Seven Visions (Green Integer Books)

Rating:
Summary: ...Not really a book by Sergei Parajanov...
Review: Firstly, the name of Maestro is spelled -PARAJANOV- with "J" and NOT -paradjanov- with "dj". Visit Parajanov.com for details.

The authors claim that the book is the first to appear in English, which is probably true, however it ISN'T really by Sergei Parajanov, but is simply a partial collection and translation of just 7 of his scenarios.

The last scenario in this book is "Confession", the last and unfinished film of Parajanov. Sadly, it is missing the very 1st page, where Parajanov himself outlines the film with his out-of-this-world vocabulary. This page is essential in understanding the scenario and the film. Visit Parajanov.com for more info.

The book has some interesting biographical facts, however some still have to be verified and some are not quite so accurate. The book also has Parajanov's filmography, with a few mistakes in translation of the film titles and the year of film release.

The book is very small 4x6 with only one, poor photograph on the cover. In short Maestro Parajanov is worth far better quality. In fact he is worth only the very BEST.

This book is not for those who wish to learn about Parajanov. The ones that know Parajanov and his art may be disappointed. On a positive note the authors should be thanked for simply trying to translate as best as they could the "untranslatable" Parajanov!

Parajanov.com would like to thank you for your interest in Maestro Sergei Parajanov.

Rating:
Summary: why all the negativity?
Review: How about just being thankful that there is a book in English by/about Paradjanov. The first reviewer (whose site is of questionable quality, by the way) ignores all the hard work that went into putting this book together and quibbles over things like the letter D. How annoying is that? Considering that Paradjanov only made 4 major films in his lifetime, any work about him is welcome and should be treated with kindness, not negativity.

Rating:
Summary: Clarification
Review: I am the translator of "Seven Visions" and would like to comment on a couple of the points made by the preceding reviewer.

First of all, "Seven Visions" does not pretend to be *about* Paradjanov; it is a collection of seven of his scenarios, as clearly stated on the back cover. It is indeed *by* Paradjanov in that he is the author of the scenarios in question, and that he intended them to be published together in book form. Those wanting a biographical and/or aesthetic study of Paradjanov and his work, with photographs of the artist and stills from his films, may wish to consult Patrick Cazals' "Serguei Paradjanov," in the Cahiers du cinéma collection.

Film release dates were all drawn from Western and Soviet sources, including both books and periodicals on cinema. Every effort was made to insure their accuracy. The same is true regarding the integrity of translation. As for the "missing page" from "The Confession," I worked from what was to my knowledge the only published version of this scenario, which I translated in its entirety. In that version, "The Confession" contains no additional pages or material of any kind.

Finally, concerning the spelling of his name, "Paradjanov" (with a "d") is the standard Western transliteration. It is also written without the "d," albeit less frequently.

Regrettably, it was not possible for me to post this clarification without rating my own translation.

Rating:
Summary: Clarification
Review: I am the translator of "Seven Visions" and would like to comment on a couple of the points made by the preceding reviewer.

First of all, "Seven Visions" does not pretend to be *about* Paradjanov; it is a collection of seven of his scenarios, as clearly stated on the back cover. It is indeed *by* Paradjanov in that he is the author of the scenarios in question, and that he intended them to be published together in book form. Those wanting a biographical and/or aesthetic study of Paradjanov and his work, with photographs of the artist and stills from his films, may wish to consult Patrick Cazals' "Serguei Paradjanov," in the Cahiers du cinéma collection.

Film release dates were all drawn from Western and Soviet sources, including both books and periodicals on cinema. Every effort was made to insure their accuracy. The same is true regarding the integrity of translation. As for the "missing page" from "The Confession," I worked from what was to my knowledge the only published version of this scenario, which I translated in its entirety. In that version, "The Confession" contains no additional pages or material of any kind.

Finally, concerning the spelling of his name, "Paradjanov" (with a "d") is the standard Western transliteration. It is also written without the "d," albeit less frequently.

Regrettably, it was not possible for me to post this clarification without rating my own translation.

Rating:
Summary: average book
Review: the book is ok not good not bad. it is the only one in english but i wish it had analysys of Parajanov's movies and some other things like pictures etc. One person below is simply rude because parajanov.com is a highly reputable site it warms my heart to see such a loving tribute to the great filmmaker. The translation is interesting but i wonder if a lot was "lost in translation" since it passed 2 or 3 stages, first from russian (or armenian?) into french then only to english