Poland

  • Wojciech Has – Rekopis znaleziony w Saragossie aka The Saragossa Manuscript (1965)

    1961-1970AdventureFantasyPolandWojciech Has

    Quote:
    During the Napoleonic Wars a young French officer seeks shelter in an abandoned building in the town of Saragossa. In this building he discovers a rather odd book, and when an enemy officer attempts to arrest him, the the second officer is also drawn to narrate the book which seems to have been written by his own grandfather (Zbigniew Cybulski). Soon the officer’s grandfather finds himself immersed within a story of fleeing gypsy cannibals, married to Muslim sisters … in his dreams, and on the run from the Spanish Inquisition. But when he meets up with a Cabalist and his storytelling friends, that is when things start to get truly interesting.Read More »

  • Krzysztof Zanussi – Za sciana (1971)

    1971-1980DramaKrzysztof ZanussiPolandTV



    Jan is a young assistant professor in chemistry and a workaholic, whose entire life is dedicated to study and advancement to full professorship. Anna is an unsuccesful science writer who turns to Jan for advice and human compassion in a critical moment of mental confusion and nervous exhaustion. Jan, absorbed with his career, remains immune to Anna’s clumsy efforts to pierce his defences. Affrayed by her ultimate plea for an embrace, he escapes to his own quarters. In the end Anna makes an unsuccesful suicide attempt and he visits her in the hospital.Read More »

  • Bohdan Kosinski – Lubelska Starówka AKA Lublin’s Old Town (1956)

    1951-1960Bohdan KosinskiDocumentaryPolandShort Film

    29f7c043f76a2bde437fd0d52a185152

    About this movie:
    One of the most interesting films in the black series, describing reality in strongly, ironic and sarcastic manner. The aim is not only to intervene, but to expose the method of falsyfying reality. The camera looks into the corners of Renaissance Lublin’s Old Town, renovated for the 10th anniversary of the People’s Republic of Poland: piles of rubbish, dogs wandering around the dirty children treating such places as their playground.Read More »

  • Antoni Bednarczyk – Dla ciebie, Polsko aka For You, Poland (1920)

    1911-1920Antoni BednarczykPolandSilentWar

    Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

    29f7c043f76a2bde437fd0d52a185152

    Quote:
    The film’s plot is set during the war between Poland and the Soviet Russia (1919 – 1921). Wartime brutally encroaches on the life of a couple in love – Franek and Hanka. The Bolshevik troops cause damage to Polish villages and manor houses, and in one of the manor houses the invaders have a carousel. Luckily, the Polish cavalry comes to the relief just in time. Unable to wait passively, Hanka becomes a sister of mercy in one of the field hospitals near Vilnius, while Franek gains wide recognition after capturing a Russian spy. The significant documents found on the spy contributed to the capture of Vilnius. The bloody battles end with the Polish troops entering the town, and Hanka and Franek finally find each other again, although in quite surprising circumstances. The film ends with the documentary recording of the ceremony of incorporating Vilnius into the Polish borders, with the participation of Marshal Piłsudski, the highest commanders of the Polish army and some foreign guests.Read More »

  • Olga Chajdas – Nina (2018)

    Drama2011-2020Olga ChajdasPolandQueer Cinema(s)

    29f7c043f76a2bde437fd0d52a185152

    After twenty years, Nina’s marriage to Wojtek is going nowhere, partly because of their failed attempts to have children. When they meet a young woman, Magda, they decide to propose that she become a surrogate mother for their child. But things get more complicated when Nina suddenly feels attracted to Magda.
    Read More »

  • Lech Majewski – Angelus (2000)

    1991-2000DramaLech MajewskiPoland

    29f7c043f76a2bde437fd0d52a185152

    From The Lumiere Reader:
    THIS frankly marvelous film by Polish/American director Lech Majewski concerns a real-life cult of Polish working-class painters who were given three Fátima-like prophecies upon the death of their spiritual leader in the thirties – upcoming were a great war, a red plague and a death ray from Saturn that would destroy the earth. Their behaviour in response results in all sorts of shenanigans. Angelus hasn’t achieved much international coverage since its release in 2000, but it’s unclear why this hilarious, loving tribute to human folly and ambition was so ignored. A revelation that only a Film Society can dredge up, Angelus reveals Majewski’s painterly visual touch, and his wry sense of humour.Read More »

  • Janusz Majewski – Lokis. Rekopis profesora Wittembacha AKA Lokis: A Manuscript of Professor Wittembach (1970)

    1961-1970FantasyHorrorJanusz MajewskiPoland

    Lokis is a dark Gothic romance, a faithful (though expanded) adaptation of Prosper Merimee’s famous story, and the creme de la creme of the small horror niche dealing with the Eastern variant of the werewolf – the “werebear”.

    Reverend Wittenbach, clergyman and bibliophile, travels into the eastern regions of Polish-Lithuanian forests – the “kresy” – in order to explore the vast library owned by a rich family of noblemen. Hosted in their luxurious mansion, the reverend learns the strange secrets of the surroundings and discovers the dark and disturbing secret of the family – there are whispers that his host, the enigmatic young count Michal Szemiot, may be something other than a man… that he was born of an unholy union of a woman and a bear…Read More »

  • Andrzej Domalik – Zygfryd (1986)

    1981-1990Andrzej DomalikArthouseDramaPolandQueer Cinema(s)

    Quote:
    Set in 1936 in Poland. Zygfryd, a handsome, orphaned young circus acrobat with an introspective temperament, is under the protection of circus owner, Waldo, and his wife. A rich intellectual recluse, patron of the arts (and of young artists) stumbles into Zygfryd’s heart- stopping act and offers him his friendship. He also opens up his cultural horizons and teaches him to consciously reflect on life. It all ends in tragedy, when the boy finds that the circus life is no longer enough and falls during his act. Written by Polish Cinema DatabaseRead More »

  • Stanislaw Bareja – Mis AKA Teddy Bear (1981)

    1981-1990ComedyCultPolandStanislaw Bareja

    The main character is the manager of a sport club, nicknamed “Teddy Bear” by his friends and acquaintances. One day he is detained at the border just as his sport team is off to a tournament – somebody has torn out a few pages from his passport. It occurs to him that perhaps his ex-wife has done so to get her hands on their joint account in a London bank.Read More »

Back to top button