Paradjanov's final film is a children's story based on a poem by
Lermontov, in which a musician must travel and seek his fortune before
he is allowed to marry his beloved. Like his previous films, this relies
on masterly mise en scene, but done in a more comic-book fashion which
sometimes verges on the silly. Set in Georgia/Azerbaijan, the film
benefits from an excellent soundtrack by Alim Qasimov, now a renowned
star on the "world music" scene, and although not as
satisfying as his most extreme work, still provides an idea of
Paradjanov's unique vision.
