Poland

  • Krzysztof Kieslowski & Tomasz Zygadlo – Robotnicy 1971 – Nic o nas bez nas AKA Workers ’71: Nothing About Us Without Us (1971)

    1971-1980DocumentaryKrzysztof KieslowskiPolandPoliticsTomasz Zygadlo

    Quote:
    “We tried to draw a broad picture showing that the class which, theoretically at least, was said to be the ruling class, had somewhat different views from those which were printed on the front page of the Trybuna Ludu.”
    — Krzysztof KieslowskiRead More »

  • Marek Piwowski – Rejs AKA The Cruise (1970)

    1961-1970ComedyCultMarek PiwowskiPoland

    Quote:
    Life in Poland is satirized in this standard comedy drama about a group of people who take a short cruise together, a brief vacation along a river before the demands of life and work are faced again. The wide mix of passengers goes from one end of the personality spectrum to the other, and the close quarters make mingling, talking, and interacting all the easier. Sight gags and sharp wit keep the cruise, and the comedy, rolling along at a good pace.Read More »

  • Andrzej Zulawski – Diabel AKA The Devil (1972)

    1971-1980Andrzej ZulawskiArthouseHorrorPoland

    Quote:
    At the climax of Harold Pinter’s vaguely allegorical but wholly chilling play The Birthday Party, the broken hero is being taken away by strangers, no doubt to a bad place. The locals, who have no idea what sort of political act of terror is being committed, stand by helplessly, but one of them rises and says, “Stan, don’t let them tell you what to do!” Even though Pinter never makes a specific point of reference as to what deplorable regime is imposing its will, the viewer intuitively understands the message. So it is with Andrzej Zulawski’s The Devil. International audiences unfamiliar with Polish politics might not know or care that his horror film was based on actual events from the turbulent 1960s, during which communist authorities provoked a group of Warsaw students into staging anti-censorship protests. Read More »

  • Krzysztof Kieslowski – Trois couleurs: Blanc AKA Three Colors: White (1994)

    1991-2000ArthouseComedyKrzysztof KieslowskiPoland

    Quote:
    The most playful and also the grittiest of Kieślowski’s Three Colors films follows the adventures of Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a Polish immigrant living in France. The hapless hairdresser opts to leave Paris for his native Warsaw when his wife (Julie Delpy) sues him for divorce (her reason: their marriage was never consummated) and then frames him for arson after setting her own salon ablaze. White, which goes on to chronicle Karol Karol’s elaborate revenge plot, manages to be both a ticklish dark comedy about the economic inequalities of Eastern and Western Europe and a sublime reverie about twisted love.Read More »

  • Krzysztof Kieslowski – Trois couleurs: Rouge AKA Three Colors: Red (1994)

    1991-2000ArthouseDramaKrzysztof KieslowskiPoland

    Quote:
    Krzysztof Kieślowski closes his Three Colors trilogy in grand fashion, with an incandescent meditation on fate and chance, starring Irène Jacob as a sweet-souled yet somber runway model in Geneva whose life dramatically intersects with that of a bitter retired judge, played by Jean‑Louis Trintignant. Meanwhile, just down the street, a seemingly unrelated story of jealousy and betrayal unfolds. Red is an intimate look at forged connections and a splendid final statement from a remarkable filmmaker at the height of his powers.Read More »

  • Various – Erotica 2022 (2020)

    2011-2020ArthouseDramaPolandVarious

    Quote:
    Four Polish female filmmakers have partnered with four top female Polish authors on film project “Erotica 2022.”

    The film is directed by Olga Chajdas, Katarzyna Adamik, Anna Kazejak and Anna Jadowska. The writers are Joanna Bator, Olga Tokarczuk, Gaja Grzegorzewska and Grażyna Plebanek.

    In a statement, the filmmakers said: “In a world where women are products, motherhood is an obligation, sexuality is oppressed and men are as primal as ever, four female characters face the world of absurdity, sick encounters, lack of true emotions and loneliness. The film depicts a fake world – yet very believable.”Read More »

  • Grzegorz Warchol – Lubie nietoperze AKA I Like Bats (1986)

    Comedy1981-1990Grzegorz WarcholHorrorPoland

    Izabella, a young beautiful woman, works at her aunt’s shop in a small town in Poland. She uses her hands to create unique small objects for the shop, but in the nights she has the strange habit to feed bats. She also gives the shape of a bat to many of her handmade objects. Police are after a sex maniac killer who rapes and kills women in the woods. Marceli, a man who loves Izabella, tries to protect her telling her that he could walk with her on her way home but she rudely refuses. She doesn’t like him at all. Her aunt tries hard to change her mind but Izabella believes she can protect herself alone. The serial killer attacks her and when he asks for a kiss she’ll give him the kiss of death with pleasure…Because she’s actually a vampire woman!Read More »

  • Roland Rowinski – Mózg AKA Brain (1983)

    1981-1990PolandRoland RowinskiSci-FiShort Film

    Quote:
    A fantastic sci-fi first film presenting the story of a valued professor named Szop. One day, a scientist commissions himself a routine study. The computer states on the basis of the study analysis that Szop… is dead. The professor and his colleague, Swalski, try to explain the unusual result. The results will prove surprising.Read More »

  • Marek Piestrak – Wilczyca AKA The Wolf (1983)

    1981-1990HorrorMarek PiestrakPoland

    Quote:
    The most important horror movie to come out of Poland, Wilczya is also one of the greatest ever werewolf depictions. Superb gothic horror. Unfortunately this atmospheric flick is not well-known abroad.The action of Wilczyca takes place in Poland in the ninetieth century. Maryna dislikes her husband, a Polish patriot named Kacper. Before her death,she curses him. Her evil is transformed not only into a young countess Julia, but also into the wolf… Wilczyca is definitely a Polish horror classic that reminds me of Hammer productions.The film is loaded with traditional genre elements like tombs or silver bullets.The climax is surprisingly gory and the mood is quite sensual.Read More »

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