by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the American master of film-making, Martin Scorsese, has always had a reverie for European cinema – as his documentary Il mio Viaggio in Italia demonstrated, through his tribute to Roberto Rossellini.

Now it is Poland’s Cinema to get Scorsese’s attention, with an exquisite selection of Polish movie gems that will be touring the U.S. and Canada. The event opened at the Walter Reade Theater in New York, on February 5th with special guest Krzysztof Zanussi, the eminent director and producer from Poland.

The origin of this event was conceived by Scorsese back in 2011, when he traveled to Poland to accept an honorary doctoral degree from The Polish National Film, Television, and Theatre School in Łódź, and in that occasion he 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. 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.

“There are many revelations in the Masterpieces of Polish Cinema series and whether you’re familiar with some of these films or not, it’s an incredible opportunity to discover for yourself the great power of Polish cinema, on the big screen in brilliantly restored digital masters,” is what Martin Scorsese expressed, in relation to the selection of the 21 films that he personally chose and considers to have been an inspiration and influence.

Indeed, you can’t but be but enthralled by the works of film-makers such as Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi, Andrzej Munk, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Wojciech Jerzy Has, Aleksander Ford, Krzysztof Kieslowski. These directors all have in common the ability of using cinema to establish a personal vision, social commitment and poetic responsibility that can be enlightening and edifying. Hence, don’t miss the opportunity to grasp what Wajda called “the impertinent freedom of creativity in the cinema,” through each of the 21 films in this special series.

These are the titles and information of the selected movies:
– www.mspresents.com –

Ashes and Diamonds (Popiół i diament)
Poland, 1958
Director: Andrzej Wajda
DoP: Jerzy Wójcik
Film Studio: Kadr

Austeria (Austeria)
Poland, 1982
Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
DoP: Zygmunt Samosiuk
Film Studio: Kadr

Black Cross (Krzyżacy)
Poland, 1960
Director: Aleksander Ford
DoP: Mieczysław Jahoda
Film Studio: ZF

Blind Chance (Przypadek)
Poland, 1981
Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski
DoP: Krzysztof Pakulski
Film Studio: Tor

Camouflage (Barwy ochronne)
Poland, 1976
Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
DoP: Edward Kłosiński
Film Studio: Tor

The Constant Factor (Constans)
Poland, 1980
Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
DoP: Sławomir Idziak
Film Studio: Tor

Eroica (Eroica)
Poland, 1957
Director: Andrzej Munk
DoP: Jerzy Wójcik
Film Studio: Kadr

The Hour-glass Sanatorium (Sanatorium pod Klepsydrą)
Poland, 1973
Director: Wojciech J. Has
DoP: Witold Sobociński
Film Studio: ZF Silesia

The Illumination (Iluminacja)
Poland, 1972
Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
DoP: Edward Kłosiński
Film Studio: Tor

Innocent Sorcerers (Niewinni czarodzieje)
Poland, 1960
Director: Andrzej Wajda
DoP: Krzysztof Winiewicz
Film Studio: Kadr

Jump (Salto)
Poland, 1965
Director: Tadeusz Konwicki
DoP: Kurt Weber
Film Studio: Kadr

The Last Day of Summer (Ostatni dzień lata)
Poland, 1958
Director: Tadeusz Konwicki
DoP: Jan Laskowski
Film Studio: Kadr

Man of Iron (Człowiek z żelaza)
Poland, 1981
Director: Andrzej Wajda
DoP: Edward Kłosiński
Film Studio: Zebra/Perspektywa

Mother Joan of the Angels (Matka Joanna od Aniołów)
Poland, 1960
Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
DoP: Jerzy Wójcik
Film Studio: Kadr

Night Train (Pociąg)
Poland, 1959
Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
DoP: Jan Laskowski
Film Studio: Kadr

Pharaoh (Faraon)
Poland, 1965
Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
DoP: Jerzy Wójcik
Film Studio: Kadr

The Promised Land (Ziemia Obiecana)
Poland, 1974
Director: Andrzej Wajda
DoP: Wacław Dybowski, Edward Kłosiński, Witold Sobociński
Film Studio: Zebra/Perspektywa

The Saragossa Manuscript (Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie)
Poland, 1964
Director: Wojciech J. Has
DoP: Mieczysław Jahoda
Film Studio: Kamera ZF

A Short Film About Killing (Krótki film o zabijaniu)
Poland, 1987
Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski, DoP: Sławomir Idziak
Film Studio: Tor

To Kill this Love (Trzeba zabić tę miłość)
Poland, 1972
Director: Janusz Morgenstern
DoP: Zygmunt Samosiuk
Film Studio: Zebra/Perspektywa

The Wedding (Wesele)
Poland, 1972
Director: Andrzej Wajda
DoP: Witold Sobociński
Film Studio: Zebra/Perspektywa

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