between 56 and 89 polish cinematography was one of the best in the world. i’d even say it was the best along with the french one.
names that ought to be checked:
jerzy skolimowski (my favourite one)
wojciech jerzy has
andrzej zulawski
agnieszka holland
andrzej munk
janusz morgenstern
roman polanski
krzysztof zanussi
tadeusz konwicki
piotr szulkin
witold leszczynski
kazimierz kutz
marek koterski
not mentioning the obvious choices of kieslowski, wajda, polanski
I really need to familiarize myself with Polish cinema, I’ve seen Polanski’s work, and The Three Colors Trilogy, and I have Ashes and Diamonds on my to see list. It seems they make a lot of great documentaries, but I’m not sure what to look at.
Thanks for reviving this thread. As suggested to me over two years ago, I finally caught up with those dvd releases of the Polish documentary school. Marcel Lozinski had some interesting works but overall his films left me sort of cold. Too much talking and not enough cinematic expression. But he’s an interesting combination of an observational and interactive doc filmmaker. He sometimes plants actors within real settings or has people act out situations, then stands back with his camera and observes the results as dispassionately as possible. I think the problem is that his cinema needs more passion and interactivity.
There is also a disc on three women filmmakers, which I prefer. The most accomplished seemed to be Krystyna Gryczelowska, who made a documentary called “The 24 Hours of Jadwiga L.” (1967) which was possibly an influence on Akerman and her work.
But the standout disc for me so far is the Black Series. These are brilliant films that seem to be a collective revelation. I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited about a documentary movement. Too many good films and good directors to name. Just the titles of the films themselves are so evocative: “Where the Devil Says Goodnight”, “People from an Empty Zone”, “Article Zero”.
I’ve been getting more and more into Polish cinema especially with some of the earlier films of Agnieszka Holland. I haven’t seen the supposed great films like Europa Europa or Angry Harvest. Of her later films I’ve only seen the Rimbaud film Total Eclipse which I like very much, I particularly like David Thewlis in that film. But it’s in her first handful of films that I think she really showcases a mastery of storytelling. Fever and Screentest are both great films and I consider Screen Tests possibly as one of my favorite films I’ve seen. I can’t remember which, but I was going to watch either Provincial Actors or Lonely Woman today, but when I took it out of the case it was broken in half. Great!
Has anyone mentioned Jan Jakub Kolski? I didn’t see his name. Recently I saw “Pornografia” that I found to be an interesting film. Have seen many of Wadja’s films although I doubt I can add much to the conversation. I try and see films from Eastern Europe but of course my brain has gone blank. Thanks to the rest of you for the nods to the films I haven’t seen.
polish girls are cute
Clayton White
Personally, I think Kieslowski is the greatest of all filmmakers, and my beliefs are confirmed every time I rewatch any of his films. A few weeks ago, I saw Man of Marble for the first time, though, and I was mesmerized. Wajda is incredible.