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A breathtaking fusion of poetry, ethnography, and cinema, Sergei Parajanov's masterwork overflows with images and sounds that burn into the memory. In a series of tableaux that blend the tactile with the abstract, THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES revives the splendors of Armenian culture through the story of the eighteenth-century troubadour Sayat-Nova, charting his intellectual, artistic, and spiritual growth through iconographic compositions rather than traditional narrative. The film's tapestry of folklore and metaphor departed from the realism that dominated the Soviet cinema of its era, leading authorities to block its distribution, with rare underground screenings presenting it in a restructured form. This edition features the cut closest to Parajanov's original vision, in a restoration that brings new life to one of cinema's most enigmatic meditations on art and beauty. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES - New 4K digital restoration, undertaken by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack - New audio commentary featuring critic Tony Rayns - New video essay on the film's symbols and references, featuring scholar James Steffen - New interview with Steffen detailing the production of the film - SERGEI PARAJANOV: THE REBEL, a 2003 documentary about the filmmaker, featuring him and actor Sofiko Chiaureli - THE LIFE OF SAYAT-NOVA, a 1977 documentary about the Armenian poet who inspired THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES - New English subtitle translation - PLUS: An essay by film scholar Ian Christie

Description

A towering achievement of world cinema, Sergei Parajanov’s modernist landmark fuses folkloric traditions, animistic mysticism, and hallucinatory visual invention. Adapted from a 1911 novella by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors follows Ivanko (Ivan Mykolaichuk), a young Hutsul peasant who experiences both the depths of grief and glimmers of hope as he attempts to move beyond his first love, Marichka (an ethereal Larysa Kadochnykova). Steeped in the earthy atmosphere of the Carpathian Mountains, and featuring kinetic, radiantly colorful cinematography by Yuri Illienko and a collagelike experimental soundtrack, Parajanov’s film is a singularly mythopoeic work of art. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack New audio commentary featuring historian Joshua First New introduction by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project founder Martin Scorsese New interview with actor Larysa Kadochnykova The Lilac Wind of Paradjanov (2025), a feature documentary by Ali Khamraev Shadowsur (2026), an experimental short film by Martiros Vartanov about director Sergei Parajanov’s son New English subtitle translation PLUS: An essay by critic Carmen Gray Top Similar From the Brand Questions Reviews Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Description

A towering achievement of world cinema, Sergei Parajanov’s modernist landmark fuses folkloric traditions, animistic mysticism, and hallucinatory visual invention. Adapted from a 1911 novella by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors follows Ivanko (Ivan Mykolaichuk), a young Hutsul peasant who experiences both the depths of grief and glimmers of hope as he attempts to move beyond his first love, Marichka (an ethereal Larysa Kadochnykova). Steeped in the earthy atmosphere of the Carpathian Mountains, and featuring kinetic, radiantly colorful cinematography by Yuri Illienko and a collagelike experimental soundtrack, Parajanov’s film is a singularly mythopoeic work of art. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features New audio commentary featuring historian Joshua First New introduction by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project founder Martin Scorsese New interview with actor Larysa Kadochnykova The Lilac Wind of Paradjanov (2025), a feature documentary by Ali Khamraev Shadowsur (2026), an experimental short film by Martiros Vartanov about director Sergei Parajanov’s son New English subtitle translation PLUS: An essay by critic Carmen Gray Top Similar From the Brand Questions Reviews Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD] Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]