Camera operator Levon Grigoryan (in the photo) does not forget February 1985. On the birthday of Sergei Parajanov, after 15 years of pause, finally, the first exhibition of the artists was to be kicked off in Tbilisi. Eduard Shevardnadze was able to “tear off” an opportunity from Gorbachev for Parajanov to work, and now, it is not just the exhibition to be opened but the premiere of his “The Legend of Suram Fortress” were to be screened in Tbilisi Cinema House.
In an interview with “Aravot”, Levon Grigoryan told that by the offer of renowned photographer Gurgen Misakyan’s son – his friend Arayik Misakyan – they traveled together by train to Tbilisi. “At that time, I was working at the Film Amateurs Club. My friend informed me about the exhibition and the film, also saying that Parajanov is ill and it’s worth seeing him… At that time, there were no recording tapes, Arayik said, you will paint and I will take photos. I have heard a lot about Parajanov, I was just shocked by “The Colour of the Pomegranate”, in short, I had a great desire to see him. So, we got up, got on the train and come to their house. Sergey by his species was a man-masquerade, a man-orchestra … Had had prepared masks made of a cloth for the children in the yard as if constantly playing a performance. He received us very well, especially overjoyed when he saw Arayik. Apart from us, two artist brothers from Siberia: one aged 15-16 and the other 28-30 years old, were living in his house. I have heard long ago that there is a cult of Parajanov and people come to see him from different places as he is treat as a saint. For example, this Siberian guy had come on purpose to serve him, they were cooking and wanted to help him in any matter. Generally, we all began to take part in the preparation of the exhibition, we were hanging paintings, posting names to the paintings … Before the opening of the exhibition, Parajanov had decided where to take us and what to show. Unfortunately, he had diabetes but was constantly eating candy and while eating them, he was injecting insulin to him, right thru the clothes. And every morning, at 8 am, he was waking us up and taking to look around Tbilisi. He was walking with high speed, we being young were barely reaching his steps.
He knew all the corners by heart, for example, there is a little pond in this yard with three red fish… And indeed, there were three red fish under the ice. He knew who is a master of what, who sews good bags … During these few days, we had the impression that we are taking part in the shooting of the film. In the evenings, we were attending a theater or an opera performance. He has planned without us when and where we should go. When he was speaking you must listen, and he was speaking and talking constantly… When you are in all of this, you do not believe that it is happening to you. Then, I realized why groups were coming to stay in his house and serve him…” recalled Levon Grigoryan.
He also considers the communication with Parajanov a master’s lessons, “During those times, it was important to have symbols in the film and he was a master of these symbols. He was giving us tasks, let’s say, he was taking the military hat and saying, you have half an hour, what can you think associated with this hat. Until we were thinking something for about five hours, he was suggesting twenty options in 10 minutes… We were constantly in a run as if we were in the military facility, we were managing to hang paintings and help him. People from KGB were constantly coming and saying to take off this or that painting. In the end, Parajanov got angry, he said if he takes off one more painting, there will be no exhibition. And when they took off one more painting, he looked around, took this painting, signed it and gave to me. And then threatened that it is the last painting that he is taking off. That was about his life in prison that was called, “A View from Inside to Outside”, in other words, it was his view outside the wire fence of the prison.”
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Our interlocutor recalls that a handsome man was also living with then in Parajanov house who used to play guitar during lunch or dinner, “Later, we learned that he was from the KGB until then we were thinking that he is Parajanov’s friend. Sergey was telling Arayik and me from 1 am till 4-5 am, Arayik and I were taking photos and recording everything. He was very offended that no one from Armenia has responded to his exhibition in any way while the whole world was interested in him, those who could not attend in person were sending gifts, which Parajanov was not interested at all. He was not self-interested, a man of great ambitions and materialistic… The fact that Parajanov’s exhibition and film screening should happen, it was already raised a global furor, a large flow of guests from around the world was expected… The city mayor was asking Parajanov to move to another apartment, saying, Sergey, do not make us feel ashamed, what will people think… Just say which apartment you want and it will be yours. Parajanov refused, saying that he does not need any house, he also rejected the then respected “24” make car. Incidentally, during that period, there were people next to him who knew that he was not a materialist, does not accept gifts or throws them away, they were expecting that they will get all of that. Parajanov’s house was in poor condition, only precious decoration and memory was his mother’s bracelet, which was stolen, and beyond that, he did not need anything.
Sergey traditionally was throwing all the gifts sent to him out of the window, and there were people standing below waiting for these things to pick up. For example, Fellini has sent an expensive coat as a gift, he said that he does not need it and as a tradition, it went out of the window. He did not even manage to see who took it,” told out interlocutor. He recalls a group from Armenia who visited to attend Parajanov’s exhibition, just artists and art amateurs, they had spent money to hire a muddy “Yeraz” vehicle to come to Tbilisi, the desire to be next to Parajanov was great. Levon Grigoryan recalls filmmaker Michael Vartanov, saying that he was a brilliant person and adores Parajanov. For this man with a foot prosthesis, it was simply a bliss to make tea for Parajanov and his guests. “At that time, I realized what it means to have a great love towards this man, there was something divine in him… In fact, the underground people from the colony have also attended his exhibition, huge people with strange packages in hands, respecting Paradjanov, had arrived from Siberia. Only this fragment can be a material for a whole movie…When little time was left for the opening of the exhibition, he asked us to stand in a line and said, since you are my guests, you must do everything exactly as I tell you. As if he was a commander. He asked us to stand in a row like soldiers and said, all the clothes that we are wearing are trash, even Misha Vartanov’s stylistic and precious semi-coat threw out of the window. Then, he opened a large wardrobe and took out different worn out clothes. He gave Misha an unclear coat with dirty spots on it and said, Misha, this is your style. Misha embraced this coat as a precious gift, he also threw out my coat and gave me something long and a big hat. We all were very happy and so happily we went to the opening of the exhibition where all the elite of Georgia was waiting for us.”
Parajanov’s this move was a unique way of being against the system, an artistic parade of counteraction. Levon Grigoryan remembers that the only gift that Parajanov liked was a red velvet dress, like a royal apricot, dressed directly on the clothes, he was wandering around like a delightful child. And after the exhibition, in honor of him, one of his palatial writers, I think his name was Dumbadze, organized a dinner party in his house. “From outside, it looked a two-story modest house but there was luxury inside, a huge hall, silver chandeliers, furnace, big dogs to whom the guests were throwing pieces of meat … Arayik and I were surprised that there can be such a luxury during the Soviet years. We had seen such a think only in foreign movies. We all waited, suddenly Sergei came in and a firework of rejoicing began and everybody stood up and applauded. Dumbadze’s house was full of gifts from abroad, there was a hill of gifts in beautiful packaging near the table. He approached the gifts and without opening them distributed to those present. Only one box was left, in which there was a cross stone made of black stone, it was a special gift from Israel, it was sanctified and blessed. It was so beautiful that I wanted him to give it to me. He was told, Sergey, it is your cross and you must wear it. He said that he is not a believer and will not wear this cross though all the films seem to be Testament. Then, looked around for the younger of the two brothers coming from Siberia. He said, this is your cross, you’re a talented guy, you must wear this cross. The boy burst into tears in emotion. Later, I was persuading him to give me the cross, he did not agree. Incidentally, the same night, the young man disappeared. He was lost for two days. We were thinking that he could be killed. Two days later, he returned back home, saying that he had lost the cross. Later, the brother found out that he had sold the cross on the same night and drank. There is something mystical and sad in this history… He gave his cross to someone and this someone sold it on the same night and drank it,” adds our interlocutor. On returning to Yerevan, he was called by the KGB and all the tapes were confiscated. There, he sees the boy playing guitar, who was living with them at Parajanov’s house. Until now he is surprised how Parajanov did not warn that this person is just embedded.
As for recordings, as Levon Grigoryan said, his friend has burnt them. He also perplexed that in the future, many-many people began to fetish Parajanov, announcing that they were close to him, even though they do not know him, “Parajanov looked like a child, he would believe anything, he was terribly fond of people talking to him and photographing. Many people were taking the advantage of him, there were people who were making a business out of it, for example, they were taking a hundred photos in a day and then announced that they are friends with Parajanov for ages.” We asked Levon Grigoryan about his opinion about Serge Avedikian’s and Alyona Fetisova’s “Parajanov” movie. He said that he did not like it but it does not mean that the film is bad, “As a man who had communicated with Parajanov, I did not see Parajanov there, there are lots of things that are artificial in the film.”
Gohar HAKOBYAN
“Aravot” daily
