USSR
Shown in 1969
CREDITS
- dir
-
Yulia Solntseva
- scr
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Yulia Solntseva
- cam
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Dylshat Fatkhulin
- cast
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Zinaida Dekhteryova, Irina Korotkova, Svetlana Kuzmina, Yevgenia Bondarenko, Yuri Fisenko, Sergei Plotnikov
- prod co
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Mosfilm Studio
- source
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Sovexportfilm
- premiere
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US Premiere
-
COMMENTS
Part of a Retrospective Tribute to Alexander Dovzhenko.
OTHER
The war novels of Alexander Dovzhenko are the basis for this epic motion picture, describing the history of a Ukrainian family throughout the turbulent period of World War II. The grandeur and intense humanism of the film are magnificently presented, and it is extremely momentous and historic that The Unforgettable receives its first American showing at this Festival. Today's program opens the special retrospective tribute to Alexander Dovzhenko, and his widow, Yulia Solntseva, a great film director herself, who has devoted her artistic energies to the completion of her husband's projects, honors the Festival with her presence on this occasion. The Chaban family, a large clan ruled benevolently and with pride by Petro Chaban and his loyal wife, have called together their five sons and all their relatives for a festive gathering. It is wartime, and the parents are jubilant that their children have been spared the dangers of combat. Suddenly, the Germans invade the Soviet Union, and the remainder of the film becomes a gigantic, tributary fresco to the endurance, patriotism and heroism of the Ukrainian people, exemplified by the Chabans and their neighbors. It must constantly be remembered that the Ukrainians are traditionally, faithfully devoted to their land and customs—the love of family and the earth that engendered its existence. The German invaders are portrayed with ironic objectivity, and the sufferings they cause among the people are obviously based upon first-hand observations and recollections from those who lived through the war. The innocent lovers, Chaban's daughter and a young officer, are used symbolically as the spirit of life, surviving through every depth of degradation, horror and death. The overall effect is symphonic—the traditions of the Soviet cinema are continued by Solntseva and her soaring visions: She has made some of the war episodes as if they were inspired flashes of a martial dream, moving from limitless expanses of men, earth and sky, to the simple intimacies of quiet tears among ruins.
—Albert Johnson
FACTOID #177
In 2000 animator Faith Hubley was the recipient of the Persistence of Vision Award. One year later, her daughter Emily appeared at the Festival with her bandmates, Yo La Tengo, to perform a score accompanying the silent underwater films of Jean Painlevé.
