Attractions of the Ukraine

UKRAINE (International Video Network Video Visits, 55 minutes, 1993) .

The freedom to travel in the Ukraine has improved since the republic declared its independence from the Soviet Union, and efforts are being made to restore and improve tourist sites.

Enhanced by fine photography, maps, old footage and a bit of history, this video takes in some of the country’s major attractions.

The first stop is in the capital, Kiev, where a tour includes the magnificent St. Sophia Cathedral, its intricate mosaics and frescoes unchanged for 900 years. Also viewed are the Pecherskaya Monastery and its candle-lit underground caves, part of a cultural complex established by monks in the 11th Century; Kreshchatik, a broad shopping street; historic Andrivsky Uzviz street, with its cobblestones and old-fashioned street lights; the Square of Independence, and monuments to Prince Vladimir, who Christianized the Ukraine, and Taras Shevchenko, a poet, writer and painter.

North of Kiev is the medieval town of Chernigov, whose women are famed for their embroidery. There are also video visits to the industrial city of Dnipropetrovsk; to Khortitsa, an island in the Dnieper River that was once headquarters for the Cossacks, and to Poltava, the early 18th-Century battle site where Peter the Great defeated Charles XII of Sweden.

A tour of the Black Sea area includes the beautiful port city of Odessa, with its parks, resorts and villas, the famous Potyomkin Steps and nearby limestone catacombs. On the Crimean Peninsula, scenes include the historic resort of Yalta and the old Tatar capital of Bakhchysaray, featuring the Khans’ palace/museum.

Western Ukraine, between Kiev and the Carpathian Mountains, features gentle, rolling countryside and rich farmland that has been fought over through the centuries. The video takes in the university town of Lvov, where old customs that include the delicate art of Easter-egg painting are still observed.

Tapes are available from International Video Network, 2246 Camino Ramon, San Ramon, Calif. 94583, telephone (510) 866-1121. Price: $31.01 (includes shipping and handling charges and California sales tax).

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DOWN MEMORY LANE (Stockdale Productions, 63 minutes, 1992) .

As old footage recalls the likes of vintage cars, bottled milk with cream on top, and Shredded Wheat boxes with Niagara Falls pictured on the side, William Stockdale introduces and narrates a video that aims mainly at nostalgia buffs.

In a folksy, home-spun dialogue, Stockdale mourns the passing of elegant old resort hotels that are succumbing to the wrecking ball. But he rejoices in those American anachronisms that are being preserved, restored and re-created.

Among places covered in the video are the seafaring village of Mystic, Conn.; the restored villages of Old Sturbridge in Massachusetts, Strawbery Banke, N.H., and Greenfield Village, Mich.; the reconstructed Old West section of Scottsdale, Ariz., and the Old Port Exchange on the waterfront at Portland, Me. There’s also some then-and-now footage of Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm.

Other film includes scenes of New York’s Times Square over the years, one of the last automats in New York City, and a re-enactment of the old-time method of collecting sap for making maple syrup.

Stockdale compiled this video from film shot over a period of years, so the quality is inconsistent.

Tapes are available from Stockdale Productions, 88 Farrows St., Putnam, Conn., tel. (203) 928-6819. Price: $32.95.

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MONUMENT VALLEY--NAVAJO HOMELAND (Finlay-Holiday Film Corp., 30 minutes, 1991).

The desolate grandeur of Monument Valley, located on the Navajo Indian Reservation in the Four Corners area of Arizona and Utah, has been beautifully captured in this video. The stark, red-brown towers, buttes, arches and sand dunes that are scattered over the vast, arid landscape offer dramatic scenery in the ever-changing light.

Of special interest are the ancient pueblo ruins left by Anasazi Indians, who occupied the area centuries before the Navajos. The film and narration also provide historical context and scenes of cultural and traditional ceremonies still practiced by the Navajos.

Viewers learn how the Indians successfully adapted to this rugged land. After acquiring horses from Spanish explorers, they began raising cattle, goats and sheep. From the sheep they got wool; they gradually developed a market for their distinctive handwoven blankets, rugs and baskets.

After the release of John Ford’s 1939 film, “Stagecoach,” which featured scenes from the valley, the tourism rush began. Scenes of the valley today show many tourist amenities as well as film of the back country and information on how to explore the valley.

Tapes are available from Finlay-Holiday Film Corp., 12607 E. Philadelphia St., Whittier 90601, tel. (800) 345-6707. Price: $28.55.