26
Nov

PAN TADEUSZ: THE LAST FORAY IN LITHUANIA


Information

Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
Country/Year: Poland, France, 1999
Duration: 147’

The Adam Mickiewicz epic poetry which takes place in Lithuania at the beginning of 19th century was already adapted by Polish movie makers a few times. In 1999 Andrzej Wajda went for this classic of Polish literature also reminding that he himself was a great poet of screen. This movie is the apotheosis of countryside, an ideal vision of beautiful landscapes and perfectly arranged scenes like, for example, a famous final sequence of polonaise dance. Mickiewicz was writing his poem in exile so his work is full of melancholy and nostalgy for his motherland. The director preserved the atmosphere of the literature archetype, as well as made it very cinematic. He extracted the scoop, melodramatic threads and subtle humour. The story begins with Tadeusz Soplica coming back to his family estate and almost immediately falling in love with Zosia Horeszkowna. This new affection is a chance to make peace between two families after a long time. Pan Tadeusz, however, is mostly the image of the dying Polish gentry with its charming customs and intrigues .

About the director:

Andrzej Wajda (1926 – 2016) one of the most important artists of the Polish Film School, director of over 40 films, four of which were nominated for the Best Foreign Language Movie Academy Award. In 2000 he won an Honorary Oscar Statuette for five decades of extraordinary film direction. He won many different awards at various festivals around Europe, in Cannes, Berlin, Venice. He made a lot of film adaptations of Polish classical literature, such as „Wesele” by Stanisław Wyspiański, „Pan Tadeusz” by Adam Mickiewicz, „Zemsta” by Aleksander Fredro. Starting with his debut film „Kanal” (1956) and finishing with his last film „Powidoki” (2017), he created very bold films closely bound with Polish history, and at the same time universal, that became a benchmark for the future generations of film makers.
His most important films:
• 1956 „Canal”
• 1958 „Ashes and Diamonds”
• 1972 „The Wedding”
• 1974 „The Promised Land”
• 1976 „Man of Marble”
• 1990 „Korczak”
• 2007 „Katyn”
• 2013 „Walesa. Man of Hope”