Parajanov: The Last Spring (1992): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1992, Parajanov: The Last Spring is a documentary film directed by Sergei Parajanov, running about 55 minutes.

What it’s about. Made in wartime and edited in candlelight, Mikhail Vartanov's rarely-seen masterpiece tells about his friendship with the genius Sergei Parajanov who was imprisoned by KGB "at the peak of his artistic power". Vartanov takes us back with the scenes from his censored 1969 film The Color of Armenian Land where Paradjanov is at work on his suppressed chef-d'oeuvre The Color of Pomegranates - widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time - and contrasts it with the shocking request Parajanov sent him in unpublished 1974 letters from the Soviet prisons. Vartanov's camera documents Parajanov's striking last day at work in 1990 during the making of the unfinished Confession. A monumental wordless montage - the entire sixth reel - concludes Vartanov's acclaimed documentary, which, despite the prohibitive conditions it was created in, won the admiration of many of cinema's greatest artists, including Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese.

Who’s in it. Parajanov: The Last Spring stars Sergei Parajanov as Himself, Mikhail Vartanov as Himself, Sofiko Chiaureli as Mother in The Confession and Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy as Himself, Tarkovsky's actor.

How it landed. With an audience score of 4.5/10, Parajanov: The Last Spring has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Parajanov: The Last Spring page.

If you liked it. Fans of Parajanov: The Last Spring tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.