Polish Film School
Encyclopedia
Polish Film School refers to an informal group of Polish film directors and screenplay writers active between 1955 and approximately 1963.
The group was under heavy influence of Italian neorealists
. It took advantage of the liberal changes in Poland after the 1956 to portray the complexity of Polish history during World War II
and German occupation. Among the most important topics were the generation of former Home Army soldiers and their role in post-war Poland and the national tragedies like the German concentration camps and the Warsaw Uprising
. The political changes allowed the group to speak more openly of the recent history of Poland. However, the rule of censorship
was still strong when it comes to history after 1945 and there were very few films on the contemporary events. This marked the major difference between the members of the Polish Film School and Italian neorealists.
The Polish Film School was the first to underline the national character of Poles and one of the first artistic movements in Central Europe
to openly oppose the official guidelines of Socialist realism
. The members of the movement tend to underline the role of individual as opposed to collectivity. There were two trends within the movement: young directors such as Andrzej Wajda
generally studied the idea of heroism, while another group (the most notable being Andrzej Munk) analysed the Polish character via irony, humor and a dissection of national myths.
The group was under heavy influence of Italian neorealists
Italian neorealism
Italian neorealism is a style of film characterized by stories set amongst the poor and working class, filmed on location, frequently using nonprofessional actors...
. It took advantage of the liberal changes in Poland after the 1956 to portray the complexity of Polish history during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and German occupation. Among the most important topics were the generation of former Home Army soldiers and their role in post-war Poland and the national tragedies like the German concentration camps and the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
. The political changes allowed the group to speak more openly of the recent history of Poland. However, the rule of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
was still strong when it comes to history after 1945 and there were very few films on the contemporary events. This marked the major difference between the members of the Polish Film School and Italian neorealists.
The Polish Film School was the first to underline the national character of Poles and one of the first artistic movements in Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
to openly oppose the official guidelines of Socialist realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
. The members of the movement tend to underline the role of individual as opposed to collectivity. There were two trends within the movement: young directors such as Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda is a Polish film director. Recipient of an honorary Oscar, he is possibly the most prominent member of the unofficial "Polish Film School"...
generally studied the idea of heroism, while another group (the most notable being Andrzej Munk) analysed the Polish character via irony, humor and a dissection of national myths.
Notable people and films
- Andrzej WajdaAndrzej WajdaAndrzej Wajda is a Polish film director. Recipient of an honorary Oscar, he is possibly the most prominent member of the unofficial "Polish Film School"...
- A GenerationA GenerationA Generation is a 1955 Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda. It is based on the novel Pokolenie by Bohdan Czeszko, who also wrote the script, and it was Wajda's first film and the opening installment of what became his Three War Films trilogy set in the Second World War, completed by Kanal and...
(Pokolenie 1955) - Kanal (Kanał 1957)
- Ashes and DiamondsAshes and Diamonds (film)Ashes and Diamonds is a 1958 Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda, based on the 1948 novel by Polish writer Jerzy Andrzejewski...
(Popiół i diament 1958) - Man of MarbleMan of MarbleMan of Marble is a 1976 Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda. It chronicles the fall from grace of a fictional heroic Polish bricklayer, Mateusz Birkut , who became the Stakhanovite symbol of an over-achieving worker, in Nowa Huta, a new socialist city near Kraków...
(Czlowiek z Marmuru 1976) and Man of IronMan of IronMan of Iron is a 1981 film directed by Andrzej Wajda. It depicts the Solidarity labour movement and its first success in persuading the Polish government to recognize the workers' right to an independent union....
(Czlowiek z Zelaza 1981)
- A Generation
- Andrzej Munk
- Man on the TracksMan on the TracksMan on the Tracks is a 1956 film by Andrzej Munk.Man on the Tracks was one of the first films of the so-called Polish Film School and as such influenced the whole generation of young directors who participated in the movement....
(Człowiek na torze, 1956) - HeroismHeroism (film)Heroism is a 1958 film by Andrzej Munk. It is composed of two separate film novels, each featuring the Polish concept of heroism and a role of a hero.Eroica won the FIPRESCI Award at the 1959 Mar del Plata Film Festival....
(Eroica, 1958) - Bad LuckBad Luck (film)Bad Luck is a 1960 Polish comedy film directed by Andrzej Munk. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Bogumił Kobiela – Jan Piszczyk* Maria Ciesielska – Basia* Helena Dabrowska – Wychówna...
(Zezowate szczęście, 1959) - Passenger (Pasażerka, 1963, finished by Witold LesiewiczWitold LesiewiczWitold Lesiewicz is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He directed 24 films between 1949 and 1979. He completed the work on the 1963 film Passenger after the death of director Andrzej Munk.-External links:...
)
- Man on the Tracks
- Jerzy Kawalerowicz
- ShadowShadow (film)Shadow is a 1956 Polish film directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz. It was entered into the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:The plot involves a Rashōmon-like investigation into the life of a man who has been found dead after having been hurled from a train...
(Cień, 1956) - The Real End of the Great WarThe Real End of the Great WarThe Real End of the Great War is the English title for Prawdziwy koniec wielkiej wojny, a film released in 1957, directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz....
(Prawdziwy koniec wielkiej wojny, 1957) - Night Train (Pociąg, 1959)
- Mother Joan of the AngelsMother Joan of the AngelsMother Joan of the Angels is a 1961 drama film on demonic possession, directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, based on a novella of the same title by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz...
(Matka Joanna od Aniołów, 1961)
- Shadow
- Wojciech HasWojciech HasWojciech Jerzy Has was a Polish film director, screenwriter and film producer.-Early Life & Studies:...
- FarewellsFarewellsFarewells is the English title for Pożegnania, a film released in 1958, directed by Wojciech Has....
(Pożegnania, 1958) - How to Be LovedHow To Be LovedHow to be Loved , a Polish film released in 1963, directed by Wojciech Has.The film, based on a novel of the same name by Kazimierz Brandys, examines the emotional casualties of war, which is perhaps the central theme of the Polish Film School...
(Jak być kochaną, 1963)
- Farewells
- Kazimierz KutzKazimierz KutzKazimierz Julian Kutz is a Polish film director, author, journalist and politician, one of the representatives of the Polish Film School and a deputy speaker of the Senate of Poland.- Biography :...
- Cross of Valor (Krzyż walecznych, 1958)
- Nobody's Calling (Nikt nie woła, 1960)
- The People from the Train (Ludzie z pociągu, 1961)
- Tadeusz KonwickiTadeusz KonwickiTadeusz Konwicki is a Polish writer and film director, a member of the Polish Language Council.-Life:Konwicki was born in 1926 in Nowa Wilejka near Wilno, where he spent his early childhood. He spent his adolescence in Wilno, attending a local gymnasium...
- Winter Twilight (Zimowy zmierzch, 1957)
- The Last Day of SummerThe Last Day of SummerThe Last Day of Summer is a 1958 romantic drama film directed by the Polish film director Tadeusz Konwicki.-Plot:The action takes place amid the deserted dunes and screaming gulls of a chilly Baltic shore. Two lonely, damaged people, played by Irena Laskowska and Jan Machulski, whose characters...
(Ostatni dzień lata, 1958) - All Souls' DayAll Souls' Day (film)All Souls' Day is the English title for Zaduszki, a film released in 1962, directed by the Polish film director Tadeusz Konwicki.Much like Konwicki's 1958 film The Last Day of Summer, All Souls' Day is a story of survivors and the lasting psychic damage of World War II...
(Zaduszki, 1961)
- Stanisław Różewicz
- Free City (Wolne Miasto, 1958)
- Birth Certificate (Świadectwo urodzenia, 1961)
See also
- Cinema of PolandCinema of PolandThe history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as history of cinematography, and it has universal achievements, even though Polish movies tend to be less commercially available than movies from several other European nations....
- National Film School in Łódź
- List of Polish language films