AZG Armenian Daily #132, 15/07/2006

Magic of Cinema

ARTAVAZD PELESHIAN: I USE MAGICAL ARCHIVES OF UNSEEN "ABSENT REALITY"
IN MY FILMS

Today, within the framework of "Golden Apricot" film festival the
Armenian art-lovers had a great opportunity to meet with Artavazf
Peleshian, one of the great masters of world’s cinematography,
prominent documentary film director. "I believe that the time will
come, and the scientific-technical progress will help the humanity to
read the code of the nature and reveal the unknown world that includes
the entire history of our Universe," Artavazd Peleshian, said this at
today’s master class. He said this in response to a visitor’s question
that asked whether he is concerned about the new technical inventions
that may replace real actors and film production methods used today. He
said that in the beginning the inventions and discoveries may frighten,
but later it turns out that the men of art may use them for their
own purposes without losing the art value of the film.

The author of the so called "distance montage" which helps reveal
"the absent reality" stated that he tries to fully reflect his
view of "the nature’s code" in all of his films. He added that
in the course of the montage a certain magnetic field is created
between the first and the second layers and helps to see the third,
a newer and more real one. Mr. Peleshian stated that as compared with
the associative, poetic and other types of montage, the distance
montage help see the real essence of the world, i.e., in his own
terms "the absent reality." Besides, he emphasized the importance
of musical accompaniment. "I like when in any film the music and the
images change their places and the music penetrates the space of the
image and the image enters the space of the musical layer. We can’t
achieve the expected effect without this "fusion," Mr. Peleshian
said. At the same time, he stated with regret that he can’t shoot
films for already 14 years because of the financial problems. In
particular, the lack of about $10 million hinders him shoot the film
"Homo Sapiens." Peleshian wrote the script to this film already in
1968. He even intended to shoot the film in collaboration with the
French cinematographers, but the financial problems prevented to
begin the work. Even Jean Luc Godard, great French film director,
was very impressed by the film’s script. He added that in March, 2006,
he agreed with Gevorgian, the former RA Culture Minister, to begin the
film screening works. Gevorgian promised to spare no efforts to help
him, but soon he resigned and a new minister was appointed. "I still
hope that I will be able to begin the screening of the film," Mr.
Peleshian said.

In the end of the master class Mr. Peleshian said: "Some people talk
of the phenomenon of my art, though I personally see no phenomenon. I
believe that the time is against me, while my art is against the time.