Cinema
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Тіні забутих предків
Sergei Parajanov · 1965
Synopsis
In a mountain village, little Ivan Paliichuk sees his father killed in a quarrel by a man from the enemy Hutsuliuk clan. He slaps Marichka, the murderer's daughter, and throws her scarf into the river; but friendship is born of the enmity, then a love that both families disapprove of. The film follows the lovers from childhood to adulthood, through the rhythm of the seasons, festivals and rites of the village.
Context
Shot at the Dovzhenko studio, with cinematography by Yuri Illienko and music by Myroslav Skoryk, the film launched Ivan Mykolaichuk's career; Parajanov refused to have him dubbed into Russian. Already awarded a prize at Mar del Plata, it was shown in Kiev on 4 September 1965, at the Ukraina cinema, where Ivan Dziuba, supported by Vasyl Stus and Vyacheslav Chornovil, denounced the arrests of intellectuals from the stage: it was the first public protest of its kind in Ukraine.
Who it is for
A colour film, spoken in the Hutsul dialect, built on its visuals more than on narrative; the colours, the rituals and the camera movements matter more than the story.
Prizes and reception
Eight and a half million viewers as early as 1965; shown in Venice, Locarno, New York and London, it is regarded as the founding act of Ukrainian poetic cinema.
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