10/10
Innocent sorcery of Andrzej Wajda
6 July 2023
A young doctor, living alone in a room cluttered with tape-recorder, radio, raffish unsophisticated décor, and English gin bottle, indifferently rejects the persistent girl who throws pebbles at his window. One evening, he picks up a finally more demanding type who misses her train on purpose. He takes her to his room for the night, and they treat the occasion with sophisticated amusement - she well aware that he means to seduce her, he knowing that she expects it, both consciously enjoying the situation and watching how it develops. What developes, although they both refuse to admit it, is love.

Andrzej Wajda's masterclass filmmaking turned this seemingly simple love story into a beautiful psychological drama. A portrait of people (and not only young ones, as descriptions tried to sell it back in the sixties!) trying to cope in their cruel post-war environment and aware of their uncertain future. Their way of getting through it all seems cool at first... It's of course pretending, playing the game of appearances. But even people suffering from masking can't hide their love away for long.

With an excellent acting and its music being absolutely superb, "Innocent Sorcerers" is high on the list of top Polish films, being perhaps even Poland's all-time best. As far as I'm concerned, this film deserves to be called the second best film of 1960, after Billy Wilder's "The Apartment".
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