Ep# 82 - Sergei Parajanov & Yuri Ilyenko in the 60s

In a follow up to the Ukrainian National Cinema episode, Cinema60 finally addresses the beautiful, surreal and unfairly banned films of Sergei Parajanov and Yuri Ilyenko – two figures that are essential to the story of what was getting made in that region while it was under Soviet control. In the case of Parajanov, his films of the ‘60s are amongst the most striking and influential ever made. In the case of Ilyenko, a lesser known but equally astonishing filmmaker, his unique visual sense of rhythm and movement are a sight to behold. Together, they made Shadows of the Forgotten Ancestors, a film that launched both of their careers towards a path of subversive, politically charged cinema that got them in trouble with Soviet authorities for decades to come.

In this episode, Bart & Jenna start with Parjanov’s straightforward Soviet Realist films from the early 60s, and then jump into the more radical work of Parajanov and Ilyenko in the later ‘60s. Hopefully our hosts’ struggles to make sense out of these challenging films will encourage listeners to be less fearful of the unknown – an entirely rewarding journey for those to attempt it.

The following films are discussed:

• Ukrainian Rhapsody (1961)
Українська рапсодія (Ukrainskaya rapsodiya)
Directed by Sergei Parajanov
Starring Olga Reus-Petrenko, Eduard Koshman, Yuriy Gulyayev

• Flower on the Stone (1962)
Цветок на камне (Tsvetok na kamne)
Directed by Sergei Parajanov & Anatoly Slesarenko
Starring Inna Burduchenko, Lyudmila Cherepanova, Boris Dmokhovsky

• Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)
Тіні забутих предків (Tini zabutykh predkiv)
Directed by Sergei Parajanov
Cinematography by Yuri Ilyenko
Starring Ivan Mikolaychuk, Larisa Kadochnikova, Tatyana Bestayeva

• A Spring for the Thirsty (1965)
Криниця для спраглих (Krynytsya dlya sprahlykh)
Directed by Yuri Ilyenko
Starring Dmitri Milyutenko, Larisa Kadochnikova, Feodosiya Litvinenko

• Kyiv Frescoes (1966)
Киевские фрески (Kiyevskiye freski)
Directed by Sergei Parajanov
Starring Tengiz Archvadze, Vladimir Artman, Alexandr Kotchekov

• Hakob Hovnatanyan (1967)
Հակոբ Հովնաթանյան
Directed by Sergei Parajanov

• The Eve of Ivan Kupalo (1968)
Вечір на Івана Купала (Vechir na Ivana Kupala)
Directed by Yuri Ilyenko
Starring Boris Khmelnitskiy, Larisa Kadochnikova, Yefim Fridman

• The Color of Pomegranates (1969)
Նռան գույնը (Sayat Nova)
Directed by Sergei Parajanov
Starring Sofiko Chiaureli, Melkon Alekyan, Vilen Galstyan