Sergey Parajanov: biography, filmography and personal life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

Sergey Parajanov is a director unique for the Soviet era. Although he can hardly be called Soviet, because in his entire long career he never created a single socialist image, remaining true to the end to the true nature of man - feelings, emotions, inner expression. Art for this amazing person was the highest value in life, a kind of cult that he unconditionally worshiped.

Early years

In a small house in the capital of Georgia - Tbilisi - the future famous director and screenwriter Sergey Parajanov was born. His biography begins on January 9, 1924, when, tired after prolonged labor pains, his mother was brought into her arms a small crying lump. The boy grew up and was happy, because he did not need anything. His father was one of the we althiest people in his city, had a profitable business and many influential connections. In particular, he owned a network of antique shops and even managed to open a brothel under a very ambiguous titled "Family Corner". Mother actively helped her father in all his affairs: it was she who selected the staff for a prosperous brothel. Girls, by the way, were brought from France.

The years of "dispossession" did not pass without a trace for the elder Parajanov. He lost many of his successful businesses, but managed to save the antique business, which was hereditary. He sincerely hoped that his son would follow in his footsteps. But Seryozha resolutely stated that he plans to enter the railway transport engineer.

University studies

Possessing a pronounced artistic talent and not having any ability for exact disciplines, Sergei did not study for long at the Faculty of Engineering. Parajanov, after three years of unsuccessful struggle with the granite of science, nevertheless turned to art. For a while he studied at the Tbilisi Conservatory, but after the end of the war in 1945 he moved to Moscow. His father tried to convince him, but could not: the son firmly decided to become a film director and enter the Moscow State Institute of Cinematography.

As a student, Serezha fell in love with a Moldavian with Tatar roots - Nigar. They dated for several months, then secretly married. But this marriage was short and tragic. The girl's family was of strict patriarchal morals and traditions: having learned that the woman had married without the consent of her relatives, they came to Parajanov and demanded a ransom from him. Sergei had no money, his father, offended by his son's escape, was not going to lend him money, and Nigar refused to leave her husband and returninto the fold of the family. Angry relatives de alt with the rebellious girl, according to old customs - they threw her under the train.

Career start

Sergey Paradzhanov, whose personal life failed from the start, directed all his energy and strength into a creative direction. In 1952, he graduated from the directing courses of Igor Savchenko, a well-known and honored artist of that time. His diploma was the picture "Moldavian Fairy Tale", which he finished shooting a year earlier. As for big cinema, then Parajanov's debut was the film "Andriesh", filmed in 1954 at the Dovzhenko film studio. It was within the walls of this institution that the main works of the director were subsequently created.

Having fully learned the wild Tatar-Moldovan traditions, Sergey decided not to marry women with oriental roots anymore. Therefore, his second wife was an ordinary Ukrainian Sveta Shcherbatyuk. After three years of harmonious and calm family life, she gave birth to his son, Suren. Despite the fact that the couple looked happy, their union broke up already in 1961. The woman always said that the reason for the divorce was the nature of Parajanov: a creative person often behaved strangely, unpredictably and even insanely.

Crown of creativity

They, of course, was the film "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors". After the release in 1964 on the great screen, it was immediately called a masterpiece, and Sergei Parajanov woke up famous. The picture struck with animal sensuality, a riot of rituals, natural pristineness, love tragedy and light sadness. The creation of this philosophical parable, thoroughly permeated with religious motifs,came as a surprise to critics. Indeed, before the appearance of the picture, Sergei had been actively working in the field of cinema for 10 years, but so far his work did not promise the man loud fame and worldwide recognition.

“Shadows…” became just like that. They caused a shock. The leitmotif of the story of the tragic love of Ivan and Marichka was the play Romeo and Juliet. But unlike Shakespeare's work, the theme of the enmity of the clans here faded into the background, making room for describing the life of the Hutsuls, their culture, and traditions. The unusual picture was radically different from everything filmed in the USSR. She also had a huge international success: she was appreciated at film festivals in Italy, Argentina and other countries.

The Color of Pomegranate and other films

But this is not the end of Parajanov's creative achievements. In 1967, he was invited to the Yerevan Film Studio, where he took on a picture about the great Armenian poet Sayat-Nova. It was called "The Color of Pomegranate" and, in its innovation, bypassed even "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors". In it, each frame carries a semantic load, the color scheme becomes as concise as possible, and inanimate objects play on a par with the actors. The film can be compared to poetry, where the characters speak in metaphors, and the staged scenes are filled with feelings and carry an emotional message. And if "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" is the director's crowning achievement, then "The Color of Pomegranate" is the culmination of his entire life.

In addition to these two paintings, Sergei Parajanov managed to complete a dozen more works:The director's filmography includes 16 films. In the 50s, the Moldavian Tale, Andries, Natalia Uzhviy, Golden Hands, Dumka and The First Guy saw the light of day. In the 1960s Sergey worked on Ukrainian Rhapsody, Flower on a Stone, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, Kyiv Frescoes, Hakob Ovnatanyan, Children to Komitas and The Flower of Pomegranate. After a ten-year break due to harassment and imprisonment, “The Legend of the Surami Fortress”, “Arabesques on the Pirosmani Theme” and “Ashik-Kerib” were released on the screens.

Persecution and arrest

Sergei Parajanov was a rebel by nature: his films ran counter to the existing system, so the relationship between the director and the Soviet authorities did not always work out well. If we add to this his repeated appeals to the leadership of the party and requests to stop the persecution of well-known figures of culture and science, it is clear why he became "undesirable" for the top of the CPSU. The last straw was the signature of Sergei Paradzhanov under the letter of intellectuals who opposed political repressions in 1968.

Because of his active citizenship, the director has become a bone in the throat for the authorities. In 1973, her patience broke and Parajanov was sentenced to 5 years in prison. At the same time, the articles were chosen the most "dirty", making from their synthesis just an explosive mixture - homosexuality with the use of violence. The reason was the director's statement to the Belgian press, to which he told that many party leaders sought his location. It is clear that this was a metaphor or a joke, but forthe investigating authorities, these words were enough to initiate a case.

Life after release

Director Sergei Parajanov found himself in a very difficult situation: the article on which he was imprisoned did not arouse admiration among the prisoners, on the contrary, was despised by them. Because of this, the man had a hard time in the zone. The only bright light in this part of his life was early release at the request of many prominent cultural figures who organized an international protest. Louis Aragon himself, the world-famous French writer, personally turned to Brezhnev with a request to pardon Parajanov. In 1977, the director was released, while forbidding him to live and work on the territory of Ukraine. Parajanov went to his historical homeland - to Tbilisi, where he continued to work at the film studio "Georgia-Film". Here he shot two more full-length films.

As for the sexual orientation of a man, in our days the opinions of historians differ. The fact is that Sergey has repeatedly spoken about his weakness towards the representatives of the stronger sex. But is it possible to believe this provocateur, a lover of shocking? If we take into account the stories of his friends, then there is an ambiguous idea of \u200b\u200bParajanov's personal life. They said: at joint gatherings, he either boasted of new love victories over the female sex, or hinted that he had seduced a young artist. Even the comrades did not fully see the border between fiction and truth.

Recent years

Sergei Parajanov came to his hometown at the end of his life. The biography of the director, namely its creative component, is destined to endwhere it began - in Tbilisi. Here he filmed his latest work - Mikhail Lermontov's fairy tale "Ashik-Kerib". The parable about class inequality and great love became partly autobiographical for the director. After that, Parajanov moved to Armenia. Here in Yerevan, in a house specially built for him, he died of lung cancer. It happened on July 20, 1990. At that time he was working on the painting "Confession", which, unfortunately, he did not have time to finish. Subsequently, the original negative became part of the film about the life of the director Parajanov: The Last Spring.

Today, the house of Sergei Iosifovich has become a museum. This is one of the most visited places in Yerevan by tourists. In fact, Parajanov did not have time to live in it. Despite this, the walls of the building radiate its energy. Visitors look at his rich collection of collages and graphics, leaving home with complete confidence that their author is a magician and wizard, a true talent and a crazy genius.

Memory of Parajanov

He was admired not only by the women of the Soviet Union, but also by young ladies from abroad. The world-famous star of French cinema, Catherine Deneuve, called Sergei the most brilliant director of all time. He was openly admired by the fatal beauty, one of the smartest ladies in Russia and Europe - Lilia Brik. Men also paid tribute to this talent. For example, Andrei Tarkovsky, despite his difficult character, had great respect for Parajanov. He loved spending time in his company. Being very proud and stubborn, the first one called him to arrangenext meeting. Hating noisy companies, he endured them for the sake of a friend who was crazy about parties and loud gatherings.

The great Federico Fellini was also very fond of the director. As a sign of respect, he gave him his wristwatch and some drawings. Sergei Parajanov wanted to answer him by presenting a black velvet robe, but he did not have time to do so. In this attire, intended for Fellini, the director was buried. This decision was made by his nephew, Georgy Parajanov. A relative, whom the great uncle called a loafer and a parasite, years later made a brilliant film about the hometown of Sergei Iosifovich - Tbilisi - under the symbolic title "Everyone is gone" …