Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)

A timeless Carpathian story - the young Ivan falls in love with the daughter of his father's killer among the Hutsul people of Ukraine.

Director:

Sergei Parajanov (as S. Paradzhanov)

Writers:

Ivan Chendej (screenplay) (as I. Chendey), Mikhaylo Kotsyubinsky (based on novel by)

Stars:

Ivan Mikolaychuk, Larisa Kadochnikova, Tatyana Bestayeva

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Ivan Mikolaychuk	...	Ivan Paliychuk (as I. Mykolaichuk)
Larisa Kadochnikova	...	Marichka Gutenyuk (as L. Kadochnykova)
Tatyana Bestayeva	...	Palagna (as T. Bestayeva)
Spartak Bagashvili	...	Yurko Malfar (as S. Bagashvili)
Nikolay Grinko	...	Vatag (as M. Grynko)
Leonid Yengibarov	...	Myko (as L. Yengibarov)
Nina Alisova	...	Mother of Ivan (as N. Alisova)
Aleksandr Gai	...	Father of Ivan (as O. Gai)
Neonila Gnepovskaya	...	Mother of Marichka (as N. Gnipovska)
Aleksandr Raydanov	...	Father of Marichka (as O. Raydanov)
Igor Dzyura	...	Ivan as a child (as I. Dzyura)
Valentina Glinko	...	Marichka as a child (as V. Glyanko)

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:

oneiric | equestrian | hillside | sorcerer | wedding | 

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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 | Music | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

French visa # 31588.

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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 WatchMojo: Top 10 Movies from Russia and the Soviet Union (2015)

User Reviews

First major work by Paradjanov is well worth seeing

The first major movie by the Georgian-born Armenian director Sergei Paradjanov (he has made some movies before that few people have seen, and they are apparently in the conventional Soviet style). This is set in a village in Western Ukraine, in the forested Carphatian Mountains, among the Hutsul ethnic group. The movie has a great opening, as a man is killed by a falling tree over a snow-covered mountain, with a POV from the top of the tree. After that, you get Paradjanov, with its frantic mixture of ethnography, folklore, religion, odd camera movements, music, dance, color. Among all this, a sort of plot emerges, with the story of the crazy love between Ivan and Marichka, a couple belonging to feuding families, and of Ivan's life and marriage with another woman called Palagna after Marichka's tragic death. The era in which the action takes place is never determined, though one suspects it is some centuries ago. On the whole, I like Paradjanov's future feature The Color of Pomegranates better, which I think it's far more accomplished, but I this is very much well worth seeing to any cinema lover.

Details

Official Sites:

Parajanov-Vartanov Institute [United States]

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Ukrainian

Release Date:

18 October 1965 (Soviet Union)

Also Known As:

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

Filming Locations:

Ukraine

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dovzhenko Film Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 110 min (original uncut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Sovcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1