In 1969 Albert Johnson brought Julia Solntseva, the widow and collaborator of Alexander Dovzhenko, to San Francisco for a most remarkable revival of Dovzhenko's films, and of her own, finally giving her her due in the West. "Unlike the other pioneers of the Soviet cinema, Dovzhenko forever remained an interpreter of the Ukraine, singing of its glories and the spirit of Ukrainian culture, folklore, and people with lyric forcefulness. His sentiments were strengthened by a tenacious love and loyalty for his land, and this is perhaps a singular example of a filmmaker's sacred allegiance to a way of life. His narrative approach is always epic in vision, simple in characterization, and unforgettable in mood. Above all, his films are emotionally universal because he dealt with timeless things: love, birth, death and the resurgence of the spirit after seemingly insurmountable adversity. The sunflowers of the Ukraine symbolize Dovzhenko's world, and this director's immortal works will thrive as long as men notice a blade of grass, the lines around a matriarchal eye, or hold very tightly a fistful of earth under indifferent skies." (AJ)