The Knight

A medieval ballad? A chivalric epic? An allegorical parable? Or perhaps a morality play? In Lech Majewski’s film, traces of all these forms can be found. The narrative unfolds through a series of episodes following the journey of a young Knight as he travels along the brutal roads of the Middle Ages in search of the golden-stringed harp – the only hope for restoring peace and harmony in troubled times. The titular hero is a symbolic figure, lacking even a name, just like the people he encounters. They are not so much characters as personifications of abstract concepts: Good, Evil, Death, Greed, Deception, and Reason. Continuously tested on his path, the Knight moves along a narrow passage between dream, reality, and fantasy. Visually, the film pays tribute to medieval illuminations and the works of Italian masters – a stylistic hallmark that would later define Majewski’s cinema, seen in films such as The Garden of Earthly Delights (inspired by Hieronymus Bosch) and The Mill and the Cross (based on Pieter Bruegel’s art)

Piotr Kotowski

Lech Majewski (born 1953) is one of Poland’s most versatile and visionary artists, seamlessly blending film, painting, literature, and music into a cohesive artistic language. He gained international acclaim with The Mill and the Cross (2011), a stunning fusion of Pieter Bruegel’s painting and cinematic storytelling. His films, such as Wojaczek (1999) and Angelus (2001), balance realism and metaphysics, creating hypnotic, visually refined narratives. Majewski consistently develops his distinctive aesthetic, captivating audiences and critics around the world with his unique artistic voice.

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