Thumbs up - Condensed version of Mickiewicz's 12-part "Pan Tadeusz" opens to positive reviews
About 5,000 movie and literary buffs filled the halls of the Teatr Wielki and Sala Kongresowa last week to see the premiere of Andrzej Wajda's newest release "Pan Tadeusz."
The two-hour celluloid seance opened to "thumbs up" reviews as a quintessential Wajda film with moving depictions of the Polish soul. Based on the romantic classic by Adam Mickiewicz, "Pan Tadeusz," a 12-part epic about two Polish families from Soplicowo, is set in present-day Lithuania. The film is a condensed version of Mickiewicz's work following young Tadeusz Soplica, played by Michal Zebrowski, on his return from university studies in Vilnius to his uncle's mansion. The time is 1812 and the action centers around a love story and hopes of liberation as Napoleon's troops have temporarily liberated Poland from Russian rule on their march to Moscow.
During the first showings last week, audiences greeted Wajda's cinematography and treatment of Mickiewicz's text with spontaneous applause.
Wajda's "Pan Tadeusz" is the second big film release this year after "With Fire and Sword" by Jerzy Hoffman. However, "Pan Tadeusz" was made for a fraction of the cost and time.
"Andrzej Wajda's wish was to reduce the promotional side of things," said Grzegorz Malec, marketing director with Vision Distribution Co., which is responsible for $3 million in promotion to market and distribute the film to 162 cinemas nationwide. "He wanted to focus on the movie instead."
On Wajda's resume, Pan Tadeusz joins Wajda's other masterpieces over five decades depicting Polish history and culture through dramatic characterizations and symbolic imagery, among them "Man of Iron," "The Wedding," "Ashes and Diamonds," and "The Promised Land."
"It is not like 'With Fire and Sword,' addressed to a mass audience," said Lew Rywin, the president of Canal+ Polska, one of the film's sponsors. "We would like to accomplish that, but we looked for such a movie subject in which Andrzej Wajda could show off, and he feels the best when there is great literature, patriotism and great acting."
Top Polish actors known for their work on stages in Europe and at home appear in the film, said Pawel Poppe, the president with Heritage Films, which produced Wajda's "Pan Tadeusz." In addition to Zebrowski, who also played the lead role in "With Fire and Sword," the cast includes Andrzej Seweryn, Daniel Olbrychski, Boguslaw Linda, Grazyna Szapolowska and Marek Kondrat.
Heritage produced the film with a $3.5 million budget, a fraction of the $10 million for "With Fire and Sword." Filming for "Pan Tadeusz" lasted about two months vs. about one year for "With Fire and Sword."
"All companies, which put money up, will get money back," Poppe said. Among those companies backing the production were Les Films du Losange, Wizja TV, Telewizja Polska (TVP) and Canal+ Polska, which contributed the largest among of money, Poppe said.
The movie and the original work touch the Polish soul not only through the historical connection and longing for liberation, but also through the depiction of social interaction in daily life, moviegoers said. It's also a rite of passage for Polish schoolchildren.
"I read 'Pan Tadeusz' at school because I was told to, and now I do that for pleasure," said Wanda Szklarska, outside the premiere at Sala Kongresowa last week. " 'Pan Tadeusz' is a unique work of art and I would like to compare such a great piece of literature with the movie."
Not all those who flocked to special viewings last week pursued the call of fine art and cinematography. Some were simply starstruck, seeking autographs.
"We are waiting for Boguslaw Linda and Michal Zebrowski (the movie stars)" said Dorota, 14, standing with friends outside the Sala Kongresowa last Monday. "We love actors and watching movies."
