Pan Tadeusz (1999) is a Polish film that was co-written and directed by Andrzej Wajda. The film is a historical romance, based on conflicts between two families, and also within the ranks of Polish patriots.
The movie is set during a period when Poland had been divided between Prussia, Russia, and Austria. There wasn't a country called Poland. One of the internal divisions within Polish patriots was whether to cooperate with Russia, or whether to support Napoleon as a liberator.
There's a story within that story. One family member was shot by a member of another family. They have sworn eternal hatred. And, like the Montagues and the Capulets, the son of one family is in love with the daughter of the other family.
Some reviewers have said that only Poles and Lithuanians can understand and enjoy this movie. I disagree. Non-Polish viewers like me may miss some of the subtleties, but the basic plot lines are clear enough. Wajda was a genius, and this film demonstrates the wide range of his abilities. He can write about grim post-WWII Poland, but he can also direct a large, sweeping epic.
We saw Pan Tadeusz in 35mm at the wonderful Dryden Theatre at Rochester's George Eastman Museum. It was presented in collaboration with the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies at the University of Rochester.
This film has a terrible IMDb rating of 6.1. Did the people watching it see the same movie I saw? Possibly they saw it on the small screen, where it won't work as well. My suggestion is to ignore the low rating and try to find Pan Tadeusz and watch it. You won't be disappointed.
The movie is set during a period when Poland had been divided between Prussia, Russia, and Austria. There wasn't a country called Poland. One of the internal divisions within Polish patriots was whether to cooperate with Russia, or whether to support Napoleon as a liberator.
There's a story within that story. One family member was shot by a member of another family. They have sworn eternal hatred. And, like the Montagues and the Capulets, the son of one family is in love with the daughter of the other family.
Some reviewers have said that only Poles and Lithuanians can understand and enjoy this movie. I disagree. Non-Polish viewers like me may miss some of the subtleties, but the basic plot lines are clear enough. Wajda was a genius, and this film demonstrates the wide range of his abilities. He can write about grim post-WWII Poland, but he can also direct a large, sweeping epic.
We saw Pan Tadeusz in 35mm at the wonderful Dryden Theatre at Rochester's George Eastman Museum. It was presented in collaboration with the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies at the University of Rochester.
This film has a terrible IMDb rating of 6.1. Did the people watching it see the same movie I saw? Possibly they saw it on the small screen, where it won't work as well. My suggestion is to ignore the low rating and try to find Pan Tadeusz and watch it. You won't be disappointed.