William L
Terms that come to mind when watching Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors - vivid, frantic, colorful, and manic. Parajanov depicts the life of Ukrainian Hutsul Ivan as a whirlwind of emotion, violence, and culture, leaning heavily into bright depictions of the peculiarities of local folklore and tradition. Taking a step back from the narrative to view it at a high level, there really isn't much to separate the plot from many other Eastern European depression parades - celebration of local customs contrasted against often miserable existences, with the occasional glimmer of hope thrown in - but it's assembled with a production value to both the imagery and soundtrack that totally elevates the final product. Plus, the film is an endless deluge of symbolism, particularly religious, that can be endlessly picked apart and analyzed in pursuit of the 'true' interpretation.
Seldom could you ever hope to see a camera in motion in the way that it is deployed in this film, catching characters in moments of exuberance and turmoil, violently shaking in a way that nudges the audience towards a degree of emotional involvement. In an artistic industry that was tightly controlled by the state, it's immediately evident why this film instigated Parajanov's problems with government censorship, while also heralding his arrival on the international circuit. (4/5)
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
07/07/21
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s r
1001 movies to see before you die. Too avant garde for me. Some bizarre original ideas for filming and telling visual stories though. Ultimately, it was a chore. Saw it on youtube.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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raphael g
Masterful work. So beautiful.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
Set in the Carpathians, this film of love & loss is a delight to the senses, & is quite possibly the greatest non-silent Russian film I'm ever seen. Paradzhanov is a cinematic genius I'm happy to finally know.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The Soviets suppressed the works of Sergei Paradjanov because they seemed to promote religious belief and local culture (and therefore separatism). However, in doing so, they effectively quashed a great talent. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors tells a simple story of an impossible love between a boy and a girl from two fighting families in the 19th century, but it is endlessly inventive in its visual choices and increasingly bizarre in its plot, encompassing not just Christianity but earlier pagan beliefs. Somehow, Paradjanov places his camera (handled by cinematographer Yuri Ilyenko) in fire and under water, shooting out at Ivan, the hero of the story. He includes large dramatic close-ups of mustachioed faces (of the Eastern European variety) and beautiful long-shots that make landscapes look like exquisitely patterned tapestries (as when he shoots a hillside of tree stumps, with each stump on fire). Ivan's story is a sad one, as his first true love drowns and he descends into loneliness and alcoholism (and the film fades from brilliant color to B&W), only recovering when he meets earthy Palagna and marries her. But his steadfast devotion to his dead lover leads his new marriage into despair and Palagna turns to sorcery. Ivan's death is celebrated with a Ukrainian ritual, as are all the other major events of the film, apparently drawn from Paradjanov's knowledge of the Hutsul people of the Carpathian Mountains. But trying to explain this film in words is an impossible challenge, you need to see this lofty peak of world cinema yourself.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I had no expectations going into SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS, mostly because I knew very little about it beforehand. What I can say now is that it was more interesting from an artistic point of view than the actual story it tells. The basic plot is about a boy, Ivanko, who falls in love with a girl, Marichko. However, fate conspires to keep them apart and a fateful turn of events sets Ivanko down a course that changes his life forever. The elements I liked about the film, and what makes it stand out, are the cinematography, use of color, costumes, and the occasionally poetic image. The camera-work was rather improvisatory and free-moving with lots of high-angle shots, often pointed at the sky. There was also a conscious choice in one sequence to film in black-and-white for narrative reasons, to visually depict the protagonist's emotional state. As for imagery, there were a few sequences which stood out. One early scene showed blood dripping over the lens as a way to show someone dying, transitioning respectively into red horses and some kind of red plant. There was also creative use of double exposure in a scene where the characters are overlaid onto religious iconography. All of this was engaging and unique in a way that the story wasn't. I have a feeling that more familiarity with Ukrainian culture and folklore would have made the story a little more accessible, but I don't really think that the story was entirely the point. In fact, the acting in the film really isn't that good, and the film often felt like a filmed stage play where the intended audience is already familiar with the character archetypes and tropes. It also doesn't help that the film is episodic, with awkward and occasionally jarring scene transitions. Overall, this film's value (to me, at least) lies in its images and music. I don't really see the average film-watcher taking the time to see this, but this could potentially be worth it for the more adventurous person.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/22/23
Full Review
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