A rural romantic folk tale, set in the Carpathian mountains of the
western Ukraine, this is the first display of Paradjanov's unique
approach to film. Ivan loves Marichka, but she dies rescuing a stray
lamb; Ivan marries another but the marriage is haunted by his former
love. Elements of Paradjanov's later films are all there: striking
tableaux vivants, religious imagery, and an eye for the arcane details
and sometimes desperate hardships of peasant life, this time combined
with dizzying camerawork. These elements were all contrary to what the
Soviet authorities expected, so Paradjanov was charged with
"Ukrainian Nationalism" - difficult to deny on the basis of
this film.
