Andrzej Wajda

06.03.1926, Suwalki, Poland - 09.10.2016, Warsaw, Poland

 

Director

Wajda was a Polish director and screenwriter, born as Andrzej Witold Wajda. He was one of the most famous members of the “Polish Film School” that consisted of directors who were active between 1955 and 1963. His mother was a teacher and father captain of the Polish army. He spent a happy childhood until the beginning of WW II and the soviet and German invasions to Poland.  In 1940, soviets murdered his father at the massacre in the Katyn forest. Andrzej survived the war with his mother and brother and from 1942 until the end of the war he was a member of the Polish resistance. In 1946, he moved to Krakow film directing in Lódź and directed several films during that time. After assisting the director Aleksander Ford on his film Five from Barska Street (1954), he directed his first feature films A Generation (Pokolenie). It is a war drama which constitutes a trilogy about life in Poland during WW II together with his two next films Canal (Kanal, 1956) i Ashes and Diamonds (Popiól i diament, 1958). Canal won the special jury award in Cannes (together with Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal), and Ashes and Diamonds the FIPRESCI award in Venice. In 1959, he directed his first film in color Lotna. During the 1960’s he directed the black and white romantic drama Innocent Sorcerers (Niewinni czarodzieje, 1960), war drama Samson (1961) and Siberian Lady Macbeth (1962) in Yugoslav production. In Poland he directed the war drama The Ashes (Popioły, 1965), and in Belgrade the British-Yugoslav co-production – historical drama Gates to Paradise (1968). In Poland he directed the personal drama Everything for Sale (Wszystko na sprzedaź, 1968) dedicated to the memory of the film actor Zbigniew Cybulski who suddenly died. The last film that he directed in the 1960’s was the romantic comedy Hunting Flies (Polowanie na muchy, 1969). He returned to war with the drama Landscape after Battle (Krajobraz po bitwie, 1970). He worked with the actor Daniel Olbrychski on the drama The Birch Wood (Brzezina, 1970) and the successful historical drama The promised Land (Ziemia obiecana, 1975), which was nominated for an Oscar in the category for best foreign film, and which won the Golden Lion at the Polish Film Festival (together with Noce i dnie by Jerzy Antczak). Besides directing films, Wajda is an equally successful theater play director and thus some of his films were actually film adaptations of plays, such as: The Wedding (Wesele, 1973), The Maids of Wilko (Panny z Wilka, 1979) and the aforementioned The Promised Land. In addition, in the 1970’s he directed the drama Rough Treatment (Bez znieczulenia, 1978) which won the award of the ecumenical jury in Cannes in 1979 and the drama Man of Marble (Czlowiek z marmuru, 1976) which won another FIPRESCI award in Cannes in 1978 as well as the award from the Film critics at the Polish Film Festival in 1977. Its sequel Man of Iron (Czlowiek z żelaza, 1981) follows the same characters and it brought Wajda the Golden Palm and the ecumenical jury’s award at Cannes. The film was nominated for an Oscar in the category for best foreign film but it was withdrawn from the competition by the Polish communist government. The topic of the film is the fight for workers’ rights and in a smaller role it featured Lech Wałęsa, who was then president of the syndicate Solidarity which in time became the resistance movement against the ruling communist regime. Wajda, who was famous for the allegorical critique of communism in his films, joined the Solidarity in 1981 and remained its member until 1989. His film Danton (1983), directed in France and starring Gérard Depardieu, was about the French revolution and it won the French film award César as best director. In Germany he directed the drama Eine Liebe in Deutschland (1983). In French production he directed the film adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s novel The Possessed (Les possédés, 1988), and in Poland the drama Chronicle of Amorous Accidents (Kronika ljubavnih događaja, 1986). Many of his films won awards at international film festivals and in 1990 he received the European life-time achievement award. In 1996, at the Berlin Film Festival he received the Silver Bear for his for an outstanding artistic contribution and in Venice in 1998, he received the Golden Lion for his entire career. In 2000 he was awarded an honorary Oscar for life—time achievement. Even though he was most active in the 1970’s he continued to direct films until the end of his life. Several films from the 1990’s stand out: biographical drama Korczak (1990), film adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s novel Nastasja (1994) and war drama Pan Tadeusz (1999), which was his most successful film from that time. He also directed the historical comedy Zemsta (2002), film version of his theatre production from 1980 in which he once again collaborated with Roman Polanski (after Innocent Sorcerers). In 2006, he was awarded the honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. His historical war drama Katyn (2007) about the massacre from WW II, to which he lost his own father, was equally successful with the critics as the audience. It won the Eagle award as best film at the Polish Film Awards in 2008 and it was nominated for an Oscar as best foreign film in that same year. His intimate drama Tatarak (2009) wa somewhat less successful and he returned to historical themes with his biopic about Lech Walesa Walesa. Man of Hope (Walesa. Czlowiek z nadziei, 2013). His last film was also a biopic Powidoki (2016) about the avant-garde Polish artist. He died in late 2016 from lung failure at the age of ninety. He was the president of the Polish Film Association from 1978 to 1983. Besides being a chronicler of Polish social realism he was an active participant of politics as a senator of Polish Republic from 1989 to1991, as well as the member of the presidential committee for culture from 1992 to 1994. In 1994 in Krakow, he founded the Japanese Center for Art and Technology and in 1997 he was accepted to the French Academy of Fine Arts (Académie des Beaux Arts).

Filmography

Powidoki (2016)
Walesa. Man of Hope (Walesa. Czlowiek z nadziei, 2013)
Makbet (2010) (TV)
Krec! Jak kochasz, to krec! (2010) (medium-length, documentary)
Tatarak (2009)
Katyn (2007)
Solidarnosc, Solidarnosc... (2005) (segment "Man of Hope")
Zemsta (2002)
Noc czerwcowa (2002) (TV)
Lekcja polskiego kina (2002) (documentary)
Wyrok na Franciszka Klosa (2000) (TV)
Bigda idzie! (1999) (TV)
Pan Tadeusz (1999)
Panna Nikt (1996)
Wielki tydzien (1995)
Nastazja (1994)
Pierscionek z orlem w koronie (1992)
Schuld und Sühne (1992) (TV)
Korczak (1990)
The Possessed (Les possédés, 1988)
Chronicle of Amorous Accidents (Kronika wypadków milosnych, 1986)
Eine Liebe in Deutschland (1983)
Danton (1983)
Man of Iron (Czlowiek z zelaza, 1981)
Dyrygent (1980)
Panny z Wilka (1979)
'Pogoda domu niechaj bedzie z Toba...' (1979) (short feature, documentary)
Rough Treatment (Bez znieczulenia, 1978)
Zaproszenie do wnetrza (1978) (medium-length, documentary)
Man of Marble (Czlowiek z marmuru, 1977)
Umarla klasa (1977) (TV)
Smuga cienia (1976)
The Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana, 1975)
Wesele (1973)
Pilatus und andere - Ein Film für Karfreitag (1972) (TV)
The Birch Wood (Brzezina, 1970)
Landscape After Battle (Krajobraz po bitwie, 1970)
Hunting Flies (Polowanie na muchy, 1969)
Wszystko na sprzedaz (1969)
Gates to Paradise (1968)
Przekladaniec (1968) (TV)
Popioly (1965)
Siberian Lady Macbeth (1962)
Love at Twenty (L'amour à vingt ans, 1962) (segment "Warsaw")
Samson (1961)
Niewinni czarodzieje (1960)
Lotna (1959)
Ashes and Diamonds (Popiól i diament, 1958)
Canal (1957)
A Generation (Pokolenie, 1955)
Ide do slonca (1955) (short feature documentary)
Kiedy ty spisz (1952) (short feature documentary)
Ceramika ilzecka (1951) (short feature documentary)
Zly chlopiec (1950) (short feature)


Films by this director

Canal

(Kanal, 1957)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jerzy Lipman
Synopsis:

This is a symbolical representation of hell set in Poland during the Warsaw uprising in 1944, which was ruthlessly suppressed by the Germans. Lieutenant Zadra receives an order to hide his men in the town’s sewers. However, his desperate attempt to avoid the madness of war results in even greater tragedy and suffering. In a claustrophobic space, director Wajda interweaves a series of personal dramas with the agony of the whole town.

35 mm, b/w, 95 min

Ashes and Diamonds

(Popiól i diament, 1958)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jerzy Wójcik
Synopsis:

On the last day of WW II, young member of the resistance, Maciek, gets the order to kill the communist leader Szczuka. Even though during the war they belonged to different ideological groups, they had a common cause: fight against the Germans. Therefore, Maciek experiences a moral dilemma: should he carry out the order or not? In this film with attractive visuals, cinematography and editing, the director exhibits his tendency to symbolism.

35 mm, b/w, 105 min

Hunting Flies

(Polowanie na muchy, 1969)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Zygmunt Samosiuk
Synopsis:

This satire is about women who try to change their men. Librarian Wlodek, fed up with his ordinary life in a small apartment that he shares with his wife’s family, starts developing an interest in his colleague Irena. She is in love with him and tries to facilitate his writing career using her social connections. However, his plans to become a writer fail and the lovers split. Wlodek returns home, where his wife awaits him with ambitious plans for his future.

color, 104 min

The Promised Land

(Ziemia obiecana, 1975)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Waclaw Dybowski, Edward Klosinski, Witold Sobocinski
Synopsis:

In Poland at the end of the 19th century there is a cruel fight between three friends of different backgrounds. Karol Borowiecki is a Polish nobleman working as an engineer in a textile factory. He dreams of opening his own factory with the help of his friends: A German, Max Baum, who inherited an old factory and a Jew, Moritz Welt, who is an independent entrepreneur. In order to achieve their dreams they have to gather some money and solve their love quarrels.

color, restored, digitalized, 179 min

A Generation

(Pokolenie, 1955)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jerzy Lipman
Synopsis:

Wajda’s first feature film shows how a generation grew up under the Nazi occupation of Poland. Stach Mazur is a young man who works as an apprentice in a store. His co-worker explains him the basics of Marxism, and when he meets the lovely and determined leader of the youth resistance, Dorota, Stach falls in love and joins the resistance.

35 mm, b/w, 83 min

Samson

(1961)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jerzy Wójcik
Synopsis:

The story takes place in Warsaw during WW II. The hero is Jakub Gold, a Jew, sentenced to ten years in jail for manslaughter by negligence. During the bombardment of the city the inmates are released from prison and Jakub is sent to the Ghetto. There he collects dead bodies off the streets so that they can be buried in accordance with Jewish tradition. After one such ceremony, Jakub escapes from the Ghetto.

35 mm, b/w, 117 min

Love at Twenty

(L' amour a vingt ans, 1962)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Raoul Coutard (segment "Antoine i Colette"), Jerzy Lipman (segment "Varšava"), Mario Montuori, Shigeo Murata, Wolf Wirth
Synopsis:

This omnibus (directors: Shintarô Ishihara, Marcel Ophüls, Renzo Rossellini, François Truffaut (segment "Antoine et Colette"), Andrzej Wajda (segment "Warsaw") deals with different aspects of love. François Truffaut tells a story about the innocent love between a young man and an older woman; Renzo Rossellini explores a relationship between a harsh lover and her partner; Shintarô Ishihara shows the violent side of love; Marcel Ophüls talks about responsibility and Andrzej Wajda reveals a courage...

35 mm, b/w, 120 min

Siberian Lady Macbeth

(1961)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Aleksandar Sekulović
Synopsis:

Wajda’s first project abroad is based on a novel by Nikolaj Leskov from 1865 and the opera by Dmitrij Šostakovič (Ledi Magbet mcenskog okruga, 1934). The story takes place in imperial Russia. While her husband is away on a trip, Katarina has an affair with a peasant named Sergej. After Katarina’s father in law discovers the betrayal, the two lovers poison him and devise a plan to get rid of the husband as well…

35 mm, b/w, 93 min

Man of Marble

(Czlowiek z marmuru, 1977)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Edward Klosinski
Synopsis:

Agnieszka is a young student of film directing who is currently researching a documentary about the mason Birkut for her thesis. He was a working class hero of the 1950’s who disappeared without a trace. During her research and discussions withhis friends, wife and director of the documentary, she slowly finds out the reality about the hero’s true life and his public image that certain people created. After the myth and propaganda make room for the unpleasant truth, Agnieszka has a c...

35 mm, b/w and color, 165 min

Man of Iron

(Czlowiek z zelaza, 1981)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Edward Klosinski
Synopsis:

In the sequel to Man of marble we follow the story of Maciej Tomczyk, Birkut’s son. Winkel, a radio reporter and an alcoholic, receives an assignment to investigate Tomczyk. His goal is to discredit not only Tomczyk but also the movement Solidarnost, of which he is a member. The media will once again play a crucial role in the conflict between the labor union leaders and the ruling communist politicians.

35 mm, b/w and color, 153 min

Katyn

(Poland, 2007)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Pawel Edelman
Synopsis:

In this film Wajda speaks openly about the massacre in Katyn that took place in the 1940’s when the soviet police murdered more than fourteen thousand Polish war prisoners. The focus of the story is on four polish families whose lives were heavily influenced by this event. Besides winning many awards and nominations, this film was the Polish candidate for an Oscar in 2008.

digital, color, 118 min

Walesa. Covjek od nade

(Walesa. Czlowiek z nadziei, 2013.)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Pawel Edelman
Synopsis:

Biografski film legendarnog poljskog redatelja Andrzeja Wajde o još legendarnijem vođi Solidarnosti, sindikalnog pokreta koji je štrajkovima i prosvjedima započeo proces rušenja komunizma u istočnoj Europi. Prateći izazove s kojima se suočavao na poslu, kao i u osobnom životu, film opisuje put Lecha Walese od običnog radnika u brodogradilištu u Gdanjsku, prvih borbi za radnička prava do pozicije poljskog predsjednika i primanja Nobelove nagrade za mir.

color, digital, 127 min

The Birch Wood

(Brzezina, 1970.)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Zygmunt Samosiuk
Synopsis:

Young Boleslaw comes to a farm of his depressive and bitter older brother Stanislaw who never recovered after his wife passed away. Even though Boleslaw has tuberculosis, he is full of energy and will to live so he tries to seize every moment of his life. He enjoys playing the piano, brings joy to the farm and flirts with the young Katarzyna who works there. She is promised to Stanislaw’s assistant on the farm but Boleslaw suspects that he had an affair with his brother’s wife.

digital, color, 99 min

Landscape After the Battle

(Krajobraz po bitwie, 1970.)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Zygmunt Samosiuk
Synopsis:

Drama based on stories by the Polish writer Tadeusz Borowski who survived Holocaust. The protagonist is the young poet Tadeusz, one of many prisoners form a Nazi concentration camp who were just liberated by American troupes. Tadeusz does not cope well with his newly acquired freedom and while living in an American transition camp he devotes all his time to reading books. There he meets a young Jewish woman, Nina, who invites him to move to the West with her.

digital, color, 109 min

Tatarak

(Poland, 2009)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Pawel Edelman
Synopsis:

Middle aged Marta (Krystyna Janda), a doctor’s wife in a small town, is not aware that she is in her final stage of a grave illness. One day she meets the much younger Bogus (Paweł Szajda) who fascinates her with his youth and simplicity. Their innocent meetings at the river bank, marked by mutual fascination, get interrupted by a sudden cruel twist of fate. Besides many nominations at film festivals around the world, this film won the European award of film critics and the Alfred Bauer a...

color, digital, 85 min

The Conductor

(Dyrygent, Poland, 1980)

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
PHOTOGRAPHY: Slawomir Idziak
Synopsis:

Violinistica iz provincijskog poljskog orkestra, čiji je suprug direktor ansambla, poveže se sa svjetski poznatim dirigentom za posjeta Americi. Ispostavlja se da je dirigent svojevremeno bio zaljubljen u majku violinistice. Dirigent, pomalo labilan hipohondar, vraća se u Poljsku voditi orkestar. Istovremeno pokušava oživjeti staru ljubav koristeći violinisticu kao surogat njene majke. Suprug je ljubomoran na dirigenta i na poslovnom i na privatnom planu. Dirigent je obišao svjets...

b/w and color, DCP, 101 min
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