To laugh or to cry? (A Trip Down the River)

Sometimes all things happening around seem absurd. Marek Piwowski in his movie A Trip Down the River (1970) shows there was a specific time in Polish history people acted strange. Piwowski makes a comedy that shows an absurd nature of communist ideology and people trying to follow the new principles not noticing their ridiculousness. It’s funny and terrifying.

A double journey to the unwanted past (Ida, 2013)

Paweł Pawlikowski makes a very personal movie about a vast consequences of the biggest tragedy in history. His beautifully shot story captures the atmosphere of the communist Poland, considers opposed moral attitudes, portrays issue of looking for justice and also for forgiveness. But was it good enough to win an Oscar?

The Spanish temperament on Polish land (The Saragossa Manuscript)

Have you ever had this feeling that something which was supposed to last very long runs so fast and you cannot believe it’s already finished? This is what I experienced at the cinema screening of The Saragossa Manuscript (dir. W.J. Has, 1965). You can easily get immersed into this unbelievable cinematic journey.

Hey there cinema lovers!

 I’m Gosia Kramek and this blog is my compensation to Polish cinema; I’ve been underestimating my national cinematography living in false conviction that Polish films are shallow, valueless, badly made. As a kid I was spending hours in front of TV with four channels which were often showing medium quality Polish comedies. Only when started studying I finally opened my eyes to see the power of Polish cinema.

So here I am for those of you who want to broaden their cinematographic knowledge, know some more about Polish culture and for those who always wanted to get to know Polish cinema but didn’t know where to start!

I will be posting reviews on national film classics as well as on contemporary movies. I want to show you Polish film heritage and also new titles that often refer to most appreciated, famous and successful movies from previous decades.

Please mind that English isn’t my native language and so I do make mistakes though I really try not to. As long as you understand what I mean I’m satisfied. I will appreciate constructive criticism, suggestions and questions.

Stay tuned!