Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)
Australian Premiere - 4K Restoration
“In the temple of cinema, there are images, light, and reality. Sergei Parajanov is the master of that temple.” – Jean-Luc Godard
“Sergei Parajanov’s extraordinary merging of myth, history, poetry, ethnography, dance and ritual remains one of the supreme works of the Soviet sound cinema, and even subsequent Parajanov features have failed to dim its intoxicating splendours.” – Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
A masterpiece of Ukrainian cinema that bursts with life and colour, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a subtly subversive ode to folk culture characteristic of its visionary director, Sergei Parajanov.
Set in the Carpathian Mountains, amongst the Hutsul ethnic group and in their dialect, this outwardly simple tale of star-crossed lovers Ivan and Marichka belies a resistance to Soviet hegemony in both its style and in its efforts to lovingly preserve the distinctive cultural heritage of this region.
Shadows’ resplendent fusion of folk tradition and boldly expressive avant-garde formalism represents a radical departure from Socialist Realism and a vital precursor to this great director’s later oeuvre.
Introduced by Nicky Hannan at Ritz Cinemas and by Amiel Courtin-Wilson at Lido Cinemas.
Rating
M
Duration
97 min
Country
Ukraine
Language
Ukrainian (English subtitles)
Cast
Ivan Mykolaichuk, Larisa Kadochnikova
Director
Sergei Parajanov
