It's hard to say which one is more visually impressive, this or Colour of Pomegranates. Like Colour, every frame of Suram Fortress is a work of art. It's hard to even find words to convey the mastery of what Parajanov does, but one of the many things that some of his unmoving shots incorporate is movement. Specifically: graceful, flowing movement. The movement of blade of grass as a man pours a bucket of eggs. The movement of blue ribbons like flowing water. The movement of sheep in the background as two dancers leap in the foreground.
The other thing, like in his two previous films, that he uses wonderfully is colour. Humans, animals and objects are used for the visual aspect they add to the scene and are placed in ways that are pleasing to the eye. All this is done in ways that display elements of Georgian culture. There is dancing, there are flamboyant clothes.
The clearer narrative (although still not that clear!) of this film compared to Colour leads to a genuinely quite stirring final act in which the prince chooses to sacrifice himself so the fortress can be built and the invaders stopped. It draws on the importance of belonging to a 'people', a group wider than yourself, but doing so by individual choice, as opposed to the lack of choice in being a serf.
Parajanov gives screen time to the Muslim invaders that are the enemies of the Christians as well as to the culture of the native Christians. There is no strong moral condemnation, just an equal fascination with their culture. What makes the world culturally rich is the breathtaking variety of cultures, each with its own customs and traditions that are precious. This is why there is much more focus on the Muslims' culture than on presenting them as enemies, especially when all civilisations have done evil at one time or another. Indeed, it is Osman's masters in Christian Georgia that display the most evil acts we see in the film. One of the most visually stunning but harrowing scenes is him dragging his mother's body.
This film, like the one before, has an almost mystic quality that makes it feel like more than just history and culture. Then again, that speaks to how otherworldly Eastern Orthodox Christian culture can seem to those used to Western Christianity.
The other thing, like in his two previous films, that he uses wonderfully is colour. Humans, animals and objects are used for the visual aspect they add to the scene and are placed in ways that are pleasing to the eye. All this is done in ways that display elements of Georgian culture. There is dancing, there are flamboyant clothes.
The clearer narrative (although still not that clear!) of this film compared to Colour leads to a genuinely quite stirring final act in which the prince chooses to sacrifice himself so the fortress can be built and the invaders stopped. It draws on the importance of belonging to a 'people', a group wider than yourself, but doing so by individual choice, as opposed to the lack of choice in being a serf.
Parajanov gives screen time to the Muslim invaders that are the enemies of the Christians as well as to the culture of the native Christians. There is no strong moral condemnation, just an equal fascination with their culture. What makes the world culturally rich is the breathtaking variety of cultures, each with its own customs and traditions that are precious. This is why there is much more focus on the Muslims' culture than on presenting them as enemies, especially when all civilisations have done evil at one time or another. Indeed, it is Osman's masters in Christian Georgia that display the most evil acts we see in the film. One of the most visually stunning but harrowing scenes is him dragging his mother's body.
This film, like the one before, has an almost mystic quality that makes it feel like more than just history and culture. Then again, that speaks to how otherworldly Eastern Orthodox Christian culture can seem to those used to Western Christianity.