Тримбач, СергійСергійТримбач2026-03-092026-03-092025-12-12Тримбач, С. (2025). Taras Shevchenko in Ukrainian Cinema:Reflections of the Ukrainian Myth. Shevchenko Studies(1 (28)), 367–379. https://doi.org/10.17721/2410-4094.2025.1(28).367-37910.17721/2410-4094.2025.1(28).367-379https://ir.library.knu.ua/handle/15071834/12009Shevchenko's literary and artistic work is a constant subject of research across a wide range of scientific interests, as it concerns the development of national mythology as a fundamental tool of nation-building. Shevchenko's texts, the very image of the Poet, prophet and creator of the Ukrainian mythological time-space, have aroused constant interest among domestic filmmakers, starting from the 1920s. At its core, the unity of tasks for building Ukraine shines through, in all its multiplicity of temporal, spatial and historical manifestations. Oleksandr Dovzhenko, in the film "Zvenygora" (1928), presents a four-layer historical structure in which Ukrainian history appears in images and characters from the 9th-11th centuries to the 20th century, to the future. It was in this way that Shevchenko built his national mythical time-space; his Ukraine is created through active addressing of past manifestations of the Ukrainian spirit and physicality. Shevchenko's literary and artistic work is a constant subject of research by domestic and foreign authors, as it deals with the development of national mythology as a fundamental tool for nation building. Shevchenko's texts, the very image of the Poet, prophet, and creator of Ukrainian mythological time and space, have been of constant interest to domestic filmmakers since the 1920s. At the core lies a consonance of tasks in building Ukraine in all its multiplicity of temporal, spatial, and historical manifestations. This harmony is particularly evident in Alexander Dovzhenko's film "Zvenyhora" (1928), which presents a four-layered historical structure in which Ukrainian history is depicted in images and characters from the 9th to the 11th centuries, then to the 20th century, and finally to the future. It was in this way that Shevchenko constructed his mythical space-time, his Ukraine being created with active reference to the enduring manifestations of the Ukrainian spirit and its structure. In their portrayals of Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian filmmakers have always sought to embody various aspects of the Ukrainian myth, interpreting variations associated with the Kobzar. In the film "Taras Shevchenko" (1926) by Petro Chardynin, this was a rather primitive scheme of the poet as a revolutionary with a developed gift for recognizing class-alien characters. The film of the same name, which was released during the Stalin era (1951, directed by Igor Savchenko), contains many clichés and schematics. However, thanks to the camera work of cinematographer Danylo Demutsky, Shevchenko appears as a person whose naturalness determines his harmonious connection with Nature. The film "Son / sleep" (1964) by Volodymyr Denisenko was created during the era of liberalization of the totalitarian Soviet regime. Therefore, the image of the young Shevchenko, played by Ivan Mykolaychuk, primarily activates the times of the Zaporizhzhia Sich, the search for historical and cultural sources of the Ukrainian nation. It is a kind of dialogue between Shevchenko and himself, a search for a synthesis of two eras: the old Cossack era and the new one in which Shevchenko himself had to live. His task was to resurrect and revive Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, who were being swallowed up and destroyed by the Russian Empire. Mykhailo Illienko's film "Toloka" (2020) is based on Shevchenko's poem "U tiiei Kateryny khata na pomosti…" ("Kateryna had a house on scaffolding…"). The film's credits emphasize that the film was supplemented with unpublished artistic ideas by Yuriy Illienko and Ivan Mykolaychuk. There are several parallels between Shevchenko's mythology and the poetics of other Ukrainian artists. The hut is the central chronotope of Illienko's film. And Tolochka is a symbol of one of the secret codes of Ukrainian identity, which explains the amazing endurance of the Ukrainian people. Ukrainians possess this secret, thanks primarily to poets. Taras Shevchenko endows everyone with the knowledge of immortality, his own and that of the nation. In the midst of war, this knowledge is the guarantee of the future of the people and the nation.Літературна та малярська творчість Шевченка є постійним предметом досліджень широкого спектру наукових зацікавлень, оскільки йдеться про вироблення національної міфології як засадничого інструмента націєтворення. Шевченкові тексти, сам образ Поета, пророка і творця українського міфологічного часопростору, викликають постійний інтерес вітчизняних кіномитців, починаючи від 1920-х років. В основі прозирає суголосність завдань щодо вибудови України, в усій множинності її часопросторових та історичних проявів. Олександр Довженко у фільмі "Звенигора" (1928) презентує чотиришарову історичну структуру, в якій українська історія постає в образах і персонажах від ІХ–ХІ століть і до віку ХХ-го, до майбутнього. Саме подібним чином вибудовував вітчизняний міфічний часопростір Шевченко, його Україна витворюється за активної адресації до минулих проявів українського духу й тілесності.ukmythcinemanation-buildingtime and spaceміфкінонацієтвореннячас і простірСтаття