Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

For the book by Carl Sagan, see Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (book).

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Directed by	Sergei Parajanov
Written by	Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky (story) Ivan Chendej
Starring	Ivan Mikolajchuk Larysa Kadochnikova Tatyana Bestayeva
Music by	Miroslav Skorik
Cinematography	Viktor Bestayev Yuri Ilyenko
Distributed by	Artkino Pictures {USA} Films sans Frontières (France)
Release date(s)	March 16, 1967
Running time	97 min.
Country	USSR (Ukrainian SSR)
Language	Ukrainian

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Ukrainian: Тіні забутих предків, Tini zabutykh predkiv), also called Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors, Shadows of Our Ancestors, or Wild Horses of Fire – is a 1964 film by the Soviet filmmaker Sergei Parajanov based on the classic book by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky. The film was Parajanov's first major work and earned him international acclaim for its rich use of costume and color. The film also features a detailed portrayal of Ukrainian Hutsul culture, showing not only the harsh Carpathian environment and brutal family rivalries, but also the beauty of Hutsul traditions, music, costumes, and dialect.

Plot

Ivan and Palagna at their wedding.

In a small Hutsul village in the Carpathian mountains of Ukraine, a young man, Ivan, falls in love with the daughter of the man who killed his father. Though their families share a bitter enmity, Ivan and Marichka have known each other since childhood. In preparation for their marriage, Ivan leaves the village to work and earn money for a household. While he is gone, Marichka accidentally slips into a river and drowns. Ivan returns and falls into despair after seeing her body. He continues to work, enduring a period of joyless toil, until he meets another woman, Palagna, while shoeing a horse. Ivan and Palagna get married in a traditional Hutsul wedding in which they are blindfolded and yoked together. The marriage quickly turns sour, however, as Ivan remains obsessed with the memory of Marichka. Estranged from her emotionally distant husband, Palagna becomes involved with a local sorcerer, while Ivan begins to experience hallucinations.

At a drinking hall, Ivan witnesses the sorcerer embrace Palagna and strike one of his friends. Roused into an uncharacteristic fury, Ivan snatches up his axe, only to be struck down by the sorcerer. Ivan stumbles into the nearby woods and perceives Marichka's spirit to be with him, reflected in the water and gliding amongst the trees. As reality merges into dream, the colorless shade of Marichka reaches out across a great space and touches Ivan's outstretched hand. Ivan screams and dies. The community gives him a traditional Hutsul burial while children watch through crossbraced windows.

Themes

The film is highly symbolic, making frequent use of religious and folkloric images that include crosses, lambs, graves, and spirits. The film also uses color to represent mood. During Ivan's period of mourning, black and white film stock is used. In other scenes, colors are often muted, but provide a contrast to vivid use of red and yellow. This color palette gives a sense of underlying passion and struggle against destiny. On its release, the film's presentation contrasted with the common socialist realism style that had government approval. After refusing to change the film, Parajanov was soon blacklisted from Soviet cinema..

Release

The film was seen by 8.5 million viewers in the USSR. [1]

Filming

Parts of the film were shot in the Dovzhenko Film Studios.

Awards

Grand Prix at Mar del Plata International Film Festival (1965). According to the Film Encyclopedia by Ephraim Katz, "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" received the British Academy Award (BAFTA) for "the best foreign production" but per the official statement from BAFTA, obtained by Sergei Parajanov's disciple Martiros Vartanov, the film hadn't won or been nominated. .

External links

• Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors at the Internet Movie Database
• Parajanov.com News
• Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors at Parajanov.com