved mysteries of human nature are conveyed in his films and drawings through Paradzhanov’s unique language that has no analogies.
Levon Grigoryan’s film, devoted to this theme, arranges frames and scenes from Paradzhanov’s films, his sketches on the scripts’ margins, collages and drawings into one philosophical and emotional line.
Used in the film are some unique, never-before seen by wide audiences, shots from Paradzhanov’s films.
"Orpheus Descending" (2003, 28 min.)
The film tells of the life and work of Sergey Paradzhanov. On December 15, 1973, the Master was to leave for Yerevan to start work on a film based on Andersen’s fairy tales. It is not known why he had changed his decision, and left on that very day for Kiev. Two days later, on December 17, Paradzhanov was arrested in the Ukraine’s capital.
“Orpheus Descending” is recounting about the years the director spent in prison. But not only about that. The author tries to penetrate the mysteries of the Master’s spiritual world, naming the sources, from which he drew the strength to endure the adversities of not only camp life, but of the life in general that had endowed him with huge talent and made him pay for it in full measure.
Disc 2:
"I, Sergey Paradzhanov" (2001, 24 min.)
The film was made a few months after Sergey Paradzhanov’s death. It shows the master’s house, still retaining his warmth, and the unique behind-the-scenes shots of the making of “The Legend of the Surami Fortress”.
"Andrey and Sergey" (2002, 39 min.)
A unique experiment in the genre of television artistic portrait.
The film tells of the work, the lives’ intercrossing and personal relationship of two geniuses of world cinema – Andrei Tarkovsky and Sergey Paradzhanov.
Awards:
• “Crystal Globe” winner, Moscow. Euro-Asia Filmfest, 2006
• Participation in the Rome IFF (Italy), 2007
• Participation in “Tribeca Film Fest US” in New York (USA), 2007
DVD Features:
• Author's commentary on each film of director L. Grigoryan
Disk 1:
Vospominaniya o Sayat-Nove (2005 g., 30 min.)
Znamenityj film Paradzhanova "Sayat-Nova" byl iskoverkan sovetskoj tsenzuroj i poluchil nazvanie "TSvet granata". Negativ okazalsya izrezan, lyubovnye i eroticheskie stseny iz'yaty a dvizhenie vesma strojnogo syuzheta peredelano i zaputano. Spustya 40 let, neskolko vyrezannyh tsenzuroj epizodov tainstvennym obrazom nashlis v odnom iz temnyh podvalov kinostudii "Armenfilm".
Levon Grigoryan, rabotavshij s Padzhanovym assistentom na etom filme, vosstanovil video versiyu originala filma i rasskazal uvlekatelnuyu istoriyu ego tragicheskoj sudby.
Eros i Tanatos (2005 g., 35 min.)
Film issleduet dve osnovnye temy tvorchestva Sergeya Paradzhanova, osobenno volnovavshie velikogo mastera: "Eros i Tanatos"…(Lyubov i Smert). Razmyshleniya ob etih vechnyh i nerazgadannyh tainstvah chelovecheskoj prirody peredayutsya v ego filmah i risunkah s pomoschyu unikalnogo, ne imeyuschego analogov paradzhanovskogo yazyka.
Film Levona Grigoryana, posvyaschennyj etoj teme, vystraivaet kadry i stseny iz filmov, eskizy na polyah stsenariev, kollazhi i risunki Paradzhanova v edinyj filosofskij i emotsionalnyj ryad.
V filme ispolzovany unikalnye, neizvestnye shirokomu zritelyu kadry iz filmov Paradzhanova.
Orfej spuskaetsya v ad (2003 g., 28 min.)
Film rasskazyvaet o zhizni i tvorchestve Sergeya Paradzhanova. 15 dekabrya 1973 goda Master dolzhen byl vyehat v Erevan, chtoby nachat tam rabotu nad kartinoj po motivam skazok Andersena. Neizvestno, pochemu, no on izmenil svoe reshenie, i v tot zhe den otpravilsya v Kiev. CHerez dva dnya, 17 dekabrya, v ukrainskoj stolitse Paradzhanova arestovali.
"Orfej spuskaetsya v ad" - eto rasskaz o godah, provedennyh rezhisserom v zaklyuchenii. No - ne tolko. Avtor pytaetsya proniknut v tajny duhovnogo mira Mastera, govorya o teh istochnikah, v kotoryh on cherpal sily perenesti tyagoty ne tolko zhizni v lagere, no i zhizni voobsche, nadelivshej ego gromadnym darom, i vynudivshej spolna platit za eto.
Disk 2:
YA, Sergej Paradzhanov (2001 g., 24 min.)
Film snyat cherez neskolko mesyatsev posle smerti Sergeya Paradzhanova. V nem zapechatlen dom mastera, esche hranyaschij ego teplo, ispolzovany unikalnye kadry protsessa s'emok filma "Suramskaya krepost".
Andrej i Sergej (2002 g., 39 min.)
Unikalnyj eksperiment v zhanre televizionnogo tvorcheskogo portreta. Lenta rasskazyvaet o tvorchestve, peresechenii sudeb i lichnyh vzaimootnosheniyah dvuh geniev mirovogo kinematografa - Andreya Tarkovskogo i Sergeya Paradzhanova.
Nagrady:
• «Crystal Globe» winner Moscow . Euro-Asia Filmfest 2006
• Uchastie v MKF v Rime (Italiya), 2007
• Uchastie v MKF «Tribeca" filmfest US» v Nyu-Jorke (SSHA), 2007
Dopolnitelnye materialy (Bonus-trek):
• Avtorskij kommentarij k kazhdomu filmu rezhissera L. Grigoryana
