La légende de la forteresse de Souram

a Paradjanov. surprising for its force. and as part of a terrible fight against political system. a fairy tale. preserving the light, the pain, the fascination, mystery and force of the source. and the desire to present a testimony about sufferance. that fact transforms The Legend of Suram Fortress in more than beautiful film or embroidery of symbols. because, using motifs who are parts of a folk chain from Balkans to Caucasus, it gives to the sacrifice new connotations. it is not exactly a revenge or expression of sketch of artistic freedom but precise definition of relation who remains basis of power.each theme of Paradjanov's cinema is present in this bitter, delicate gem. like colors of a portrait who redefines the spaces from a drawing.

Paradjanov's sequel to THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES. This is more accessible than COLOR, more narrative driven, with a greater use of outside locations. It is still as obscure, with legends, allegories, characters and symbols all weaving into a culturally specific tapestry. It is not as jaw-droppingly gorgeous or formally astonishing as COLOR, and seems much more pessimistic. It is a story of exiles, poverty, serfdom, murder and the supernatural, with stories within stories, and an almost buoyant ending celebrating resistance and culture.

Paradjanov made four films for which he is best known: Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors and Color Of Pomegranates in the sixties; Legend Of Surami Fortress and Ashik Kerib in the eighties. In case you don't already know, between the sixties and the eighties he spent over a decade in a Soviet prison. I find this to be the strongest and most hypnotic one of the bunch, made soon after his release. One should take advantage of any opportunity to see these on the big screen.

Sergei Parajanov has the most personal style of all directors I know of. He firmly established this style with his films "Shadows of our forgotten ancestors" (1965) and "The color of pomegranates" (1969).

The leaders of the Soviet Union didn't like his style. It didn't fit in with their opinions about (the role of) art (in society). Parajanov spend the '70s and early '80s mostly in jail and labor camps convicted on diverse false accusations.

When he was released in the '80s Parajanov started a second phase in his career. "The legend of Suram fortress was the first film in this second phase. In a book about the history of film I read about this second phase "and he made another three films". That is in my opinion too short a summary and does not do justice to "The legend of Suram fortress. It is true however that "The legend of Suram fortress" is not an artistic break from previous films. Parajanov does not break new grounds in the second phase of his career.

Just like in earlier films "The legend of the Suram forttress" is visually hypnotizing. His images are deeply rooted in old mythical and religious stories and icons. This also means that the plot is hard to follow for Western eyes. The film is more a series of "tableaux vivants" than chapters of a story.

In the films of for exampls Sergei Eisenstein you can sometimes guess that underneath his hstorical stories there was criticism on the current situation. "The legend of the Surem fortress" is plotwise too inaccessible to conclude that it contains hidden criticism on the way the Soviet Union had treated Parajanov in the past decade.

From all the "tableaux vivants" in the movie I was charmed most by "The prayer" and "The passage of time". The way Parajanov uses the close up in these tablaeux is really beautiful.

It's a great film which has scenes like paintings. The music is remarkable. Therefore, both visually and aurally it is a marvelous journey to the Georgian folklore. It also conveys very good messages. The main theme is the suggestion that the patria could only be defended, if some sacrifices their lives for its defense. Blood becomes the cement, in other words. The fortress constitutes a metaphor of the patria, which was vulnerable at that time to the invasions of the two major empires: Ottoman and Safavid. In this context, religion is the main theme of patriotism, which differentiate the majority of the Georgians from the outsiders. There are also so many connections to the folk tales of both Turkish and Iranian culture. One is the character Zurab who rebels against his father because he leaves his patria, thus, his religion. This reminds us the character Zohrab in Shahname of Firdawsi, who fought against his father.

On the other hand, the political context and the director's position in that context is also felt in the choice of making such a movie. The Soviet system was disintegrating and the director is also one of the victims of the Soviet regime long before this movie's production.