The full name of the program “Diamonds of Ukrainian cinema. Restored films of Oleksandr Dovzhenko” accurately reflects its character, as digitally remastered editions of those classic films will be shown.
A complete set of renewed films was presented back in 2006. Institutions from different countries have united their efforts while working on this project — the National Oleksandr Dovzhenko Center and the Russian State Film Fund (Belye Stolby), along with a Russian firm that provided technical support. The very quality of the work is exceptional, and considering that it was engaged by state structures, often indifferent or incompetent in questions of culture, it is extraordinary. A complete, accurate restoration of all Dovzhenko’s films had been carried out, together with digital remastered images and sound. A documentary film Portfolio — before and after restoration was shown at the presentation in 2006 — one could compare the changes in picture quality.
It is really fascinating: all stains, defects and signs of aging have been removed, the image has stopped trembling, and all nuances in color films regained their original freshness. Even the external decoration of each DVD was pleasant — with stills from the films, fragments of director’s manuscripts, and a judicious brochure about the motion pictures that are present on the disc.
In total 10 discs with 27 hours of material and 19 films have been released. The collection included such rarities as the short films Berry of Love (1926) and The Diplomatic Courier’s Bag (1927), the unfinished (or precisely, roughly terminated by the Stalinist regime in 1951) Goodbye, America, and the documentaries of the military years — Liberation, Battle for our Soviet Ukraine, Victory in Right-Bank Ukraine and the Expulsion of the Germans from the Boundaries of the Ukrainian Soviet Land. Significant early films — Zvenyhora, Arsenal and Earth were included in two variants, silent and with sound; the latter was done by the Mosfilm studio at the beginning of 1970s. The three last discs include films shot by Yulia Solntseva already after Dovzhenko’s death, based on his screenplays — Poem of the Sea, A Tale of fiery years, The Unforgettable, and The Golden Gate. By the way, due to the presence of these motion pictures, which in fact have only indirect connections with Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s creative work, the “Collection” may not yet be viewed by a wide audience. The films by Solntseva belong to Mosfilm, which has restricted the release, gave rights for these motion pictures for three years only. So the general pressrun — only 1,000 copies, basically turns this into a collector’s edition, which is to be distributed in embassies, official institutions, etc.
Thus, “Diamonds…” is a rare opportunity for Ukrainian viewers to see the classics of Ukrainian cinema. The cinema Kyiv will show the following films: Earth (1930), Berry of Love (1926), The Diplomatic Courier’s Bag (1927), Zvenyhora (1927), Arsenal (1929), Ivan (1932), Aerograd (1935), Michurin (1948), Shchors (1939), as well as a documentary motion picture by Mykhailo Donets Oleksandr Dovzhenko. Reflections after Life (1992).
The retrospective screening will continue until February 10.
