Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)
"Tini zabutykh predkiv" (original title)

In a Carpathian village, Ivan falls in love with Marichka, the daughter of his father's killer. When tragedy befalls her, his grief lasts months; finally he rejoins the colorful life around... See full summary »

Director:

Sergei Parajanov

Writers:

Ivan Chendej, Mikhaylo Kotsyubinsky (story),

Stars:

Ivan Mykolaichuk, Larisa Kadochnikova, Tatyana Bestayeva

2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ivan Mykolaichuk	...	Ivan
Larisa Kadochnikova	...	Marichka
Tatyana Bestayeva	...	Palagna
Spartak Bagashvili	...	Yurko
Nikolay Grinko	...	Batag
Leonid Yengibarov	...	Miko
Nina Alisova	...	Paliychuk
Aleksandr Gaj	...	Paliychuk (as O. Gaj)
Neonila Gnepovskaya	...	Gutenyuk
A. Raydanov	...	Gutenyuk
I. Dzyura	...	Ivan as a Child
V. Glyanko	...	Marichka as a Child
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
O. Ryazanov

Storyline

In a Carpathian village, Ivan falls in love with Marichka, the daughter of his father's killer. When tragedy befalls her, his grief lasts months; finally he rejoins the colorful life around him, marrying Palagna. She wants children but his mind stays on his lost love. To recapture his attention, Palagna tries sorcery, and in the process comes under the spell of the sorcerer, publicly humiliating Ivan, who then fights the sorcerer. The lively rhythms of village life, the work and the holidays, the pageant and revelry of weddings and funerals, the change of seasons, and nature's beauty give proportion to Ivan's tragedy.

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Plot Keywords:

sorcerer | fight | wedding | funeral | long take | 

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Taglines:

A New Kind of Soviet Film...acclaimed around the world at all film festivals

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Ukrainian

Release Date:

29 April 1966 (East Germany)

Also Known As:

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dovzhenko Film Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Sovcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For decades it was believed that the "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" won the British Academy Award. This was most notably stated in the famous "Film Encyclopedia" by Ephraim Katz. Recently, however, the disciple of Sergei Parajanov, Martiros Vartanov, obtained on official confirmation from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), which outlined that the movie was not a BAFTA award recipient; although in 1965 the film won the Grand Prix at the Mar del Plata Indernational Film Festival and numerous other awards around the world.

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Goofs

When the two children run down the hill to have a bath in the river, the entire camera rig, including the operator, can be seen in a shadow on the ground.

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Connections

Featured in Parajanov: The Last Spring (1992)

User Reviews

one of the greatest movies of all times

I was brought up in a backward Polish village where the Ukrainian background was also present (I could in most part understand the language of the movie). This movie reminded me of my long forgotten childchood in a place where people didn't lock their houses and lived very simple lives. Magnificent visual effects, melodious folk music and probably the music of Sergei Prokofiev or someone close to his style complete the picture. I believe it is a universal story about love, life, death and that all things that are nice are turning into oblivion. I myself emigrated to America, then came back after some years, though changed and working mostly for Western companies. Though being generally a child of Western European and American culture I acknowledge that it pays to keep at least part of our original heritage. Miroslaw