Watching this possessed man, we can easily see him commanding the monstrosity of his sets. This documentary, which is basically just an interview with Parajanov, works nicely as an introduction to some of his history, the chronology of his films, and his opinions on various subjects. Unfortunately, we see that he believes one must be born a director (though he himself went to film school). He talks about how a director films the truth as he sees it. I think Parajanov's fat ego clouded his mind, since it would make more sense if he was talking of artists in general. And we see that when it comes to political leaders, he leans towards the egotistical theatrics of Lenin, who he considers a "born" actor, as opposed to the "sleepy" Brezhnev.
He takes himself -- or rather, his purpose as an artist -- very seriously: he insists that the German children need Faust to be made, that the unborn children will be saved from TV and bubble gum if they experience Faust. But he's not a conceited man, and openly talks about the artists he loves (most of which I hadn't heard of, and some of whom he feels hadn't lived up to their potential). However, he does at one point criticize "submissive" films (propagandist films?) and insists that their creators should be condemned; dangerous, this from a man who was so condemned for a crime as ludicrous as "leaning toward" same-sexuality (a "crime," among others, for which he was sentenced to five years in 1974, where he listened to the confessions of other inmates, and was let out prematurely thanks to the help of, among others, John Updike). We learn that that the director considers Pasolini to be a God; and, at a film festival, we see Parajanov cry as he dedicates his last film to the memory of Tarkovsky, in a scene that suggests knowing that he too will die in less than two years. 7/10
He takes himself -- or rather, his purpose as an artist -- very seriously: he insists that the German children need Faust to be made, that the unborn children will be saved from TV and bubble gum if they experience Faust. But he's not a conceited man, and openly talks about the artists he loves (most of which I hadn't heard of, and some of whom he feels hadn't lived up to their potential). However, he does at one point criticize "submissive" films (propagandist films?) and insists that their creators should be condemned; dangerous, this from a man who was so condemned for a crime as ludicrous as "leaning toward" same-sexuality (a "crime," among others, for which he was sentenced to five years in 1974, where he listened to the confessions of other inmates, and was let out prematurely thanks to the help of, among others, John Updike). We learn that that the director considers Pasolini to be a God; and, at a film festival, we see Parajanov cry as he dedicates his last film to the memory of Tarkovsky, in a scene that suggests knowing that he too will die in less than two years. 7/10