Sergei's first glimpse of experimentation with visual poetry and his love for music, culture and history. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors exploded onto the worldwide scene with its astonishingly rich and unique visual imagery full of folklore, traditional costumes, dances, sounds, music and an incredibly dynamic camera. The story follows the life and death of Ivan, whose childhood sweetheart slips from a mountain trail and drowns in the river below. Ivan grows morose and secretive, but finally does settle down and marry a strikingly beautiful woman. Even then he's not happy: They can't have children, and in their superstition they consult witches and the supernatural. Ivan himself becomes obsessed with the notion that his first sweetheart will be miraculously restored to him. Yet the real romance here is between director Parajanov and the camera, who swoons, runs, and leaps as fiercely as any young lover, whether he falls like a tree to the ground or spins in a meadow.
Review of Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
