Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

Shadows of the forgotten Ancestors, in many ways, should be regarded as a first feature film, even though it is the fourth film directed by Parajanov. It signifies a true birth for him as an auteur and artist, and a rebirth for the representation of identities subjugated by the Soviet system up to that point.

A film that delves into a mystical dimension, it represents a very small cultural reality, that of the Hutsuls, inhabitants of the Carpathians in south-western Ukraine. An important choice, because the clothing, traditions and folklore of the Hutsuls has been often strumentalised by mainstream Soviet media as a curiosity, an identity to exploit as a representation of the Union's multiculturality. Parajanov's film does not fall into this route for the simple reason that it employs ukrainan as the language spoken in the film, without featuring a redub in russian for the release in the russian speaking parts of the USSR, something that was unprecedented. Today, many consider this film as the most representative of Ukrainan identity as a whole, and a pivotal step in the self-assertion of Ukraine, for this reason.

Parajanov's poetry in Shadows is still entirely different from the one that crystallised in The Colour of Pomegranates, much more centered on the metaphor and the folkloristic imagery. A very apparent aspect is that his very "flat" framing, painting like abscence of depth of field developed in the films shot in the caucasus is not yet entirely present, and much more often the film employs rotating shots or compositions that highlight a profondeur.

There are few films that have such a multilayered importance both to their author, to a country and national identity that is other than their own, to filmmaking as a whole. Shadows of the forgotten Ancestors is an unique piece of cinema, overshadowed sometimes by Parajanov's subsequent manierisms, but not less perfect.

RATING 5/5

Original title: Тіні забутих предків

Directed by: Sergei Parajanov

Length: 97 min.

Year: 1965

Country; Ukraine, USSR

Availability: Klassiki, Takflix

Synopsis: adapted from a novella by Mikhailo Kotsiubynsky, the love story between Ivan and Marichka, divided by life but united by their love.