(c) Tengiz Abuladze
Cinema Ost – Eastern Europe in the mirror of film
In this visually stunning film adaptation of Georgi Leonidze’s stories, a tragic romance unfolds in pre-revolutionary Georgia. The film paints a portrait of a village caught between deep superstition and archaic traditions. At the centre of the film is the love between Marita and Gedija, which is shattered by the rigid rules of society: Marita is forced into marriage with a wealthy man. When the couple find each other despite the prohibition, the village community makes a cruel example of them. The shame and violence lead both to their deaths, while at the end red pomegranate blossoms remain as a melancholy symbol of hope and suffering.
Tengiz Abuladze’s film is more than a love or village story – the film interweaves tragedy, comedy, legend and symbolism to create a poetic panorama of human destinies between tradition and progress in a society in transition. It is one of the most famous Soviet/Georgian films of its time.
First prize at the All-Union Film Festival and “Golden Aurochs” at the VI Film Festival in Tehran1978, special prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
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