From its vertiginous opening sequence in which a tree crashes down on a young woodsman, to its scenes of young lovers, Ivan and Maricha in the forest, Paradjanov’s adaptation of a Ukranian Story is imbued with lyricism. The ‘Forgotton Ancestors’ of the title are mid-19th Century Villagers, who frolic naked in their youth and grow up into Adulterers and murderers. Pradjanov stops at nothing in his quest for startling images and the athletic camerawork and bizarre visual effects take their tone from the folk ballads that recur on the soundtrack. The film won numerous awards at festivals around the world and established the director in the west.