Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

September 7 & 8 shows have been moved to the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center.

One of the best-loved Soviet era films, winner of multiple international awards, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors tells the story of star-crossed lovers in a remote Carpathian village. Ivan (Ivan Mykolaichuk) falls in love with Marichka (Larysa Kadochnykova), the daughter of the killer of Ivan’s father. Yet their match is not to be, and Ivan instead marries Palahna. Realizing that her husband is still in love with her rival, Palahna asks the aid of a sorcerer to win him back, setting off a flurry of both natural and seemingly supernatural forces. Paradzhanov, aided by his brilliant cinematographers Yuri Illienko and Viktor Bestayev, creates a fantastic, magically charged atmosphere that fully captures the sense of a folk tale brought to shimmering life; the colors, camera movements, set design and soundtrack combine to make this simply a sensuous tour de force. Despite its international acclaim, the film ran afoul of the Soviet authorities, who mistrusted what they saw as its celebration of a unique Ukrainian culture.