Film critic: Don`t kill inside yourself a seagull named Jonathan  Livingston 

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).