The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova). Sergei Parajanov, 1969.
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Edition screened: Criterion Blu-ray #918, released 2018. Armenian language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 79 minutes.
Summary: Sacrificing of animals.
Details:
1) Fish gasp and suffer in a staged vignette, 4:54-5:04.
2) A decapitated rooster is used ceremonially, 12:33-12:54.
3) Three rams are sacrificed, gutted, butchered, and their ribbon-decorated heads displayed, 1:02:10-1:03:36.
4) Chickens are handled roughly, in the way many people consider acceptable. They are held inverted by their feet while the perp talks and gestures with his chicken-holding hands, 1:04:00-1:04:25.
5) Decapitated roosters flail and die around a dying man, 1:18:43-1:19:03.
Culturally-sanctioned animal murder is the only aspect of this film that is not wonderful. I strongly recommend this Criterion remaster, skipping several brief scenes as I have notated, if you so choose. The Criterion Blu-ray also includes several excellent supplemental films:
• Mikhail Vartanov’s important 1969 documentary about Armenian art The Color of Armenian Land.
• a 43-minute video essay by James Steffen, Decoding The Color Pomegranates, which does include some quick images of the animal sacrifices.
• Martiros Vartanov’s short abstraction, The Last Film (2014).
• Patrick Cazals’ excellent 2003 documentary about our director, Sergei Parajanov: The Rebel.
• A 26-minute 1977 documentary by Carlos de los Llanos about the poet Sayat-Nova, subject of Parajanoz’s film (from the series “Faith and Traditions of the Oriental Orthodox Churches”).