The Legend of Suram Fortress
Encyclopedia
The Legend of the Suram Fortress is a 1984 film directed by Georgian SSR-born Soviet-Armenian
director Sergei Parajanov, his first film after 15 years of censorship in the Soviet Union
, a film stylistically linked with his earlier The Color of Pomegranates
(1968): The film consists in a series of tableaux
; once again minimal dialogue is used; the film abounds in surreal, almost oneiric power.
.
Durmishkhan is a serf
freed by his master. Now, he has to buy the freedom of his lover Vardo to marry her. He leaves his land and encounters a merchant named Osman Agha who tells his story. He was born a serf named Nodar Zalikashvili. After he had lost his mother due to his master's cruelty, he killed his master, fled, and embraced Islam
to avoid persecution. Durmishkhan now starts to work for Osman Agha and marries another woman, who gives birth to a boy named Zurab. Meanwhile Vardo becomes a fortune teller. Osman Agha leaves his trade to Durmishkhan and converts to Christianity
. In a dream a group of Muslims kill him for being a murtad.
Zurab grows up and starts to work with his father. Durmishkhan, having converted to Islam, has become a stranger to his land and people. Georgia comes under the threat of Muslim invaders and the king gives orders to bolster all fortresses in the country. However, Suram Fortress
continues to crumble. Durmishkhan returns to Muslim territory. King's men come to Vardo the fortune teller to have her solve the mystery of Suram Fortress. Vardo tells that a blue-eyed young man of the country must be bricked up alive in order for the fortress to stand. Zurab sacrifices himself to save his country and its Christian faith.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
director Sergei Parajanov, his first film after 15 years of censorship in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, a film stylistically linked with his earlier The Color of Pomegranates
The Color of Pomegranates
The Color of Pomegranates is a 1968 Armenian film directed by Sergei Parajanov.-Overview:The Color of Pomegranates is a biography of the Armenian ashug Sayat-Nova that attempts to reveal the poet's life visually and poetically rather than literally...
(1968): The film consists in a series of tableaux
Tableau vivant
Tableau vivant is French for "living picture." The term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move...
; once again minimal dialogue is used; the film abounds in surreal, almost oneiric power.
Plot
The story is a retelling of a well-known Georgian folk-tale brought into written literature by the 19th-century writer Daniel ChonkadzeDaniel Chonkadze
Daniel Chonkadze was a Georgian novelist primarily known for his resonant novella Suramis tsikhe ....
.
Durmishkhan is a serf
SERF
A spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
freed by his master. Now, he has to buy the freedom of his lover Vardo to marry her. He leaves his land and encounters a merchant named Osman Agha who tells his story. He was born a serf named Nodar Zalikashvili. After he had lost his mother due to his master's cruelty, he killed his master, fled, and embraced Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
to avoid persecution. Durmishkhan now starts to work for Osman Agha and marries another woman, who gives birth to a boy named Zurab. Meanwhile Vardo becomes a fortune teller. Osman Agha leaves his trade to Durmishkhan and converts to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. In a dream a group of Muslims kill him for being a murtad.
Zurab grows up and starts to work with his father. Durmishkhan, having converted to Islam, has become a stranger to his land and people. Georgia comes under the threat of Muslim invaders and the king gives orders to bolster all fortresses in the country. However, Suram Fortress
Surami
Surami is a townlet in Georgia’s Shida Kartli region with the population of 9,800 . It is a popular mountain climatic resort and a home to a medieval fortress.- Location :...
continues to crumble. Durmishkhan returns to Muslim territory. King's men come to Vardo the fortune teller to have her solve the mystery of Suram Fortress. Vardo tells that a blue-eyed young man of the country must be bricked up alive in order for the fortress to stand. Zurab sacrifices himself to save his country and its Christian faith.
Cast
- Leila Alibegashvili as Young Vardo
- Zurab Kipshidze as Durmishkhan
- Dodo Abashidze as Osman Agha (older Nodar)/Simon
- Sofiko ChiaureliSofiko ChiaureliSofiko Chiaureli was a Georgian actress, thought to be the muse of filmmaker Sergei Parajanov. She played a wide variety of roles on stage of the Kote Marjanishvili Theatre and the Rustavelli Theatre ....
as Old Vardo - Levan Uchaneishvili as Zurab (as L. Uchaneishvili)
Awards
- 1986: Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival - Caixa de Catalunya Award
- 1987: Rotterdam International Film Festival - Rotterdam Award
- 1987: São Paulo International Film FestivalSão Paulo International Film FestivalThe São Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in São Paulo, Brazil since 1976. In 2004 Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was a member of the jury.-International Jury Award:*2001: The New Country ...
- Critics Award