Saved from Oblivion: Restored outtakes of The Color of Pomegranates debuted at Parajanov Museum On International Cinema Day
ArmInfo. To mark International Cinema Day, the Sergei Parajanov Museum has unveiled the "Temple of Cinema," an exceptional exhibition, featuring restored footage from the 1968 masterpiece "The Color of Pomegranates". These scenes, once "lost to oblivion" after being cut from the final edit, offer a rare glimpse into the director's expansive original vision.
As museum director Anahit Mikaelyan noted, the current exhibition only covers a small portion of the footage, restored seven years ago. There are plans for a larger project that will bring together the entire legacy of "The Color of Pomegranates." According to her, this initiative, in partnership with the Gyumri Museum of Urban Life and National Architecture (the Dzitoghtsyan Museum), was originally planned for 2023, but the well-known tragic events of that period prevented it from happening.
The Armenian Cinema Foundation supported the project and expressed its willingness to facilitate its implementation in Gyumri, as previously planned. In an interview with an ArmInfo correspondent, Mikaelyan also emphasized that the installation was conceived as a multi-layered cultural event-it was to be accompanied by lectures and performances by art historians, ethnographers, musicians, and clergy, who would help further explore the director's vision from various perspectives.
Tigran Mansuryan, who composed the music for the film "The Color of Pomegranates," was also among the event's guests. He recalled that before Sergei Parajanov, an autobiographical film about Sayat-Nova was made. "And this man made it in keeping with his own style. Parajanov made a film that matched his scale," the maestro noted.
Mansuryan emphasized that it's one thing to collect and analyze biographical facts, and quite another to create a coherent world. He believes that if Sayat-Nova could see the film today, he would embrace it. The composer also noted that the great ashugh's biography is full of gaps and doesn't provide a comprehensive picture of him, whereas Parajanov managed to present this material in a different light.
He sharply opposed any attempts to rationally compartmentalize the film: "If someone wants to squeeze it into a box, that's their right. But for me, that's insulting. Parajanov is a phenomenon of a different order; he transcends all boundaries. I'm happy that at the age of thirty, I had the opportunity to be involved with this film. This happens once in a lifetime."
Earlier, ArmInfo reported that the digitization and restoration of the film was carried out by the Polish film company Fixafilm, under the direction of Deputy Director Lukasz Sieranka. Out of the 103 film canisters stored in the Cinema Center's archive, 27 were sent to Poland. The installation was first presented at the Rotterdam Film Festival in the Arminius Church, where it generated great interest among international film critics and industry representatives. In Yerevan, the "Temple of Cinema" project was shown to the general public as part of the Golden Apricot Film Festival in July 2019, in the semi-abandoned Ayrarat Cinema.
Earlier, in a conversation with an ArmInfo correspondent, the museum's late founder, Zaven Sargsyan, a photographer and a friend of Parajanov, called the event a true triumph for the director. "This is his best film about our country, which, unfortunately, did not receive any significant official awards. But, as Parajanov himself said, time puts everything in its place. I think that time has already come. The film's production was fraught with suffering, including because many of the shots we see today weren't included in the final version," he noted. The "Temple of Cinema" exhibition at the Sergei Parajanov Museum will be open to visitors until May 16.