History of Polish Cinema
Obligatory Polish movies to see during my film course.
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- DirectorJoseph LejtesStarsElzbieta BarszczewskaJadwiga AndrzejewskaTamara WiszniewskaBronka, Franka, Amelka and Kwiryna are four girls living in the same poor district of Warsaw and going to the same school. They all fight for a better future but what the future brings is usually disappointment, sometimes even tragedy.
- DirectorJoseph LejtesStarsElzbieta BarszczewskaLena ZelichowskaJerzy PichelskiZenon Ziembiewicz comes back to his hometown after graduating from the university in Paris. He gets entangled in a love triangle with educated young lady Elzbieta and a common country girl Justyna who gets pregnant.
- DirectorEugeniusz CekalskiKarol SzolowskiStarsEugeniusz BodoHanna KarwowskaJadwiga AndrzejewskaA look at show-business through the lives of cabaret dancing girls Teresa and Linka. When their theatre is closed down, they have to move to a small town. But it turns out that one of them is pregnant and the baby's father is her ex-boss.
- DirectorMichal WaszynskiStarsKazimierz Junosza-StepowskiElzbieta BarszczewskaWitold ZacharewiczA renowned surgeon, abandoned by his wife and daughter, gets robbed and loses his memory. Wandering around the countryside, he becomes a village healer and performs operations.
- DirectorJuliusz GardanStarsElzbieta BarszczewskaFranciszek BrodniewiczTamara WiszniewskaStefcia Rudecka starts working as a governess in an aristocratic house. Waldemar, the young heir, falls in love with her but his well-off family is not eager to accept the woman he loves.
- DirectorWanda JakubowskaStarsWanda BartównaHuguette FagetTatyana GuretskayaFemale prisoners of various ethnic background struggle to survive the hardships of Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
- DirectorAleksander FordStarsAleksandra SlaskaTadeusz JanczarAndrzej KozakIn war-ravaged Warsaw, five juvenile delinquents are given probation for stealing, to rehabilitate themselves, but remain under the influence of their profiteer-boss.
- DirectorJerzy KawalerowiczStarsJózef NowakStanislaw MilskiZbigniew SkowronskiA common worker tells a communist activist the story of his turbulent life - from the extreme poverty in the countryside to becoming a conscious worker's activist.
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsTadeusz LomnickiUrszula ModrzynskaTadeusz JanczarStory of youth during the German occupation of Poland in World War II who come to adulthood through love and adversity.
- DirectorAndrzej MunkStarsKazimierz OpalinskiZygmunt MaciejewskiZygmunt ZintelIn 1950, at night, a passenger train kills a man on the tracks. He is Orzechowski, an engineer since 1914. An inquiry immediately follows. Testimony takes the form of flashbacks. Tuszka, the station master, believes Orzechowski was a saboteur; at least one on the inquiry panel agrees. Zapora, the young engineer on the train that hit Orzechowski, gives more complicated testimony about the dead man - stiff-necked, proud, imperious, critical of Zapora and other younger workers. The signalman at the crossing where Orzechowski died also testifies. Can the panel arrive at the truth in a world where workers unite, inferior coal is a badge of honor, and the old order is suspect?
- DirectorAndrzej MunkStarsEdward DziewonskiBarbara PolomskaIgnacy MachowskiTwo sketches covering episodes from the World War II. In the first novel, "Scherzo alla polacca", a shrewd son, trying to preserve his skin, ultimately becomes a hero and finds a reason for fighting. He initially tries to avoid underground training to avoid the Warsaw uprising. His drunkenness, disregard for safety and cowardice when sober stated with humorous effect come out as something sane in the world gone mad. His will to survive is more acceptable than any desire for heroic death. The second novel, "Ostinato lugubre", details a hopeless attempt at escape from a prison camp by a man who can no longer stand the confinement and idiocy of the professional soldiers trying to keep up the military preneses in prison. Nevertheless, his escape boosts the morale of his fellow prisoners, while the "escapee" lies hidden from Germans and comrades alike."
- DirectorAndrzej MunkStarsBogumil KobielaMaria CiesielskaHelena DabrowskaThe story is an odyssey of a little man through Poland of 1930 to 1950. It shows his attempts to cope with a changing world which seems to have no place for him. He has no consciousness of any kind but is always on the verge of turning into a more coherent human being, only to be slapped down. It begins with the hero's childhood. Then comes the first love marred by his unwilling involvement in fascict politics, him being taken for a Jew because of his nose. Later he decides to join the army to charm the girl, but arrives too late for any fighting. He is arrested by entering German troops while he dresses in officer's uniform and mistakenly sent to POW camp as an officer.
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsZbigniew CybulskiEwa KrzyzewskaWaclaw ZastrzezynskiAs World War II and the German occupation ends, the Polish resistance and the Soviet forces turn on each other in an attempt to take over leadership in Communist Poland.
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsTeresa IzewskaTadeusz JanczarWienczyslaw GlinskiIn 1944, during the Warsaw uprising against the Nazis, Polish Lieutenant Zadra and his resistance fighters use Warsaw's sewer system to escape the German encirclement.
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsTadeusz LomnickiKrystyna StypulkowskaWanda KoczeskaA young doctor and jazz drummer, is also a womanizer who meets one night another yet finally interesting girl, who all but forces herself into his apartment where they play the game of appearances, both unable to confess their love to each other.
- DirectorTadeusz KonwickiStarsIrena LaskowskaJan MachulskiA young man meets a middle-aged woman at a deserted beach. Will they overcome their personal and wartime traumas and find a way to stay together?
- DirectorTadeusz KonwickiStarsEwa KrzyzewskaEdmund FettingElzbieta CzyzewskaA pair of lovers go off to a small hotel in a little town. The memories of war, however, intrude on their idyll. The girl and boy relive certain wartime experiences in flashback. She was a communist who drove a boy loving her to give himself up.
- DirectorKazimierz KutzStarsZofia MarcinkowskaHenryk BoukolowskiBarbara KrafftównaThe story of Poles moving to the west of the country after the war - to the lands originally inhabited by Germans - and starting a new life there. Lonely boy Bozek meets a girl called Lucyna and wants to run away from his wartime past.
- DirectorKazimierz KutzStarsJerzy TurekAleksander FogielBronislaw PawlikThree episodes showing the repercussions of war. A soldier returns to his ruined village, a stray dog turns out to be the former guard at Auschwitz, a young widow is hailed as the wife of the hero but dreams of something else.
- DirectorJerzy KawalerowiczStarsLucyna WinnickaLeon NiemczykTeresa SzmigielównaJerzy enters a train set for the Baltic coast. He seems to be on the run from something - as does the strange woman with whom he must share a sleeping compartment.
- DirectorJerzy KawalerowiczStarsLucyna WinnickaMieczyslaw VoitAnna CiepielewskaA priest is sent to a small parish in the Polish countryside which is believed to be under demonic possession and there he finds his own temptations awaiting.
- DirectorJanusz MorgensternStarsZbigniew CybulskiTeresa TuszynskaGrazyna MuszynskaJacek is a handsome young Pole who belongs to a drama company. One day, in the streets of Gdansk, he meets Marguerite, a beautiful daughter of the French consul, and immediately falls for her.
- DirectorWojciech HasStarsBarbara KrafftównaZbigniew CybulskiArtur MlodnickiAn actress traveling to Paris reflects on her life during the Nazi occupation of Poland.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsLeon NiemczykJolanta UmeckaZygmunt MalanowiczA couple pick up a hitchhiker on the way to their yacht. The husband invites the young man to come along for their day's sailing. As the voyage progresses, the antagonism between the two men grows. A violent confrontation is inevitable.
- DirectorJerzy SkolimowskiStarsElzbieta CzyzewskaJerzy SkolimowskiTadeusz MincAfter being drafted into military service, a Polish student spends his last day coming to terms with his estranged wife, visiting old friends, and savoring some last moments of freedom.
- DirectorJerzy KawalerowiczStarsJerzy ZelnikWieslawa MazurkiewiczBarbara BrylskaYoung Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsDaniel OlbrychskiBoguslaw KiercPiotr WysockiSet in the time of Napoleon wars, shows how the wars swept over the unfortunate Polish country at the beginning of the 19th 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.
- DirectorWojciech HasStarsZbigniew CybulskiIga CembrzynskaElzbieta CzyzewskaUpon finding a book that relates his grandfather's story, an officer ventures through Spain meeting a wide array of characters, most of whom have a story of their own to tell.
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsDaniel OlbrychskiAnna SeniukMaja KomorowskaSet in the late '20s. A thirtyish young man, who heads a small factory, faints at the funeral of a close friend. He decides to go home to his aunt and uncle for a while, but gets involved with a family of five women who had been in love with him at one time though he had apparently loved only one, who, unknown to him, has died since his departure. The women are mainly disillusioned with life or estranged from husbands while the youngest has a crush on him.
- DirectorStanislaw RózewiczStarsHenryk HryniewiczBeata BarszczewskaAndrzej BanaszewskiThree episodes dealing with the harsh situation of children at the time of war. They stay at orphanages, wait for their parents to come back, help the soldiers, hide in the forests and do their best to survive.
- DirectorKrzysztof ZanussiStarsBarbara WrzesinskaJan MyslowiczAndrzej ZarneckiJan and Marek used to study physics together but after graduation their paths were different. Jan got married and moved to the countryside. Marek stayed in Warsaw and now wants to persuade Jan to follow his path.
- DirectorKrzysztof ZanussiStarsPiotr GarlickiZbigniew ZapasiewiczChristine PaulA group of students are spending the summer vacation at a university camp studying the science of linguistics. One of the camp directors, Jaroslaw, is a young professor who prefers the straightforward, intimate approach to students. He is opposed in his liberal views by Jakub, who likes to manipulate people. There is a confrontation from the beginning when Jaroslaw allows to attend the seminar a student who presents the views not according to the official line. In the end, a jury prize is given to mediocre paper, while the suspected school of thought still draws a recommendation. Finally the deputy rector arrives for the closing ceremonies, and since he disfavors the line of thought awarded by the recommendation the tensions rise. They climax when student in question bites the rector in the ear while receiving recommendation. The confrontation results in a scandal and the police is called in.
- DirectorAgnieszka HollandStarsHalina LabonarskaTadeusz HukIwona BiernackaThe film is set in a small town near Warsaw, to which a young and coming director comes to produce a classic play (Wyspianski "Wyzwolenie") with a modern vein. Everyone in the production gets his usual stereotypical role, but the aging idol of the ensemble senses opportunity to give the performance of his life. For young director everything is already set. The leading man, however, is not giving up and is trying to restore the role according to his view. His wife listens to his fears, complaints and frustrations, while resigning herself to a fading career in a puppet theatre.
- DirectorFeliks FalkStarsJerzy StuhrSlawa KwasniewskaWiktor SadeckiAn ironic look at a climber who decides to do anything, including throwing mud at his best friend, to get a job he thinks will launch him into a better career.
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsJerzy StuhrMalgorzata ZabkowskaEwa PokasAn ordinary factory worker buys a camera on the occasion of the birth of his child. The authorities order him to make documentaries about the factory's success. But his endeavor to be truthful leads him to opposition against censorship.
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsBoguslaw LindaTadeusz LomnickiZbigniew ZapasiewiczWitek runs after a train. Three variations follow on how such a seemingly banal incident could influence the rest of Witek's life.
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsKrystyna JandaJerzy RadziwilowiczTadeusz LomnickiA young Polish filmmaker sets out to find out what happened to Mateusz Birkut, a bricklayer who became a propaganda hero in the 1950s but later fell out of favor and disappeared.
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsDaniel OlbrychskiWojciech PszoniakAndrzej SewerynThree friends hope to build a factory but their plans are quickly jeopardized by local politics and one of the partner's dangerous love affair.
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsHenryk BaranowskiWojciech KlataMaja KomorowskaA woman worries about her nephew's spiritual education, whose life and his father's are run on their home computer.
- DirectorWitold LeszczynskiStarsFranciszek PieczkaAnna MilewskaWirgiliusz GrynMateusz is a weird man living a peaceful life in a remote country house by the lake. When a stranger is attracted to his beloved sister, his life starts falling apart.
- DirectorWojciech MarczewskiStarsTomasz HudziecTeresa MarczewskaMarek KondratA boy comes of age under an oppressive, cruel socialist government and watches as it slowly but surely distorts his family, his school and even his own thoughts.
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsGrazyna SzapolowskaMaria PakulnisAleksander BardiniThe wife of the recently deceased lawyer tries to cope with grief after his loss and to keep his last case going in court.
- DirectorLeszek WosiewiczStarsAdam KamienMarcin TronskiPiotr SkibaA young musician uses his talent as an accordion player to fight for dignity and survival in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
- DirectorWojciech HasStarsMaria WachowiakTadeusz JanczarGustaw HoloubekPawel and Lidka are from different worlds but they somehow meet each other in a night club. He's a young lad from a wealthy family, she's an attractive dancer. They fall in love and go out of town but their happiness doesn't last long.
- DirectorWojciech HasStarsGustaw HoloubekAleksandra SlaskaTeresa SzmigielównaOne day in the life of an alcohol addict. With the help of his girlfriend Krysia, Kuba attempts to regain control of his life. But when she's at work, Kuba is home alone, and it becomes hard not to resist the temptation.
- DirectorAndrzej MunkWitold LesiewiczStarsAleksandra SlaskaAnna CiepielewskaJan KreczmarWhile aboard a transatlantic passenger ship, a German woman, Liza, notices someone who looks like Marta, a former inmate at Auschwitz, where Liza used to be a guard.
- DirectorRyszard BugajskiStarsKrystyna JandaAdam FerencyJanusz GajosTonia goes out drinking. She wakes up in prison, not having a clue why she's there. She is tortured to encourage her to confess to a crime she is not aware of.
- DirectorJanusz ZaorskiStarsMagda Teresa WójcikZbigniew ZapasiewiczFranciszek PieczkaStory opens with Lucja Krol's husband under the tram. She gives birth to her fourth son on the floor of their new apartment. Neighbor Wiktor, a communist intellectual, befriends the poverty-stricken family but is soon arrested and sent to jail. During the war Lucja narrowly escapes a Nazi roundup at the black market. Her sons hold ardent Communist meetings in their apartment, with her blessing. Lucja works hard, but without complaint. After the war, Klemens is inexplicably arrested, accused by the new regime of being a collaborator. Wiktor, now a high-ranking party member, trying to defend him, himself falls into disgrace. Klemens is tortured to "confess" and dies in jail, a Communist to the end. Lucja is never told about his fate.