Iwona Kurz (University of Warsaw)
The Community of Images. Sienkiewicz on Screen

It is definitely difficult to find a common denominator of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s literary works and their screen adaptations[1]. The full list of over thirty movies encompasses foreign works, cinema and TV productions – some of which were produced before WWII[2]. Many of them do not exist in the collective consciousness of the viewers, while copies of some no longer exist. A number of the adaptations, however, have had a huge influence on the imagination of the Polish audience, and have become at least as important as their literary originals.

In this article, I shall focus on these impactful ones – the adaptations of Sienkiewicz’s greatest and most widely read novels, produced in the Polish People’s Republic (1947-1989). I have chosen this time frame on purpose, as at this time the state organs had a great influence on cinematography. These were also the times in which mass culture already existed, and content transmitted via the means of press, cinema, or television reached the public directly – while the public had no choice as to the content received. Consequently, an attempt at meeting the conflicting needs of various groups of spectators can be observed in the process of production and reception of films such as: Aleksander Ford’s Knights of the Teutonic Order (1960), Władysław Ślesicki’s In Desert and Wilderness (1973), Jerzy Hoffman’s Colonel Wolodyjowski (1969) and The Deluge (1974). On the one hand, the audiences expected an intense and engaging show, while on the other they hoped for a confirmation of the image of the novels and their protagonists as they stayed consolidated in the collective memory. The filmmakers wanted to fulfill these expectations, but they also aimed at creating autonomous works – grand spectacles which would function in the economic conditions of real socialism. The authorities allowed for the presentation of ideas partially conflicting with the officially promoted narrative (such as Sienkiewicz’s discussion of the dangers posed by eastern influences to the Polish state and the religiousness of Poles), while at the same time they wished for internalizing the classics, and employing them to further legitimate socialism.

Przypisy

  1. I provide a list of the adaptations in the appendix.
  2. See J. Bocheńska, Ekranizacje utworów Henryka Sienkiewicza do roku 1939 [The Screen Adaptations of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s Works Before 1939], in Sienkiewicz i film [Sienkiewicz and Film], edited by L. Ludorowski, Kielce 1998.

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Sienkiewicz: still valid

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Fun

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History

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Cruel images

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Men and women

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Portret Jana Wielopolskiego wojewody krakowskiego, przed 1668, Muzeum Narodowe w Kielcach
The chosen

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Antoni Józef Misiowski, Portret Aleksandra Jana Jabłonowskiego, 1740, Muzeum Narodowe w Kielcach
Engagement and community