Українська еміграція на межі: кінострічка Л. Осики “Камінний хрест” (1968)

Abstract

Historical realities of Ukrainian society actualize the centuries old topic. In particular, the theme of emigration, extremely productive at the turn of the nineteenth and the twentieth century, was actively continued in the 60's of the twentieth century, no less relevant today. Created by V. Stefanyk in 1900, “The Stone Cross” on “alienation of people from their native land”, which contains a generalizing image of all Ukrainian people forced to emigrate overseas, appears to be a true cry of the human soul leaving their native land and doomed to be eternal “Stranger”. This tragic image was also embodied in another artistic plane: in 1968, based on the stories of “The Stone Cross” and “The Thief”, L. Osyka shot the eponymous film that appeared as a tragic film about emigration. The film today is striking with the philosophical depth and high imagery culture. The comparative key analyzes the first text of the “The Stone Cross” by V. Stefanyk, the corresponding script by I. Drach and the film by L. Osyka. It is noted that at each historical point due to new destabilizing factors, the theme of “emigration” is updated every time and, at the same time, expands, supplemented by new content realities. The receptive potential of the first text and it’s already screen version once again prompts the recipient to rethink the present: whether it is 1900, or 1968, or 2018.