The history of the Armenian cinema

The era of silent movies

The first filmings date back to 1907. The funeral of the Catholicos of All Armenians Mkrtich Khrimyan was recorded.

During the First World War, chroniclers shot separate episodes of fighting scenes on the Caucasian front, the tragic events of the brutal massacre conducted by the Turkish authorities toward the Armenian population, also, the evacuation of the Armenians to Russia.

In 1918 the director I.N. Perestiani, according to the scenario by Papazyan and Lakka shot the first screen version of Alexander Shirvanzade's novel «Namus» (the film was released under the title «Bound by Oath») at the A. A. Khanzhonkov's film studio.

In 1920, the operator A.G. Lemberg captured the events, connected with the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia: some of this material formed the basis of the film «The entry of the Red Army into Yerevan».

Formation and development of the national cinema was conditioned by close connection of its masters with figures of cinematography of other Soviet republics. The Armenian cinematographers creatively perceived the innovative aspirations of Sergey Eisenstein, Vsevolod Pudovkin, Alexander Dovzhenko, and their search for a revolutionary way to develop filmmaking. A large group of theater actors and writers worked in the Armenian cinema. This circumstance in the conditions of the overall growth of the national culture has led to significant successes of the national cinema art.

In April 1924 a cinema laboratory was organized in Yerevan. Based on this laboratory (later the film studio «Armenfilm» named after H. Bek-Nazarov), in 1924 the first national Soviet cinema art sample - the documentary film «Soviet Armenia» was created.

The sound film emerging

Ruben Mamulyan, director of theater and cinema, the first director of many plays by Eugene O'Neill, worked in Hollywood since the late 1920's. In his films, stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, and Maurice Chevalier shone.

In the history of Armenian cinema 1935 was also marked by the appearance of sound films. The first Armenian sound film «Pepo» (based on Gabriel Sundukyan's play, 1935, the director Bek-Nazarov, lyrics by Eghishe Charents, music by Aram Khachaturyan) entered the golden fund of multinational Soviet cinema art, summed up the development of Armenian cinema and opened a new page in its history and marked a more mature stage of cooperation between cinema and other kinds of art.

In the second half of the 1930s, mainly historical and revolutionary films were produced. The most remarkable film of these years was Bek-Nazarov's «Zangezur» (1938).

During the Great Patriotic War, short feature films about the human destinies were created– «Daughter» (1942, director Bek-Nazarov) and «The Guardsman's Wife» (1943, directed by Barkhudaryan). In 1944, Bek-Nazarov completed work on the historical film «David Bek», imbued with the pathos of patriotism.  

Preserving the best traditions of national realistic art, director Hayartyan performed a screen version of Shirvanzade’s drama «For honor» in 1956 and in 1960, set the historical epic «The northern rainbow».

Among the popular musical films were «The heart sings» (1956, director Melik-Avagyan, starring A.M. Aydinyan) and «First love song» (1958, director Yuri Erzinkyan and Layert Vagharshyan).

Among the most successful movies of those years was a short comic film «The Golden Bull» (1956, director Hakobyan). With the full-length comedy «Guys of the band» (1960), built on historical-revolutionary material, such directors as Malian and Markaryan debuted. The debut of director Arman Manaryan was also successful with the short film «Tzhvzhik» (1962).

In the 1960s, Sergey Paradzhanov's famous films – «Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors» (1964) and «Pomegranate Color» (1968) were created.

Director Henrikh Malyan staged the film «Triangle» (1967) - one of the best films of those years, а story on peoples’ unity. Malian's film «We and Our Mountains» (based on Hrant Matevosyan’s novel, 1970) was dedicated to the responsibility of people for everything that is happening in the world. An original film-language of the director appeared in the film «Hayrik» (1972), especially in its final part. In the film «Nahapet» (by H. Kochar, 1977) the director created a symbolic image of the revival of the Armenian people after the terrible tragedy of the Genocide. The poetic character of the film, the dramatically complex return of the film's hero to the land and people brought widespread acceptance to this movie. In «The Slap» (based on V. Totovents's story, 1980) Malyan reveals the topic of sublime love.

In the works of young filmmakers, the modern topics has increasingly developed. In the poetic film «The Man from the «Olympus» (1975, directed by Dmitri Kesayants) the story of an eccentric man striving for creativity and not understood by people, is recreated. The film «Here, at the crossroads» (1975, directed by Gevorgyan) narrates about the people relations that develop during the working process in a documentary manner.

Various aspects of modern life are shown in the film «There, behind the seven mountains» (1980, directed by Aghababov) that is about seasonal workers traveling to work in distant lands, and their moral criteria; «A trip to a sanatorium» (1981, director Hayrapetyan) is about the moral appearance of a modern worker; while «The mechanics of happiness» (1982, directed by Hovhannisyan) shows human ways to overcome loneliness.

The historical-revolutionary genre receives further development. The film «Exile No. 011» (1979, directed by Vagharshyan) tells of Professor, also  a revolutionary S. Spandaryan - a companion of Lenin. The film «Die on a horse» (1980, directed by Melik-Avagyan) is about the civil war hero Gai (Hayk Bzhshkyants). Based on the novel by S. Khanzadyan «Mkhitar Sparapet», director E. Keosayan produced a historical film «Star of hope» (1979) about the origins of friendly relations between the Russian and Armenian peoples.

The topic of the Great Patriotic War is revealed in the film «Tart grapes» (1974, directed by Hovhannisyan) and the film «Song of the past days» (1982, directed by Albert Mkrtchyan), telling about the courage and heroism of the Soviet people in the rear.

The comic genre continues to develop. The films «The men» (1973, director Keosayan) and «Big win» (1981, director Mkrtchyan) are made on modern material.

Works based on the Armenian classics continued. Works by Tumanyan, Sundukyan, M. Armen, Shirvanzade, Papazyan, Saroyan were screened.

Since 1970, the film studio «Armenfilm» has been systematically making films for television.

Documentary films were developed in the late 1920's. Starting from 1929, the periodic release of newsreels began. Documentary and popular scientific essays and studies were dedicated to various branches of the national economy, culture and education. In 1931, the documentary film «Country of Nairi» (director Bek-Nazarov) was created, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia.

During the Great Patriotic War the Armenian documentaries contributed to the creation of a film chronicle of the war years. Some of the stories shot for the chronicle were later used in the film essays.

On the 25th anniversary of Soviet Armenia, a short documentary film - «The Native land», was released. The fate of the Armenian people received poetic expression in the film.

Among the significant documentary films of the 1950's we can mention «Centuries and years» (1956, director Isahakyan), «Eghishe Charents» (1957, director Margaryan), «Architecture of Armenia» (1958, director Haykazyan).

During the 1960s and 1970s, documentary films achieved significant success. Their authors were striving for showing the Armenian life comprehensively, as well as its industrial, scientific and cultural achievements. Many films are dedicated to Armenian art.

Animated films in Armenia have been produced since 1938. Director Atamanov shot the film «The Dog and the Cat» (based on H. Tumanyan’s poem, 1938) and in 1941 «The Pop and the Goat» (based on the Armenian folk tale) at the Yerevan film studio of animated films.

After 1947, the production of animated films ceased and only resumed in the 1960s. Among the interesting works there are such cartoons as «Drop of honey» (1968, artist and director Podpomogov), «The Sun Bride» (artist and director Andrikanyan), «Puy-Puy Mouse» (directed by Babayan) and «The Fox Book» (directed by Sahakyants, 1974).

Robert Saakyants is considered one of the most prolific animators in the world. Among his first cartoons there is «How the cubs fed the whales» (1974), featuring an uncomplicated plot and simple graphics. The most famous works by him are the screen versions of the Armenian writers' fairy tales: «Hunters» (based on Khachatur Abovyan's fairy tale), «Kikos», «Wow, talking fish!», «Pancake Day!», «Three blue  lakes of crimson color», «Who will tell a fable?», «Axе» (based on Hovhannes Tumanyan’с tales), «In the blue sea and white foam» (musical fantasy on the Armenian folk tales theme).

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