SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS Movie Review

Tini Zabutykh Predkiv
Shadows of Our Ancestors
Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors
Wild Horses of Fire

Sergei Parajanov's luminous, electrifying folk tale is set in the Carpathians in the 19th century; it's the story of a peasant who enters into a loveless marriage as a result of a bitter, murderous feud involving his own family and that of the woman he truly loved. This breathtaking Soviet landmark—a one-of-a-kind masterpiece—is one of the most richly poetic and powerful cinematic fables of the last half-century. The picture got Parajanov in trouble with Soviet authorities because of its visually astounding, highly expressionistic avant-garde surface, as well as its deeply rooted lesson about the dangers inherent in mindless obedience to tradition. An international prize-winner, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors was cut by nineteen minutes in its initial American release, and the title was changed to Wild Horses of Fire, a reference to one of the most striking images in the film. Though the title was subsequently changed to the almost original Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors, the nineteen minutes weren't restored until the 1980s, when Parajanov's other suppressed films were rediscovered in the West. (If the amazing score for the film is available on CD, somebody please let me know.)

NEXT STOP … The Color of Pomegranates, Emitai, Gabbeh

1964 99m/C RU Ivan Micholaichuk, Larisa Kadochnikova; D: Sergei Paradjanov. VHS CVC, AUD, HMV