Lech Majewski
Encyclopedia
Lech Majewski (born 30 August 1953) is a Polish
film and theatre director, writer, poet, and painter.
Born in Katowice
, Poland
, Majewski studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
. In the 1970s, he then studied at the National Film School in Łódź, notably as a student of Wojciech Has
, who taught Majewski directing. In the early 80s, after completing The Knight and as martial law was declared in Poland, Majewski emigrated to England and then to the United States, where he lived for most of the late Communist era.
Today, Majewski is a dual U.S. / Polish citizen, and travels often between those and other countries.
He is a member of the American and European film academies and the Polish International PEN
.
Majewski speaks fluent, and excellent, English, but often works with English-speaking natives on his script. That was the initial role that Julian Schnabel
had on Basquiat, before Majewski abandoned the project and Schnabel took it over.
In 2006, the Museum of Modern Art
in New York City hosted a complete (until then) retrospective of Majewski's work. This was their first ever full retrospective of a Polish filmmaker, and one of their only ever mid-career retrospectives. For that program, Majewski created the film eventually called Glass Lips, though initially it was known as Blood of a Poet.
In 2006-2007, Wendy Lidell of International Film Circuit circulated a retrospective of his work across the United States and Canada.
Produced between England and Brazil, a fictionalized story of Ronnie Biggs
, mastermind of The Great Train Robbery of 1963.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
film and theatre director, writer, poet, and painter.
Born in Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Majewski studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw is a public university of visual and applied arts located in the Polish capital. The Academy traces its history back to the Department of Arts founded at the Warsaw University in 1812. As a separate institution it was founded in 1844 during the Partitions of Poland...
. In the 1970s, he then studied at the National Film School in Łódź, notably as a student of Wojciech Has
Wojciech Has
Wojciech Jerzy Has was a Polish film director, screenwriter and film producer.-Early Life & Studies:...
, who taught Majewski directing. In the early 80s, after completing The Knight and as martial law was declared in Poland, Majewski emigrated to England and then to the United States, where he lived for most of the late Communist era.
Today, Majewski is a dual U.S. / Polish citizen, and travels often between those and other countries.
He is a member of the American and European film academies and the Polish International PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
.
Majewski speaks fluent, and excellent, English, but often works with English-speaking natives on his script. That was the initial role that Julian Schnabel
Julian Schnabel
Julian Schnabel is an American artist and filmmaker. In the 1980s, Schnabel received international media attention for his "plate paintings"—large-scale paintings set on broken ceramic plates....
had on Basquiat, before Majewski abandoned the project and Schnabel took it over.
In 2006, the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York City hosted a complete (until then) retrospective of Majewski's work. This was their first ever full retrospective of a Polish filmmaker, and one of their only ever mid-career retrospectives. For that program, Majewski created the film eventually called Glass Lips, though initially it was known as Blood of a Poet.
In 2006-2007, Wendy Lidell of International Film Circuit circulated a retrospective of his work across the United States and Canada.
Filmography
- Zwiastowanie (1978)
- The Knight (Rycerz) (1980)
- The Flight of the Spruce Goose (Lot Świerkowej Gęsi) (1986)
- The Prisoner of Rio (Więzień Rio) (1988)
Produced between England and Brazil, a fictionalized story of Ronnie Biggs
Ronnie Biggs
Ronald Arthur "Ronnie" Biggs is an English criminal, known for his role in the Great Train Robbery of 1963, for his escape from prison in 1965, for living as a fugitive for 36 years and for his various publicity stunts while in exile. In 2001, he voluntarily returned to the United Kingdom and...
, mastermind of The Great Train Robbery of 1963.
- The Gospel According to Harry (Ewangelia według Harry'ego) (1992)
- Basquiat (developed project, eventually credited as co-writer and co-producer) 1996)
- The Roe's Room (Pokój Saren) (1998)
- Wypadek (1998)
- Wojaczek (aka Life Hurts) (1999)
- Angelus (2001)
- Ogród rozkoszy ziemskichThe Garden of Earthly Delights (film)The Garden of Earthly Delights is a film by the Polish director Lech Majewski. It follows two lovers as they roam Venice, Italy.-Plot:Claudine is a British art scholar who has a terminal case of throat cancer. She is in Venice to give a lecture on the Bosch triptych from which the film gets its...
(2003) - Glass LipsGlass LipsGlass Lips is a feature film with almost no words, directed by Lech Majewski.The film began life as an installation of interrelated short films, entitled Blood of a Poet . The installation had its world premiere at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on May 3, 2006, curated by Laurence Kardish...
(2007) (feature film version of the Blood of a Poet installation (2006)) - The Mill and the CrossThe Mill and the CrossThe Mill and the Cross is a 2011 drama film directed by Lech Majewski and starring Rutger Hauer, Charlotte Rampling and Michael York. It is inspired by Pieter Bruegel the Elder's 1564 painting The Way to Calvary, and based on Michael Francis Gibson's book The Mill and the Cross. The film was a...
(2010)
Sources
The original version of this article was an adaptation of Google’s machine-translation of this version (2007-02-15) of the German Wikipedia article :de:Lech Majewski.External links
- Personal home page
- Photograph
- another photograph
- biography
- Lech Majewski: Conjuring the Moving Image (Vancouver)
- Lech Majewski: Conjuring the Moving Image (New York)
- International Film Circuit, inc.
- Film Series: Cigarettes and cinema
- ŻAK Gallery - Blood of a Poet installation
- The Reeler May 4 2006
- Personal Polish Home Page
- culture.pl
- filmpolski.pl
- Lech Majewski personal site
- epoznan.pl
