# The Color of Pomegranates

> 1969 film by Sergei Parajanov

**Wikidata**: [Q2235380](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2235380)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Color_of_Pomegranates)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/the-color-of-pomegranates

## Summary
*The Color of Pomegranates* is a 1969 art film directed by Sergei Parajanov that serves as a poetic biographical dramatization of the Armenian ashug Sayat Nova. Renowned for its unique visual style, the film is a Soviet production created by the Armenfilm studio and is recognized as a landmark work in biographical and art cinema.

## Key Facts
- **Release Date:** October 1969.
- **Director:** Sergei Parajanov.
- **Genre:** Art film, Biographical film, Drama.
- **Country of Origin:** Soviet Union.
- **Production Company:** Armenfilm.
- **Subject:** Sayat Nova (Armenian poet and ashug).
- **Duration:** 79 minutes.
- **Alternative Titles:** *Sayat Nova*, *The Colour of Pomegranates*, *Red Pomegranate*, *Colour of Pomegranate*.
- **Original Title:** Նռան գույնը (Nran guyne).
- **Classifications:** Listed under Library of Congress ID n2007072252; GND ID 222761608.
- **Ratings:** IMDb ID tt0063555; Rotten Tomatoes score 94%.
- **Identifiers:** Wikidata ID Q11460; Freebase ID /m/05hmb7.

## FAQs
**What is the central subject of the film?**
The film is a biographical dramatization of the life of Sayat Nova, an Armenian poet and ashug (troubadour), and is formally named after him in its original title.

**Who produced and distributed the film?**
The film was produced by Armenfilm, a film studio founded in 1923 in Armenia, and originated in the Soviet Union.

**What genres does the film belong to?**
It is classified as an art film, a drama film, and a biographical film, the latter being a genre that dramatizes the life of an actual person.

**What are the different titles for this film?**
The film is known by several titles including *The Color of Pomegranates*, *Sayat Nova*, *The Colour of Pomegranates*, *Red Pomegranate*, and *Colour of Pomegranate*.

## Why It Matters
*The Color of Pomegranates* matters as a seminal work in the history of visual storytelling, representing a radical departure from traditional narrative cinema. Directed by Sergei Parajanov, the film merges the disciplines of painting, poetry, and cinema into a unified aesthetic experience, prioritizing visual composition and symbolic imagery over linear plot progression. It stands as a cultural artifact of the Soviet Union and Armenian heritage, preserving the legacy of the poet Sayat Nova through a distinct cinematic language that continues to influence film theory and visual arts.

## Notable For
- **Visual Innovation:** Directed by Sergei Parajanov, a filmmaker known for pioneering visual arts in cinema.
- **Cultural Significance:** A Soviet Armenian production that depicts the life of the poet Sayat Nova.
- **Genre Classification:** Recognized distinctively as both an art film and a biographical film.
- **Studio Legacy:** Produced by Armenfilm, a historic studio established in 1923.
- **Critical Acclaim:** Holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- **Global Identifiers:** Cataloged extensively across international databases including the Library of Congress and IMDb.

## Body

### Core Identity and Production
*The Color of Pomegranates* is defined fundamentally as a film—a sequence of images that give the impression of movement, stored on film stock. It was released in October 1969 with a runtime of 79 minutes. The film is an instance of a cinematic work and serves as a biographical dramatization of the life of Sayat Nova (Harutyun Sayadyan), an 18th-century Armenian poet and ashug. The production was helmed by Armenfilm, the state film studio of Armenia (inception April 16, 1923), under the creative direction of Sergei Parajanov.

### Director and Artistic Context
The film was directed by Sergei Parajanov (1924–1990), a Soviet Armenian and Georgian film director and visual artist. Parajanov was educated at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in Moscow and is celebrated for his multifaceted career as a screenwriter, film editor, and painter. His work on *The Color of Pomegranates* followed his earlier success with *Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors* (1965). Parajanov's approach integrated visual arts into cinema, utilizing techniques akin to painting and sculpture. He was recognized as a People's Artist of the Armenian SSR and received the Shevchenko National Prize.

### Genre and Thematic Elements
The film is categorized under three primary genres:
- **Art Film:** A genre emphasizing visual style and thematic depth over mass appeal.
- **Biographical Film:** A genre that dramatizes the life of an actual person, in this case, Sayat Nova.
- **Drama Film:** A genre focused on realistic character development and emotional themes.

The narrative and visual structure are deeply tied to the life of Sayat Nova, utilizing the poet's own work as a foundation for the film's imagery.

### Titles and Nomenclature
The entity possesses multiple aliases and titles across different languages and releases:
- **Original Title:** Նռան գույնը (Nran guyne).
- **Primary English Title:** *The Color of Pomegranates*.
- **Alternative Titles:** *Sayat Nova*, *The Colour of Pomegranates*, *Red Pomegranate*, *Colour of Pomegranate*.

### Geopolitical and Historical Context
The film originated in the Soviet Union, a former country in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. The production company, Armenfilm, was headquartered in Yerevan and operated within the Soviet film industry. The film's subject, Sayat Nova, is a significant figure in Armenian cultural history, and the film itself contributes to the broader canon of Soviet and Armenian cinema.

### Technical Specifications and Identifiers
The film is cataloged under a vast array of technical identifiers and database entries:
- **IMDb:** tt0063555.
- **Rotten Tomatoes:** 94% score.
- **Library of Congress:** n2007072252.
- **GND:** 222761608.
- **Freebase:** /m/05hmb7.
- **Wikidata:** Q11460.
- **Douban:** 803 (ID).
- **Rotten Tomatoes ID:** 16280.
- **Metacritic ID:** movie/the-color-of-pomegranates.
- **AllMovie ID:** 6497.
- **Letterboxd ID:** features_and_shorts/235.
- **FilmAffinity ID:** v10311.
- **TVGuide ID**: 70022997.
- **BBC Things ID**: 2611f753-ece7-47ea-9782-f912bc1e4088 (inherited from Film class).

### Reception and Metrics
The film holds a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDb and a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It has a sitelink count of 34, indicating its presence across 34 different Wikipedia language editions. The film is listed in the Library of Congress Authority file under the ID n2007072252.

### Related Entities
- **Sergei Parajanov:** The director, who is also a painter and visual artist.
- **Sayat Nova:** The subject of the film, an Armenian poet.
- **Armenfilm:** The production company.
- **Soviet Union:** The country of origin.
- **Garnet:** The film is associated with the color garnet, referencing the visual motif of the pomegranate.

## References

1. Red Pomegranate. Rotten Tomatoes
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. List of film licenses issued from 1945 to 2020
4. [Source](https://www.cnc.fr/professionnels/visas-et-classification/142584)
5. [Source](http://www.mecd.gob.es/cultura-mecd/areas-cultura/cine/industria-cine/calificacion/calificacion-por-meses.html)
6. mymovies.it
7. The Movie Database
8. Trakt.tv
9. FilmVandaag.nl