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Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors Sergei Paradjanov Sergei Paradjanov's masterpiece, a brilliant, epic story of starcrossed lovers set against the ethnographic panorama of the Carpathian Mountains. The film is a visual tour-de-force of symbols, metaphor, lyrical photography and active camera as it interweaves myth and narrative into an elliptical, seamless work of art. Its images "become superimposed on the mind, and will emerge later with a new and more profound meaning, a meaning that escapes logical analysis, that cannot be grasped intellectually, but which calls upon us to respond with feeling" (Robert Walke). With Ivan Nikolaichuk and Larisa Kadochnikova. Ukrainian with English subtitles. USSR, 1964, 99 mins. DVD | $44.95
Ashik Kerib Sergei Paradjanov/Dodo Abashidze Ashik Kerib is a wandering minstrel, forbidden to marry the daughter of a powerful merchant, who travels for one thousand days to finance his wedding. In Paradjanov's hands, it becomes a visual opera of costumes, movement and music, in which surreal framing, icons, pomegranates and other mystical symbols fill a living tableau with images that are simply miraculous. Dedicated to Andrei Tarkovsky, the theme of Ashik Kerib is the transforming power of art and the tragedy of the artist. Cinematography by Albert Yavuryan. With Yiur Mgoyan, Veronikia Metonidze and Levan Natroshvili. Azerbaijani and Georgian with English subtitles. Russia, 1988, 78 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Color of Pomegranates Sergei Paradjanov Paradjanov's mosaic on the life, art and spiritual odyssey of the 18th-century Armenian poet Sayat Nova. The film is a collection of images and tableaux that interweaves landscapes, villages, costumes, props and music to form a metaphorical history of the Armenian nation. The film "achieves a sort of visionary para-surrealism through the most economical means of gesture, props and texture...A sublime and heartbreaking film" (J. Hoberman, The Village Voice). This director's cut repositions the shots and images and restores censored footage. With Sofico Chiaureli, M. Aleksanian and V. Galstian. Armenian with English subtitles. On the same program is Hagop Hovnatanian, Paradjanov's 12-minute short on the Armenian artist. USSR, 1969, 78 mins. DVD | $54.95
The Films of Sergei Paradjanov Sergei Paradjanov/Dodo Abashidze The long career of Caucasus-born filmmaker Sergei Paradjanov was not necessarily prolific, with several stays in prisons and camps interrupting his provocative work. His four major accomplishments - Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964, 97 mins.), The Color of Pomegranates (1969, 88 mins.), Legend of Suram Fortress (with Dodo Abashidze, 1984, 83 mins.) and Ashik Kerib (with Dodo Abashidze, 1988, 74 mins.) - are eclectic masterpieces that defy stylistic and ethnic categorization, and wield great influence over Russian and international cinema. This four-disc set includes the aforementioned films, plus a documentary portrait of the director, titled Paradjanov: A Requiem (Ron Holloway, 1994, 57 mins.). 4-DVD set. Includes hours of bonus features. In Russian, Ukranian and Georgian with optional English subtitles. USSR, 1964-1994, 400 mins. DVD | $99
The Legend of Suram Fortress Sergei Paradjanov/Dodo Abashidze Based on a Georgian legend, the first feature completed by Sergei Paradjanov after being released from prison. The tale hangs on the self-sacrifice of a young man who agrees to be bricked up in a fortress wall in order to make it impregnable against invaders. The film is divided into a series of tableaux, once again using minimal dialog and searing imagery in a film of surreal, almost hypnotic power. Georgian with English subtitles. USSR, 1984, 89 mins. DVD | $44.95
