| Polish Film School | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1956 to 1963 |
| Location | Poland |
| Major figures | Andrzej Wajda,Jerzy Kawalerowicz,Andrzej Munk,Tadeusz Konwicki,Wojciech Jerzy Has,Kazimierz Kutz,Stanisław Różewicz |
| Influences | Italian neorealism,Expressionism,film noir |
| Influenced | Czechoslovak New Wave,[1]New Hollywood |
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Polish Film School (Polish:polska szkoła filmowa) refers to an informal group of Polish film directors and screenplay writers active between 1956 and approximately 1963.[2] Among the most prominent representatives of the school areAndrzej Wajda,Andrzej Munk, andJerzy Kawalerowicz.
The group was under the heavy influence ofItalian neorealists. It took advantage of the liberal changes in Poland after 1956Polish October to portray the complexity of Polish history duringWorld War II and German occupation.[3] Among the most important topics were the generation of formerHome Army soldiers and their role in post-war Poland and the national tragedies like theGerman concentration camps and theWarsaw Uprising. The political changes allowed the group to speak more openly of the recent history of Poland. However, the rule ofcensorship was still strong when it comes to history after 1945 and there were very few films on contemporary events. This marked the major difference between the members of the Polish Film School and Italian neorealists.[4]
The Polish Film School was the first to underline thenational character ofPoles and one of the first artistic movements inCentral Europe to openly oppose the official guidelines ofSocialist realism.[5] The members of the movement tend to underline the role of individual as opposed to collectivity. There were two trends within the movement: young directors such asAndrzej Wajda generally studied the idea of heroism, while another group (the most notable beingAndrzej Munk) analyzed the Polish character via irony, humor, and dissection of national myths.[6]
