The Modern Cinema of Poland

Screenwriter and critic Michalek ( The Cinema of Andrzej Wajda ) and critic Turaj, who teaches at American University, trace Polish cinema and filmmakers since WW II. The Polish film industry is state owned, but filmmakers have transcended narrow government interests to articulate the social and spiritual consciousness of Poland. A key factor in the process is the film school at Lodz where Roman Polanski, Jerzy Skolimowski ( Moonlighting ) and numerous other writer-directors were trained in an arduous five-year course. Beginning with the postwar establishment of Film Polski, the full scope of Polish filmmaking is examined within the context of that country's changing political and cultural climate. Since 1981, many previously shelved films, including Skolimowski's ``anti-philistine'' Hands Up! (1968), have been released, but several films continue to be ``stubbornly withheld''; the authors ``predict a bright future'' for the influential industry. The book provides an in-depth look at the lives and films of four major talentsWajda ( Man of Marble ), Andrzej Munk ( The Passenger ), Jerzy Kawalerowicz ( Austeria ) and Krzysztof Zanussi ( The Year of the Quiet Sun ). Little is available in English on Polish cinema, and this comprehensive and illuminating survey fills a long-standing gap. Illustrations not seen by PW. (September)