The Color of Pomegranates

The Color of Pomegranates

A poetic evocation of the life of Armenian poet Sayat Nova.

1969 · 80 min · ★ 7.4 · Drama, History

The life of the revered 18th-century Armenian poet and musician Sayat-Nova. Portraying events in the life of the artist from childhood up to his death, the movie addresses in particular his relationships with women, including his muse. The production tells Sayat-Nova's dramatic story by using both his poems and largely still camerawork, creating a work hailed as revolutionary by Mikhail Vartanov.

Directed by Sergei Parajanov · Written by Sergei Parajanov

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

MUBI

Rent or Buy

Pijama Films

Cast

Trailers & Videos

Make it a double feature

2h 56m together

The Color of Pomegranates

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

Both from Sergei Parajanov.

More from Sergei ParajanovSee all →

AndrieshAndriesh · 1952
Andriesh
8.01952
MovieFamily
A short diploma film based on a fairy tale by Yemelian Bukov and directed by Sergei Parajanov. The film was made in 1952, since that moment it was considered to be lost, but finally it was found in VGIK in 2025.
Shadows of Forgotten AncestorsShadows of Forgotten Ancestors · 1965
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
7.51965
MovieDramaRomance
In the Carpathian Mountains of 19th-century Ukraine, love, hate, life and death among the Hutsul people are as they’ve been since time began. Ivan is drawn to Marichka, the beautiful young daughter of the man who killed his father. But fate tragically decrees that the two lovers will remain apart.
The Legend of Suram FortressThe Legend of Suram Fortress · 1985
The Legend of Suram Fortress
6.81985
MovieDramaFantasy
A film version of a well-known Georgian folk-tale. A young boy has to be immured into the walls of a fortress in order to stop it from crumbling to pieces.
Natalia UzhviyNatalia Uzhviy · 1959
Natalia Uzhviy
6.51959
MovieDocumentary
A documentary portrait of prominent Ukrainian stage and screen actress Natalya Ushviy that contains numerous excerpts from her feature films.
Hakob HovnatanyanHakob Hovnatanyan · 1967
Hakob Hovnatanyan
6.41967
MovieDocumentaryHistory
Exploring the art of Armenian portraitist Hakob Hovnatanyan, Parajanov revives the culture of Tbilisi of the 19th century.
Ashik KeribAshik Kerib · 1988
Ashik Kerib
6.31988
MovieDramaHistory
Wandering minstrel Ashik Kerib falls in love with a rich merchant's daughter, but is spurned by her father and forced to roam the world for a thousand and one nights. Now presumed dead by those he loves, he performs for the poor and unfortunate on his journeys through the wilderness.
Swan Lake: The ZoneSwan Lake: The Zone · 1990
Swan Lake: The Zone
6.21990
MovieDrama
A convict is forced to hide within a model of a hammer and sickle. Here a tragic romance ensues between the convict and woman worker; which is spoilt by the woman's jealous young son. The convict is then forced to undergo a tragic bid for freedom which ends with the beauty of swans contrasted with the imprisoned convicts and the hopeful but ultimately tragic wait by the woman for her lover.
Parajanov TriptychParajanov Triptych · 2020
Parajanov Triptych
6.02020
MovieDocumentaryDrama
Three short films by Sergei Parajanov, Hakob Hovnatanyan (1967), Kyiv Frescoes (1966) and Arabesques on the Theme of Pirosmani (1986). Scanned and restored from the original camera negatives in 4K by Fixafilm. Produced in association with National Cinema Centre of Armenia (NCCA), Dovzhenko Centre and Georgian Film. Scans for Hakob Hovnatanyan and Arabesques on the Theme of Pirosmani financed by Kino Klassika.
La Couleur de la grenadeLa Couleur de la grenade · 2026
La Couleur de la grenade
6.02026
Movie
This show is a vibrant tribute to the cult filmmaker Sergei Parajanov. Blending hip-hop, contemporary dance and Armenian traditions, the stage becomes a veritable living tableau where electronic music and traditional instruments, theatre and cinema intertwine to bring to life the baroque and poetic world of the film Sayat-Nova (The Colour of Pomegranates).
Paradjanov: A RequiemParadjanov: A Requiem · 1994
Paradjanov: A Requiem
6.01994
MovieDocumentary
An absorbing portrait of one of the most colorful and revered figures in world cinema, 'Paradjanov: A Requiem' offers an affectionate and insightful look at the tumultuous career of the late Sergei Paradjanov; artist, dissident, romantic and iconoclast.
Ukrainian RhapsodyUkrainian Rhapsody · 1961
Ukrainian Rhapsody
5.81961
MovieDramaRomance
World War II separates lovers Oksana and Anton. The young man is taken prisoner by the Germans, while his beloved abandons her studies at the conservatory to become a frontline nurse. Despite all the hardships, their paths cross again.
Arabesques on the Pirosmani ThemeArabesques on the Pirosmani Theme · 1985
Arabesques on the Pirosmani Theme
5.81985
MovieDocumentary
Short film from Sergei Parajanov, a personal view of the director on the spectacular heritage of Niko Pirosmani (1862–1918), a Georgian primitivist painter.
DumkaDumka · 1957
Dumka
5.21957
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Documentary showcasing popular and folk songs performed by the Ukrainian State Choir.
Kyiv FrescoesKyiv Frescoes · 1966
Kyiv Frescoes
5.21966
MovieDrama
Parajanov's collage of all the footage that remained from his film "Kyiv Frescoes," which was halted by the Soviet authorities who demanded that all the negatives be destroyed.
Parajanov: The Last SpringParajanov: The Last Spring · 1992
Parajanov: The Last Spring
5.11992
MovieDocumentary
Made in wartime and edited in candlelight, Vartanov's rarely-seen masterpiece tells about his friendship with the genius Parajanov who was imprisoned by KGB "at the height of his fame ". Vartanov resurrects the riveting scenes from his banned 1969 film The Color of Armenian Land, where Paradjanov concocts the chef-d'oeuvre The Color of Pomegranates - widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time - then reveals the shocking request Parajanov sent him in unpublished 1974 letters from Ukrainian prisons. Vartanov's camera documents Parajanov's staggering last day at work in 1990 during the making of the unfinished Confession - which survives in The Last Spring - as Parajanov comments on this cherished autobiographical film. The foremost achievement of The Last Spring, emphasized by critics, is Vartanov's exquisite wordless montage that "evoked the very soul" of Parajanov and earned the praise of many of cinema's greatest masters, such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.
Sergei Parajanov: The RebelSergei Parajanov: The Rebel · 2003
Sergei Parajanov: The Rebel
5.02003
MovieDocumentary
This documentary is not a straightforward portrait of Armenian film director Sergei Paradjanov's life, but rather a fluid celebration of his talent and creativity. Focusing on the collages he produced during his years in prison, and featuring interviews with the director himself, Cazals' film demonstrates the scope of Paradjanov's artistic vision, lovingly commemorating this rebel of art cinema.

More Like This

Before SunriseBefore Sunrise · 1995
Before Sunrise
8.01995
MovieDramaRomance
An unexpected meeting on a train leads two travelers to spend an evening wandering through Vienna. As the night unfolds, they share stories and conversations about life and love, exploring new ideas while a quiet intimacy grows between them, knowing it may be their only night together.
Before SunsetBefore Sunset · 2004
Before Sunset
7.82004
MovieDramaRomance
Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
Anatomy of a MurderAnatomy of a Murder · 1959
Anatomy of a Murder
7.81959
MovieCrimeDrama
Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner, who's hiding a dark secret.
All About My MotherAll About My Mother · 1999
All About My Mother
7.61999
MovieComedyDrama
Following the tragic death of her teenage son, Manuela travels from Madrid to Barcelona in an attempt to contact the long-estranged father the boy never knew. She reunites with an old friend, an outspoken transgender sex worker, and befriends a troubled actress and a pregnant, HIV-positive nun.
Wings of DesireWings of Desire · 1987
Wings of Desire
7.81987
MovieDramaFantasy
Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds — with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk — that it might be possible for him to take human form.
Breaking the WavesBreaking the Waves · 1996
Breaking the Waves
7.51996
MovieDramaRomance
In a small, conservative Scottish village, an oilman is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when he urges her to have sex with another.
The 400 BlowsThe 400 Blows · 1959
The 400 Blows
8.01959
MovieDrama
For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.
Amores PerrosAmores Perros · 2000
Amores Perros
7.62000
MovieDramaThriller
A fatalistic car crash in Mexico city sets off a chain of events in the lives of three people: a supermodel, a young man wanting to run off with his sister-in-law, and a homeless man.
Three Colors: BlueThree Colors: Blue · 1993
Three Colors: Blue
7.61993
MovieDrama
The wife of a famous composer survives a car accident that kills her husband and daughter. Now alone, she shakes off her old identity and explores her newfound freedom but finds that she is unbreakably bound to other humans, including her husband’s mistress, whose existence she never suspected.
Three Colors: RedThree Colors: Red · 1994
Three Colors: Red
7.91994
MovieDramaMystery
Part-time model Valentine unexpectedly befriends a retired judge after she runs over his dog. At first, the grumpy man shows no concern about the dog, and Valentine decides to keep it. But the two form a bond when she returns to his house and catches him listening to his neighbors’ phone calls.
Citizen KaneCitizen Kane · 1941
Citizen Kane
8.01941
MovieMysteryDrama
Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.
Apocalypse NowApocalypse Now · 1979
Apocalypse Now
8.31979
MovieDramaWar
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.
The Young Girls of RochefortThe Young Girls of Rochefort · 1967
The Young Girls of Rochefort
7.71967
MovieRomanceComedy
In the seaside town of Rochefort, twin sisters Delphine and Solange dream of love and artistic fulfillment beyond their quiet lives. As sailors, artists, musicians, and chance visitors pass through town during a weekend fair, a web of near-misses and romantic longing brings ideal partners tantalizingly close—without their realizing it.
Lady SnowbloodLady Snowblood · 1973
Lady Snowblood
7.51973
MovieActionCrime
A strikingly beautiful young woman is trained from birth to be a deadly instrument of revenge against the swindlers who destroyed her family.
The LoversThe Lovers · 1958
The Lovers
6.61958
MovieRomanceDrama
A shallow, provincial wife finds her relationship with her preoccupied husband strained by romantic notions, leading her further towards Paris and the country wilderness.
Alice in the CitiesAlice in the Cities · 1974
Alice in the Cities
7.71974
MovieDrama
German journalist Philip Winter has a case of writer’s block when trying to write an article about the United States. He decides to return to Germany, and while trying to book a flight, encounters a German woman and her nine year old daughter Alice doing the same. The three become friends (almost out of necessity) and while the mother asks Winter to mind Alice temporarily, it quickly becomes apparent that Alice will be his responsibility for longer than he expected.
Children of ParadiseChildren of Paradise · 1945
Children of Paradise
8.01945
MovieDramaRomance
In a chaotic 19th-century Paris teeming with aristocrats, thieves, psychics, and courtesans, theater mime Baptiste is in love with the mysterious actress Garance. But Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: pretentious actor Frederick, conniving thief Lacenaire, and Count Edouard of Montray.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter