The Palace

Film adaptation of Wiesław Myśliwski’s masterpiece, possibly the best novel in Polish peasant literature. 1945, the front is approaching among menacing sounds of explosion. Barefoot shepherd Jakub observes the owners who are leaving their palace in panic. Has his slavery come to an end? Not necessarily. Firstly, with fear, then more boldly, he enters the deserted palace, observes the richness of the rooms, sees lavishly laid tables and for the first time he sees himself in the mirror. And so, step by step, he becomes like those who have only disdained him for years. The idea of ‘being the master’ becomes more and more real, until we reach the tragic finale. A brilliant, bitter diagnosis about the long-lasting patterns of feudal violence. You can take the man out of the farm, but – as Tadeusz Junak suggests, taking after Wiesław Myśliwski – can you take the farm out of the man? The story is now rediscovered as part of the ‘ludic turn’ in Polish culture.

Piotr Sadzik

Tadeusz Junak (1945–2009) was a Polish director and screenwriter. He co-founded the avant-garde artistic group Film Form Workshop and made experimental films within that group from 1971 to 1974. He also directed documentaries, feature films and television films. His feature debut, The Palace (1980), remains his best-known film.