A new print of the Ukranian epic by Sergei Paradzhanov. Because it is constructed from the only existing prints, which had been badly chopped up over time, this version is some 18 minutes shorter than the original. Paradzhanov's position in his own country prevents a new print from being issued from the Soviet Union. Alternately in prison and under house arrest in Armenia, he has not been permitted to make a film since his 1968 Sayat Nova (The Color of Pomegranates).
“Paradzhanov was the first to indicate the degree to which folklore and local artistic tradition could once again become a source of visual wealth in Soviet national cinema.... Set in the beautiful but fierce Carpathian mountains...in an environment of overwhelming Christian-pagan rituals, demonology and constant struggle with the overpowering elements, where life is but ‘a lightning in the sky, a cherry blossom...,' a story of love unfolds. Sensitive, perhaps over-sensitive for his environment, Ivanko is in search of happiness. Nature kills his brother and takes his loved one; man kills his father and sends Ivanko himself to the world beyond, perhaps to realize his wish to be with his beloved forever. Paradzhanov succeeded in creating a highly poetic film in the tradition of Dovzhenko. Adopting the great master's use of symbolism and metaphor, and his lyric photography, the director adds a dynamically active camera suited to the requirements of his energetic and temperamental character. Cinematographer Ilyenka's talents are congenial--proved later by an original film which he directed, The White Bird With a Black Spot (1972).” Yvette Biro