ArmInfo. The spacious hall of the Sevan Recreation Center for Writers of Armenia with a balcony enveloping it offers a breathtaking view of Lake Sevan, over which seagulls soared in free flight, on August 23 gathered film critics, directors, actors, media representatives and other artists of Armenia.
Probably, it was impossible to find a more successful location for holding such an event. And the reason for the gathering in such a wonderful place, which at one time the authoritative British publication Calvert Journal defined as a monument to the dream of the avant-garde of the 20th century and an icon of Khrushchev's architectural modernism, was the screening and discussion of the film by American director Hall Bartlett < Jonathan Livingston Seagull > (1973. - Ed.), Based on the novel of the same name by Richard Bach. It is worth noting that the American Institute of Motion Picture Arts included this film in the list of <100 most inspiring films in 100 years>, in addition, in 1974 this film was nominated for an Oscar in two categories - for best operator work and best editing. In the same year, the film received the Golden Globe for the best soundtrack (Neil Diamond - Lonely Looking Sky - Ed.).
The initiator of the event was film critic, film journalist Diana Martirosyan, who had previously taken part in the organizational work of the Golden Apricot film festival held the day before of the event. of the 16th "Golden Apricot" we saw this place and regretted that all the events provided for in the framework of the film festival were held mainly in the center of Yerevan, at a time when all the necessary prerequisites for enhancing cultural life>, she said. Continuing, the film critic noted that the idea of holding film screenings at the Sevan Writers' Recreation Center during the Golden Apricot remained an unfulfilled dream, which, over time, was nevertheless possible to come true thanks to cooperation with the SPRING PR-company and with the assistance of Yeremyan Projects.
Speaking about the film itself, Martirosyan noted that the work was quite controversial. She said that during the filming, writer Richard Bach argued with the director and refused to continue to participate in the work on the film. In addition, despite the high interest shown by film critics in the film, the opinions of critics after the premiere were mixed. "Therefore, it was interesting to hear your point of view and assessment, since representatives of the cinema industry, in particular directors, actors, film critics, cameramen, and photographers, are sitting in the hall," she added.
It is worth noting that even during the Sevan premiere of the film, opinions in the hall were divided. A certain part expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that they expected more. In particular, opinions were voiced that the director too literally conveyed the plot of the book when it was possible to design the content through the prism of human relations. Another part of the audience was surprised by the work done by the director, cameramen, who managed to shoot incredible shots from the life of seagulls, corresponding to the emotions and events laid down by Richard Bach in the book of the same name.
The only thing that everyone agreed on is the main message laid down in the book - that you should not give up on the road to fulfilling your dream, following the example of a seagull named Jonathan Livingston, and that this book by Richard Bach must be read even for those who have already I read it.
At the end of active discussions, summing up the results of the event, Diana Martirosyan addressed everyone gathered with the following appeal: "I really want you not to kill inside yourself a seagull named Jonathan Livingston living in each of you, but do everything that it soar even higher>.
To note, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull", written by Richard Bach and illustrated by Russell Munson, is a fable in novella form about a seagull who is trying to learn about life and flight, and a homily about self- perfection. It was first published in book form in 1970, and by the end of 1972 over a million copies were in print. "Reader's Digest" published a condensed version, and the book reached the top of the New York Times Best Seller list, where it remained for 38 weeks (by the rating of New York Times).