"Sayat Nova" (also called "The Color of Pomegranates") is probably the best example of a movie that is not for people with short attention spans. You see, there is almost no dialogue in it; the movie is mostly about imagery. You will most likely get completely befuddled if you do not know the subject matter (it's about Armenian poet Sayat Nova). As for me, I found Sergey Paradjanov's use of poetic imagery quite fascinating. And just as an extra thing: that woman playing with the lace was actually kind of hot the way that Natalie Wood was. But my point is that "Sayat Nova" will not appeal to people who sit around watching movies directed by Michael Bay or produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

one of films who could represent rare examples of profound gracious beauty. because it is an embroidery of image and sound and civilization, a refined homage to a great Armenian poet. and the high point of Paradjanov work. a gem of wise trip in heart of things. a film for memories. for the admirable style to use pieces from old fairy tales and dreams, for the splendid science to use the silence as key for discover profound emotions, as definition of life and spirit, creation and fate. The Color of Pomegranates is more than an art film. it is an experience. and affirmation of an cinema art who remains, after decades, unique, profound, seductive scene by scene.

"Sayat Nova" is a Soviet movie from 1969, so this one had its 50th anniversary last year in fact, that's how old it is. Apparently there are several versious out there, but the one I watched ran for 78 minutes and that also seems to be the most common. The other one being listed here on imdb is a little shorter. Still this is a color films and of course also a sound film, which can be added given the movie's age. However, there is not a great deal of talking included here. Subtitles will help for sure, but I would not say they are 100% essential. Unless you are fluent in Armenian that is because this is the most dominant language in here, which is of course fitting given the title character's origins. Sayat Nova was a singer from the 18th century. He lived really long, especially if we consider life expectancy back then as he made it into his 80s and still died only because he was beheaded for religious reasons, namely he refused to become a Muslim. Quite a peaceful statement to kill somebody because of that. Luckily times have changed... But now back to this movie. The director and writer here is Sergei Parajanov from Georgia. This was not one of his early career efforts and also not one of his final career efforts. However, what comes to mind is that there is a ten-year gap after the making of this film and I read that he faced political prosecution back then in the Soviet Union because his films were apparently not as much liked by the political establishment as they should have been. So you could indirectly say that there is a bit of a parallel between him and his character here. Luckily, he did not get murdered because of that though. And he kept making more films afterwards eventually. The international title for this film is "The Color of Pomegranates", so a very different title compared to the original that just went with the protagonist's name. This is probably because international audiences have never heard of the man. He was never really featured in other movies, be it documentaries or fiction pieces, but I still think his life could make for a nice biopic if Hollywood or Russia want to give it a modern take. The international title I am not entirely sure what it refers to. It almost sounds a bit comedic, which it certainly is not meant. Or at least was not meant back then. Of course, there are fruit and vegetable included here on the screen on several occasions, especially early on where we see the red that may (or may not) be referenced in the title. Also on one occasion, you see somebody stomping on berries or something, which may be a bit of a waste of food, but is still among the more memorable moments.

Now let me elaborate a bit more on the contents depicted on the screen here. This felt like a really experimental movie, which is indeed a bit of a problem because if you do not know much or anything about the life of Sayat Nova, then this film will not teach you a lot either. Previous knowlegde is required, which is never a good basis for a film. Sometimes it also loses itself in still shots and definitely feels a bit of style over substance, also with the many inclusions of the protagonist as a child it seems. I mean I am pretty sure there is almost nothing stated about whho/how we was as a kid. With so much time passed (around 200 years when this film was made),it must have been difficult enough to find confirmed stuff about his life as a grown-up. And I kinda doubt that visions in which he saw himself as a child were really confirmed. The one thing that is apparently confirmed is how he died and that is also what we see at the end. Apparently his executioner was still wowed by his talent and asks him to sing several times before he finally murders him. Surely among the more, if not most, memorable moments the film has to offer. But it cannot make up for all the mediocrity before that. This is why I would give the film two stars out of five. I still have to take away one more because of the really gruesome animal killing scene on one occasion. I know it happens like this in real life as a religious act, but that does not make it any better, at least not if they actually depict it like that and kill the animals for this movie. Artistic relevance or not, I cannot be in support of that. I'm glad it does not happen nowadays anymore and we get these "no animals were harmed in the shooting of this movie" notions. With this film here, it is not really any better than these elephants getting electrocuted or cock fight silent movies from the early 20th century. There are (mostly farm) animals depicted on other occasions too, on one occasion really many, but those luckily get away unharmed. As for the cast, Sofiko Chiaureli certainly deserves a mention as she played several characters in here as it was handled many other times too in old films, but actually in older films than this one here as far as I know. She also played the poet on one occasion. Hey, genders don't matter right. But I also want to mention Gogi Gegechkori, who I liked even more and it's for good reason that we see him on the poster here I must say. He certainly elevated the material. The music was alright, atook me a while to get used to it because it felt really strange by today's standards I suppose. Overall, in my opinion this film has not aged too well and in combination of this and the style-over-substance approach and the actual cruelty that takes place in here, it is a definite thumbs-down for me. Cannot agree one bit with the high rating here on imdb. Highly not recommended and I am glad it was this short.