Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema Throughout North America
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INTRODUCTION In December 2011, filmmaker Martin Scorsese traveled to Poland to accept an honorary doctor- al degree from The Polish National Film, Television, and Theatre School in Łódź. There, Mr. Scors- ese met with Jędrzej Sabliński (a digital restoration expert, now with DI Factory), and reviewed a list of new digital restorations of Polish films. In the months following this visit, with the help of The Film Foundation, the two men came up with the idea of a North American tour of a series of restored Polish cinema classics. From an extensive catalogue of digitally restored films, Mr. Scorsese chose twenty-one masterpieces. The Film Foundation executive director, Margaret Bodde then worked with Mr. Sabliński to develop the program and recommended Milestone Films as the North American distributor for the series. Milestone will be touring the 21-film retrospective Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema throughout North America. Premiering in New York City at the Film Society of Lincoln Center on February 5th, 2014, the series features films from some of Poland’s most accom- plished and lauded filmmakers, spanning the period from 1957–1987. Curated by Mr. Scorsese, each film has been digitally re-mastered and brilliantly restored on newly subtitled DCPs. The program was created and organized by Mr. Scorsese’s non-profit organization, The Film Foundation. 3 BIST, SIMPORE, TEMPORE, A STATEMENT FROM MARTIN SCORSESE Um volum, audae laccae seque natur, comnis ducienimus excest rendercillam laccupi endicit In 2011, I had the opportunity to visit the Polish National Film School in Łódź, Poland, at the atusda vitisitatur rentem vent. invitation of the great director, Andrzej Wajda. Aximaiorero de recti solorporum iur aditas excera cus si nonesci saperios enimporia es ducit It was a trip I had wanted to make for years as I had long been drawn to the school and to Polish iusam dolesse quodissim nam, se cuptis explaceaquas ullesto cori bea nossequo miliatio cus utem cinema from the time I was a film student at NYU, studying under my teacher and mentor, Haig Ma- quature, aut vent fugit in con con perum quo volore, santias as re esequat. noogian. It was at NYU—a school modelled after the legendary film program at Łódź – that I learned Faceperro ilibus atemod ut ipiet, que magnati commole cestia quatio venihicia in et officiligent not just how films are made, but why. eum sus ut pa iducienitas nusciandebis pello offictas endipsame lani conestius sed eliquo quiaest quae The school nurtured in me an unshakable belief in artistic expression grounded in Italian Neo- eatur? Quiatur, officia ventur? Lupta aut quas dolum aut dolupti que anducientiat volupta ssitatur as realism, the French New Wave, the surreptitious poetry of the old Hollywood masters, and Polish es ea consequ ostiatus. cinema: the great, sweeping, humanistic, intimate and profound movies that were an integral part of Atet aut pror antibus essum remporitia vollendant aut reium liquas evelicius adisquis etur sum what, looking back, seems more and more like a golden age of international cinema. expedit fugit et maiorepel exped que pra cullecatur aria a que provitem enihill uptatec atiaes autat That’s why it is such a great honor and thrill to be able to bring to US audiences Masterpieces eum comnieniae ped quisto beaquunt quidusant acidemq uiasper cilliae autati con et mo consect inc- of Polish Cinema, a series of 21 films made during this creatively fertile time in Poland by directors tiori cuptat quos sequisit, iur? such as Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi, Andrzej Munk, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Wojciech Jerzy Has, Niti nientecepuda volut lantemquam repta quam ipsam illupis ulla non essin provit dolupta Aleksander Ford, Krzysztof Kieslowski, and others. This is a cinema of personal vision, social com- quunt. mitment and poetic responsibility from which we’ve all learned and which sets a high standard that, Oreic tem venecae stemperrovid ut event quisci con reius nis sit, iliam eos volore, voluptur? as a filmmaker, I strive to achieve with every film, every time out. Uptatum simetum esse dundandam, con et veliquibus aut eruptatibus et aut apernatur moluptatur? Each of the films in this special series embodies what Wajda called “the ‘impertinent freedom Unt quibusa nditis vid molenimin consequae nonem. Sunt lis dolorest ipsapiciunt am, quo cor of creativity in the cinema.” These are films that have great emotional and visual power—they’re maiori dolorem am ipiet utatior eperovi derum, ant que persped molupid explaute porions equatium “serious” films that, with their depth, stand up to repeated viewings. The subtext of great conflict and que prat que non explaut fugit, ommo ea volum si dolo te nulla same mo blabo. Et aliquidis voloriae. cultural identity is universal, even if you don’t know the history of Poland, the themes in these films Nam aut ommod quae porit aut re et faceaqu atesto id eum sapiendis magnat. will resonate, as they did profoundly for me. Ucium harcipsanim incimustiam, ut et eaqui doluptae. It atempel ium es sitatia volest, ide por When I first saw Ashes and Diamonds, one of the many highlights in this series and arguably sumqui incto tem sit ullanias aut im fuga. Namus rernatecte nem as deliquo ditione strundae inti do- one of the greatest films ever made – Polish or otherwise, I was overwhelmed by the film: the mas- loritas serchilit eat. terful direction, the powerful story, the striking visual imagery, and the shocking performance by Bearum cus dusandipsunt ent omnis minis doluptatem renia voluptatem atus quaectur? Aliqui Zbigniew Cybulski, considered the “Polish James Dean” with his electrifying presence. I was so cum enectinctis minim laudis si restiatem ut eatur, si nescil ium voluptae voluptatur assunte mporrum struck by the film, it affected me so deeply, that I paid small homage by giving Charlie a pair of sim- eum, sint. ilar sunglasses in Mean Streets. Simus asperferibus dolo cum volores ecerae ea etur, quia nimpelit, si nam eos dolutest harchic There are many revelations in the “Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” series and whether you’re illaut et iur aspit, simporesed milliquodit harumquis dignias in rae ex eariori onsequissim quate non familiar with some of these films or not, it’s an incredible opportunity to discover for yourself the corio ellabore, cum venduci tatur, as doluptatur aut ullendis et autatur, comnit debit que atur moluptur, great power of Polish cinema, on the big screen in brilliantly restored digital masters. consern atatur? I hope you will enjoy these great films as much I do. Thanks to The Film Foundation and Mile- Otaspel itatis amus maxim iusa incti sequi ad unt ipsuntiunt ut as et re esciure nestist iumque stone Films in the United States, and Propaganda Foundation, DI Factory and KinoRP in Poland for perrum nit accusant quosam, con nullantibus miliquidus everovidus et eostis et odisquos dolupta making this magnificent series possible. 4 5 THE STORY THE OPENING Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema is a touring retrospective that will The entire event will open on February 5, 2014 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New last for 18 months, including 10 months of the core activities. Throughout that period, the series will York City with Krzystof Zanussi introducing his film Camouflage, a gala party and afterwards, a visit dozens of US and Canadian cities. The journey starts on February 5, 2014 in NYC at the Film screening of Man of Iron by Andrzej Wajda. Attending guests will include the patron of the project, Society of Lincoln Center. Martin Scorsese, Mr. Zanussi and other Polish filmmakers and actors who have been invited to this The Polish organizers of the retrospective are also developing educational program aimed at New York opening. The series will be screened in the Center’s largest film theatre, the Walter Reade. film students at universities located in the cities where the series will be shown. Additionally, screenings will be organized in 30 cities in Poland and the program will continue on to Europe in 2015. 6 7 MASTERPIECES OF POLISH CINEMA: AN APPRECIATION BY MAREK HALTOF Poland has made several notable and interna- looked at Auschwitz and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising focus of the first part of Andrzej Munk’s tragic-gro- press, Pociąg, 1959), a contemporary realistic story tionally recognized films since 1902, the year marking (1943). tesque Eroica (1957), depicting an everyday face of with Hitchcockian overtones, and Mother Joan of the production of its first fictional work. Almost every The founding of the Łódź Film School in 1948 Polish heroism stripped of romantic myths. Wajda’s the Angels (Matka Joanna od Aniołów, 1960), a tale film history textbook contains a chapter discussing subsequently led to the most vibrant era in the history Ashes and Diamonds (Popiół i diament, 1958), gener- about demonic possession set in eighteenth-century the emergence and importance of the Polish School of Polish cinema, known as the Polish School (1956- ally regarded as the climax of the Polish School, deals eastern Poland. The first feature-length film by Ro- phenomenon. The names of Poland’s best-known 1962). Young graduates of the School, among them with the fate of the Home Army soldiers at a time man Polański, Knife in the Water (Nóż w wodzie, filmmakers are mentioned among the most important Andrzej Wajda, Kazimierz Kutz, Janusz Morgenstern, when World War II was practically over, though fight- 1961), offended Polish political leaders because of its world directors, and in many books the Łódź Film Andrzej Munk, and Roman Polanski challenged the ing continued between the Soviet-imposed commu- “cosmopolitan” and apolitical nature, despite its suc- School serves as a model for film education. aesthetics of the socialist realist (Stalinist) doctrine nists and the Home Army.