Passion

A few years before Agnieszka Holland’s Fever, Różewicz presented his own interpretation of the Kraków Uprising as an undertaking that was ultimately doomed to failure. Written by Edward Żebrowski (In Broad Daylight) and Andrzej Kijowski, the film is set in 1846 – the patriotic rebellion is underway, and a young left-wing activist and philosopher Edward Dembowski (Piotr Garlicki) is working to rouse his compatriots against the partitioning forces. Along the way, he faces various problems, beliefs, and interests that contradict or are indifferent to his heroic vision of a free Poland.

In Polish cinema, it is rare to come across a film that offers a convincing vision of the 19th century, shot largely outdoors and in difficult conditions. Years later, Różewicz recalled: “The winter was particularly unkind. The frigid temperatures mixed with rain, not much snow. Wide sets, horses, stuntmen in their costumes on snow and ice.” The spectacular backdrop does not, however, detract from the plot. Piotr Garlicki and Zbigniew Zapasiewicz as the uprising’s leader Jan Józef Tyssowski, or an idealist juxtaposed with a man who’s capable of compromise, retrace their unforgettable exchanges from Zanussi’s Camouflage. At one point, Dembowski meets Jakub Szela (Bolesław Smela) – clearly, the current folk turn in Polish culture is based on rather solid inspirations.

Sebastian Smoliński