December 20, 2014, 4:30 p.m. — The Legend of Suram Fortress (1985)
The Legend of Suram Fortress
1985. USSR. Directed by Dodo Abashidze, Sergei Parajanov. With Levan Uchaneishvili, Zurab Kipshidze, Lela Alibegashvili, Dodo Abashidze, Veriko Andjaparidze, Sofiko Chiaureli. The incomparable Sergei Parajanov’s first film following a 15-year enforced silence, codirected with Dodo Abashidze, is based on a Caucasus Mountains legend that tells of the repeated efforts of the Georgian people to construct a fortress against invaders. The fortress continues to collapse until a fortune-teller recalls a prophecy that a handsome young man must be walled inside alive in order for the building to stand. The story, at once simple and marvelous, unfolds in a circular rather than linear manner, and its mythic possibilities are realized most wondrously in the film’s visuals. In Georgian; English subtitles. 82 min.
