Tjvjik

Tjvjik, Dzhvzhig, or Tzhvzhik [2] (Armenian: Տժվժիկ [dʒvʒig], "Fried Liver")[1][4] is a 1962 Soviet Armenian short film by Arman Manaryan.[2] Despite being Manaryan's (who was a student at the time) first film[5] and just 20 minutes-long, Tjvjik is considered to be one of the classics of the Armenian film history.[6][7]

Tjvjik
Directed byArman Manaryan[1][2]
Written byYervand Manaryan[1]
Based onTjvjik
by Atrpet[3]
Music byEduard Baghdasaryan
Production
company
Release date
  • August 21, 1962 (1962-08-21) (Yerevan)
Running time
22 minutes
CountrySoviet Union
LanguageArmenian

Background

Arman Manaryan, the film's director was born in Iran in 1929. He migrated to Soviet Armenia in 1946. In 1952 he graduated from the Yerevan State Conservatory and in 1962 he graduated from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography, the main cinematography school in the Soviet Union. Grigori Roshal was his main teacher. At the time of his education in Moscow he shot Tjvjik as his diploma work.[8] Manaryan started to work at Armenfilm in 1962.[4]

Plot

The story is set in the city of Erzurum in Western Armenia, the Armenian-populated area of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 19th century. Nerses akhpar, a poor old man, goes to the local shop to buy food for his family. "In a close-knit community, food was one of the main topics of discussion. Everybody knew through the grapevine what was on each other's table for dinner. The status of town inhabitants was measured by the number of visits to the butcher shop, which was pretty much the center of the Armenian universe."[7] Nikoghos agha, who is the owner of the shop, gives him liver for free. Every time they meet, Nikoghos agha reminds Nerses akhpar about the liver he gave away.[9][10] At the end of the story, Nerses buys the liver he owned and after finding Nikoghos agha throws it into his face in the presence of several others screaming "Here is your tjvjik." The 2006 book Armenian Food: Facts, Fiction & Folklore jokingly concludes ""Charity exacerbated the resentment felt by the recipient", modern psychoanalysts would say."[7]

Cast
  • Hrachia Nersisyan - Nerses akhpar
  • Tsolak Amerikyan - Nikoghos agha
  • Arman Kotikyan - Hovsep

Significance, perception and impact

Tjvjik is primarily significant, because it is the first ever film in the Western Armenian language.[11] Western Armenian was spoken by the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and had come close to being extinct as a results of the Armenian Genocide. The film reflects the "unassimilated" life of Armenians under Turkish rule in the 19th century.[12] Several lines and expression from the film had become idioms in the Armenian colloquial. For example, the expression "don't make a story about tjvjik" (տժվժիկի պատմություն սարքել).[13][7]

In 2006, DJ Serjo, one of the most notable Armenian house music producers, released his first album named Tjvjik.[14]

References
Notes
  1. "Tzhvzhik (Fried Liver)". Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  2. Vigen Galstyan, Moṛatsʻvats arvest: haykakan kinoazdagir (Forgotten art: the Armenian film poster), Art-Film, 2006, ISBN 9994120433, p. 21 "Signalled by Arman Manaryan's delightful short film 'Tzhvzhik' (1961), it washed ashore in 1965 from Moscow with the arrival of Frunze Dovlatyan and his first Armenian film 'Hello, it's me'. At the time it was one of the rare Soviet films that tried..."
  3. Armenian General Benevolent Union, Ararat, Volume 23, 1982, p. 32 "Fried Liver (Tjvjik), directed by A. Manarian, is based on a short story by Adrbed, the O'Henry of Western Armenian literature. The story, filmed beautifully in black and white, tells of a man, stinking rich, potbellied, one of those typical pillars of ..."
  4. "Tzhvzhik". Golden Apricot International Film Festival Website. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  5. Rafayelyan, Karine (1 September 2009). Արվեստագետն ինքն էլ է, ի վերջո, դառնում մշակութային արժեք (in Armenian). Irates.am. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  6. Kessel, Betty Apigian (24 December 2011). "University ofMichigan Celebrates 30 Years of Armenian Studies" (PDF). Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Watertown, Massachusetts. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2013. Dr. Artsvi Bakhchinyan of Yerevan offered two classic films: “Tjvjik” (Armen Manaryan director, 1961) and “A Piece of the Sky” (Henrik Malyan director, 1980).
  7. Petrosian, Irina; Underwood, David (2006). Armenian Food: Facts, Fiction & Folklore (2. ed.). Bloomington, Ind.: Yerkir Pub. pp. 85–87. ISBN 9781411698659.
  8. Grigoryan, Siran (16 September 2010). Հերթը հասավ ոչ պրոֆեսիոնալ կինոյին (in Armenian). Report.am. Retrieved 27 March 2013. Արման Մանարյան, ում նկարահանած "Տժվժիկ" ֆիլմը եղել է ապագա ռեժիսորի դիպլոմային աշխատանքը:
  9. "Tezhvzhik (1962)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 23 March 2013. Rich Nikoghos-agha buys some beef liver for Nerses-akhpar's family. Although months have passed, Nikoghos-agha does not hesitate to remind his "charity" to Nerses-akhpar every time they met.
  10. "Armenian Films. TJVJIK (1961) & A PIECE OF SKY (1980)". Armenian Studies Program International Institute. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013. Rich Nikoghos-agha (Tsolak Amerikyan) gives poor Nerses-akhpar (Hrachia Nersisyan) a ‘gift’ of beef liver to make a nice meal for his family. Over the course of several months Neres-akhpar discovers this ‘gift’ has strings attached and endeavors to return the ‘gift’ to restore his freedom and dignity.
  11. Terjanyan, 2007; 1:10
  12. Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente, Volume 7, Part 2005 "The first fruits of this quest appeared in short films such as Fried Liver (or Tzhvzhik, 1961) by Armand Manaryan, which reflected new, unassimilated material of the Western Armenian reality."
  13. Hovhannisyan, Ninel (27 November 2010). "Archived copy" "Տժվժիկի" պատմություն են սարքում. Aravot (in Armenian). Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Serjo". Armenian Pulse Radio & Entertainment. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
General
  • Terjanyan, Anna (Աննա Թերջանյան) (2007). "Տժվժիկ (Tjvjik)". Մի ֆիլմի պատմություն [Story of one film] (in Armenian). Yerevan. Armenia TV. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
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