Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors in the Novel and Film

Abstract

Sergei Parajanov shot an amazing film “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” (alternative title in box office abroad – Wild Horses of Fire) in the Hutsul dialect and in the autochthonous scenery of the Carpathian Mountains for the 100th anniversary of the Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsyubinsky (1964 ). On the 100th anniversary of the great director, interest in the film, which brought the author world fame and imprisonment, does not subside, but is gaining more and more resonance.

What attracted readers, including Parajanov, to the story about the simple and difficult life of shepherds? Perhaps this is a tragic love story between Ivankо and Marichka, who came from two warring rural clans – Paliichuks and Gutenyuks, like the Hutsul Montagues and Capulets. The world of the story is inhabited by extraordinary creatures – foresters, nyawks, chugaistr, – mountains talk to people, winds sing songs. Trembits carry news of the death of those who drowned or fell off a cliff. People are also extraordinary: they greet each other with the words “Glory to Jesus!” and do not forget to give coins to the deceased for the carrier of souls to the other world. The local sorcerer (molfar) Yuri disperses the storm with his hands and spells for the quiet life of the village, but does not hesitate to steal his neighbor’s wife and kill his rival by sticking needles into a clay doll. These people work, dance, sing and cry almost simultaneously.

Kotsiubynsky's great merit was his careful attention to the dialect of the mountain and proud people; he masterfully stylized their manner of speech. He also depicted the Hutsul way of life and folk customs in detail and accurately. Of particular value are the shepherds' legends about the creation of the world and the magical beliefs in the spirits of the forest and mountains, which have survived since pre-Christian times and organically merged with the new faith. These ancient legends have turned into a life philosophy that helps to survive in harsh conditions. Sergei Parajanov, as a person born and raised in the mountains, deeply felt
this extraordinary story. He admired the love story, magical landscapes, harsh life and the magical content of the holidays. To accurately film the story, he and his film crew lived for a year in the place where the story was written and shot the film on location. In his film, real Hutsul speech is heard, the characters are dressed not in props but in their own clothes, real trembitas play in the mountains. The legend wasrecreated, as if in magical rituals.

And if the writer was able to find the right words to depict the great beauty of nature and human passions, then the director made these words visible, a vivid video sequence filled with symbols and realities, people and spirits. So that the shadows of our ancestors remind us of unity with nature and higher forces. And the shadows of the ancestors, thanks to two great geniuses, came to life again and passed on their love, wisdom and sadness to our contemporaries