Influential documentary about the imprisoned genius Sergei Parajanov who was persecuted by the Soviet government for his unruly life style and non-conformist films "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" and "The Color of Pomegranate" -- regarded as some of the greatest motion pictures of the 20th century.

Extraordinary behind the scenes sequence of Sergei Parajanov on the shooting of “Sayat Nova," captured by his close friend Mikhail Vartanov (Vardanov) in the banned 1967 documentary “The Color of Armenian Land,” appears 20 years later in "Parajanov: The Last Spring."

Frightening, unpublished letters from the Ukrainian hard labor prison camps (GULAG), uncover the shocking secret request that Sergei Parajanov sent to Mikhail Vartanov in 1975.

Made in the blockaded and war-torn Soviet Armenia, during one hour daily limits of electricity and water, “Parajanov: The Last Spring” poetically reveals Sergei Parajanov's joys and sufferings, his life with the family, friends and lovers through the exceptionally thoughtful montage of his collages, drawings, photographs and more.

Breathtaking footage of Sergei Parajanov's last work day in cinema - a striking attempt by Maestro to add sound to “The Confession,” his final and unfinished masterpiece. The complete surviving footage (original negative) of “The Confession” is included in "Parajanov: The Last Spring.”

Mikhail Vartanov, whose extremely brief narration demystifies the cinema language of Sergei Parajanov in just a few wise sentences, described his own film, “Parajanov: The Last Spring,” like this:

- Parajanov's dreams, the farewell to the characters of his films, which, along with thousands of fans, see him off to the last journey. The Last Spring... The dove emerges from within the grave and flies off towards the immortality.

- Life is gone... Life is still there, imprinted on celluloid of the Altar of Joy, Beauty and Sadness that Parajanov has created.

Tonino Guerra, the legendary screenwriter of Federico Fellini's “Amarcord” and Michelangelo Antonioni's “Blowup” as well as the great American poet Allen Ginsberg ("Howl"), and the Los Angeles Times, gave magnificent reviews to Mikhail Vartanov's “ Parajanov: The Last Spring.”

[Allen Ginsberg and Vartanov in New York]

“Paradjanov: The Last Spring” won Russian Academy Award, the region's highest professional film honor as well as San Francisco International Film Festival's Golden Gate Award and Beverly Hills Film Festival's Golden Palm Award.

" PARAJANOV: THE LAST SPRING " (1992 / 2003 versions)

CREW :

 

Martin Vartanov
Mikhail Vartanov
Sergei Parajanov (The Confession)
Boris Pasternak (Poems)

55 minutes, 35mm, 1500m, 6 reels Kodak color/black & white. 1.33:1
Russian, Armenian, Ukrainian, Georgian with English subtitles

Varda Nova Films [ Armenia ] (1992)
Mozart Entertainment [ USA ] (2003)