Szamanka

Switzerland, France, Poland

1996

110 Min

Color

1.66:1

Polish

Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
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CAST Bogusław Linda, Iwona Petry, Agnieszka Wagner, Paweł Deląg, Jolanta Grusznic, Alicja Jachiewicz, Piotr Machalica, Piotr Wawrzynczak, Wojciech Kowman, Zdzisław Wardejn

SOUND Piotr Knop

Venice (Venetian Nights), CPH PIX (Retro: Żuławski)

Synopsis

Andrzej Żuławski’s adaptation of Manuela Gretkowska’s provocative and hugely successful novel reaches new extremes in the depiction of brutality, sex, and passion as it tells the story of a young(ish) anthropologist driven by the mystery surrounding the death of a recently discovered shaman; and his growing obsession with an enigmatic yet violently perverse beauty known as “The Italian.” Szamanka (“She-Shaman”) is a film “without brakes.” Above all else, it is a ‘demonic’ film where characters are battlegrounds in the war between devils and angels, where angels are agents of God and devils are those of the Devil. This pulpy, sexually charged tale with its deranged erotic futurism underlines Żuławski’s commitment to stretch the limits of aesthetic expression by exploring themes beyond the pale in conventional cinema. Violence, exuberance and sexuality are its key ingredients. Through hysteria, possession and hallucination we see what the Polish writer Stanislaw Przybyszewski called ‘naked soul’. –Mondo Vision

Director

Andrzej Żuławski

Andrzej Zulawski was born on the territory of what was then the U.S.S.R. in a Polish family with remarkable traditions in arts and literature. After World War II, his father’s diplomatic career brought the family to France (1945-1949), Czechoslovakia (1949-1952), and finally to Poland. He studied film direction at IDHEC in Paris (1957-1959) and philosophy at both Warsaw University (1961) and Université de Paris (1962-1964).

First, he assisted the famous Polish director Andrzej Wajda during the filming of Samson (1961), Popioly (1966), and the Warsaw episode of L’Amour à Vingt Ans (1962). In 1967, Zulawski directed two short films, Piesn Triumfujacej Milosci and Pavoncello, for Polish TV.
His feature debut, Trzecia Czesc Nocy (1971), as well as those previous films were co-scripted by his father, poet Miroslaw Zulawski. The picture was well received at the Venice Film Festival and awarded as the Best Debut in its homeland, but had only limited release due to Polish censorship. Zulawski’s next feature, Diabel (1972), was outright banned and not released until 1988. The same happened to his next Polish project, Na Srebrnym Globie (1977). After he finished about 80 percent of the shooting, the authorities ordered him to abandon the picture and to destroy all related materials. Only in 1987 did he manage to complete the film from spare footage, using voice-over commentary for the missing parts. Since the late ‘70s, Zulawski has lived and worked mostly in France, during which time he developed a knack for showcasing his actresses’ talents. L’Important C’est D’Aimer (1975) brought its star, Romy Schneider, a Cesar (French Oscar) as did Possession (1981) to Isabelle Adjani. He then found his muse in young actress Sophie Marceau who would star in four of his films. He briefly returned to Poland where he made Szamanka (1996). Being a maverick who always defied mainstream commercialism, Zulawski enjoyed success mostly with the European art-house audiences. His wild, imaginative, and controversial pictures have received 16 awards at various international film festivals. He also wrote the novels Il était Un Verger, Lity Bór (a.k.a: La Forêt Forteresse), V Oczach Tygrysa, and Ogród Milosci. —allmovie guide

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Charles Coleman

1Apr12

3 1/2. Reminded me of Secretary in a way because of the deep obsessive relationship between the two leads. But that's where the comparison ends. This movie had everything (amputation, graphic sex, nudity, rats, suicide, great sweeping tracking shots, religious hangups, family troubles, awsome score, etc.). Could have used more male nudity to balance things out. Fascinating, raw and frantic world to be in though.

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