Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Special Edition)
by Sergei Paradjanov
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ivan Mikolaichuk, Larisa Kadochnikova, Nikolai Grinko, Nina Alisova, Tatyana BestaevaDirector: Sergei Paradjanov
Brand: Kino International
Cinematographer: Yuri Ilyenko
Cinematographer: Viktor Bestayev
Composer: M. Skorik
Editor: M. Ponomarenko
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Ukrainian (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-02-05
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 5332
Studio: KINO VIDEO
Movie Reviews of Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Special Edition)
Movie Review: Won Six International Film Festival Awards--depiction of Hutsul culture should be in libraries, public & personal, worldwide
Summary: 5 Stars
Good news/bad news. The good news is that Amazon is selling a truly exceptional DVD entitled, `Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors,' which is based on a novel by Ukrainian author Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky (1864-1913).
Journey into the past and experience the world-renowned Ukrainian Hutsul folklore and folkways that encyclopedists, historians, and authors depict by way of words and the film gives credence to via imagery, moods, symbolism, and sounds. Avenues you'll travel will branch off, giving you exposure to artistic embroideries, folk music, folk songs, ornate costumes, religious ceremonies, and traditional rituals (such as a traditional Hutsul wedding and a traditional Hutsul burial), along the way.
Folklife comes alive as you float down a river in a unique wooden raft, partake in Christmas festivities, encounter a sorcerer, and lots more--all against a backdrop of the magnificent Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains, where trees' shadows silhouette straight as they stretch for the stars and for the skies, where horses dress in tassels as they meander meadows and highlands, where Hutsuls converse across Carpathian Mountains via trembitas--and, where Ivan cannot forget his true love.
`Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors' is not your typical feel-good film; it's for the connoisseur of fine arts. If you want your senses stimulated, your imagination enlivened, and your knowledge of Hutsul culture expanded, then, this is the film for you!
Film director, Sergei Parajanov, was an Armenian born in Georgia. He insisted on filming `Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors' in the Ukrainian language, and refused to dub it into Russian. In his lifetime, he was persecuted by the Soviets, was arrested several times, spent years in prison, and his subsequent works were banned.
`Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors,' which was later renamed Wild Horses of Fire for most foreign distributions, was Parajanov's first major work, and earned him international acclaim for its rich use of color and costume. `Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors' won six international film festival awards: London, San Francisco, Mar del Plata, New York, Montreal, and Thessaloniki.
The bad news is that inaccuracies exist. As accurately noted by both Dr. Luba and GR in their reviews on Amazon.com in the USA, `Russian regional history' should be changed to read `Ukrainian regional history.' Update: This has now been changed to good news: the copy now reads `Ukrainian regional history.'
Update: Changed from bad news to good news (August 13, 2008), in the Update Product Info section, Ukrainian has been added alphabetically to the permanent list of languages as a language in the drop-down menu.
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors' is a must see/must own DVD--at the very least, it should appear worldwide on library shelves and in personal collections. This DVD definitely deserves 5-stars!
Addendum: Readers, you may read my review of the classic book, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, and view my photos pertaining to the Hutsuls; also,you're invited to visit each of my reviews--most of them have photos that I took in Ukraine (over 600)--you'll learn lots about Ukraine and Ukrainians. The image gallery shows smaller photos, which are out of sequence. The preferable way is to see each review through my profile page since photos that are germane to that particular book/VHS/DVD are posted there with notes and are in sequential order.
To visit my reviews: click on my pseudonym, Mandrivnyk, to get to my profile page; click on the tab called review; scroll to the bottom of the section, and click on see all reviews; click on each title, and on the left-hand side, click on see all images. The thumbnail images at the top of the page show whether photos have notes; roll your mouse over the image to find notes posted.
Also, you're invited to visit my Listmania lists, which have materials sorted by subject matter.
Summary of Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Special Edition)
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