In what might be termed Russo-Shakespearean noir, a ruthless woman’s adulterous affair with a drifter sets in motion a chain-reaction of murder and deception in a remote village in 19th Century Mtsensk. Read More »
Tag Archives: Andrzej Wajda
Danton (1983) Andrzej Wajda, Gérard Depardieu, Wojciech Pszoniak, Anne Alvaro, Biography, Drama, History
Action opens in November of 1793, with Danton returning to Paris from his country retreat upon learning that the Committee for Public Safety, under Robespierre’s incitement Read More »
Bez znieczulenia / Without Anesthesia (1978) Andrzej Wajda, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Ewa Dalkowska, Andrzej Seweryn, Drama
A famous Polish journalist presents a problem for the powers-that-be when he displays his full political skill and knowledge on a television show featuring questions and answers on a world conference by a panel of journalists. Read More »
Zemsta / The Revenge (2002) Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polanski, Janusz Gajos, Andrzej Seweryn, Comedy
A winter day at a Polish castle, half owned by a fatalistic notary and half by a volcanic old soldier’s niece. Read More »
Pokolenie / A Generation (1955) Andrzej Wajda, Tadeusz Lomnicki, Urszula Modrzynska, Tadeusz Janczar, Drama, War
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, a generation of youth comes of age. Stach and his friends start with spontaneous acts of defiance, which can prove deadly, but have no organized purpose. Read More »
Korczak (1990) Andrzej Wajda, Wojciech Pszoniak, Ewa Dalkowska, Teresa Budzisz-Krzyzanowska, Biography, Drama
Account of the last days of life of the legendary Polish pedagogue Janusz Korczak and his heroic dedication to protecting Jewish orphans during the war. Read More »
Tatarak / Sweet Rush (2009) Andrzej Wajda, Krystyna Janda, Pawel Szajda, Jan Englert, Drama
An aging woman married to a workaholic doctor meets a young man who makes her feel young again. Read More »
Popioly (1965) Andrzej Wajda, Daniel Olbrychski, Boguslaw Kierc, Piotr Wysocki, Drama, War
Set in the time of Napoleon wars, shows how the wars swept over the unfortunate Polish country at the beginning of the XIX-th century. Story revolves around the Polish legion under command of General Dabrowski, who then fought on Napoleon’s side with the hopes of Poland’s revival.
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Panna Nikt / Miss Nobody (1996) Andrzej Wajda, Anna Wielgucka, Anna Mucha, Anna Powierza, Drama
A devout Catholic peasant girl is corrupted by two new friends when her family moves to the city. An allegory of traditional Polish values under threat from materialism and decadence in the post-Communist era.
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Umarla klasa / Dead Class (1977) Andrzej Wajda, Tadeusz Kantor, Maria Kantor, Zofia Kalinska, Documentary, Drama
The Dead Class (1975), by Tadeusz Kantor and the Cricot 2 company, is considered one of the most innovative and influential works of twentieth-century theatre. The breakthrough first version of the production – performed to great critical acclaim, but only rarely seen live by audiences outside Poland – was documented on film in 1976 by the Oscar-winning director Andrzej Wajda.
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Samson (1961) Andrzej Wajda, Serge Merlin, Alina Janowska, Elzbieta Kepinska, Drama, Romance, War
During the Nazi occupation, Jewish prisoner Jakub Gold is released from jail and works as a gravedigger in the Warsaw ghetto. Although he manages to escape and keeps hiding in private apartments, he tries to get back to the ghetto.
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Speed / Lotna (1959) Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Pichelski, Adam Pawlikowski, Jerzy Moes, Drama, War
Poland, during the World War. Lotna is a magnificent specimen of Arabian horse, the pride of her owner, too old to actually ride her but to whom she remains faithful nevertheless. The Polish cavalry army is also proud of their land, and loyal to rules, and custom. The German army is leading an overwhelming speed attack with tanks, an almost unheard of weapon, and bringing a way of life to an end. It’s the last battle between Lotna (speed horse) and Blitzkriega (speed war).
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Landscape after Battle / Krajobraz po bitwie (1970) Andrzej Wajda, Daniel Olbrychski, Stanislawa Celinska, Aleksander Bardini, Drama, Romance
Film opens with the mad rush of haphazard freedom as the concentration camps are liberated. Men are trying to grab food, change clothes, bury their tormentors they find alive. Then they are herded into other camps as the Allies try to devise policy to control the situation. A young poet who cannot quite find himself in this new situation, meets a headstrong Jewish young girl who wants him to run off with her, to the West. He cannot cope with her growing demands for affection, while still harboring the hatred for the Germans and disdain for his fellow men who quickly revert to petty enmities.
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