Short film
Տժվժիկ
Arman Manaryan · 1962
Synopsis
In a small town in Western Armenia, in the nineteenth century, the wealthy Nikoghos agha, who passes for generous, meets the poor Nerses akhpar at the butcher's and offers him an ox liver for his family. Nerses accepts with gratitude, and his torments begin: from the walk home, his benefactor lectures him on charity, then reminds him of his good deed at every turn and in front of everyone.
Context
The film was its author's diploma work, shot in 1961 from a screenplay by his elder brother, Yervand Manaryan, based on a story by Atrpet, pseudonym of Sarkis Moubayadjian, a writer born in Kars in 1860. Cinematography by Mark Hovsepyan, music by Edouard Baghdasarian; Tsolak Amerikian plays Nikoghos agha, and Hratchia Nersissian, the actor of Namous and Pepo, plays the role of Nersès here, the last of his life: he died the same year. The film runs twenty-one minutes, in black and white.
Who it is for
A little over twenty minutes, in Armenian, subtitled. An anecdote sustained to the end, not a broad narrative.
Prizes and reception
Regarded in Armenia as one of the most beloved films of the country and as a classic of its cinema; it was shown in Paris in 1993, during the retrospective at the Centre Pompidou.