Aleksander Ford
Encyclopedia
Aleksander Ford born Mosze Lifszyc (24 November 1908, Kiev
, Russian Empire
now Ukraine
– 4 April 1980, Naples, Florida
, United States
) was a Polish
film director
; and head of the Polish People's Army Film Crew in the Soviet Union
. Ford became director of the nationalized "Film Polski" company at the end of World War II
. In 1948–1968 he was a professor of the National Film School in Łódź (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa), where Roman Polanski
was among his students. One of Ford's protégés was the Polish ascent film director Andrzej Wajda
. In 1968 Ford emigrated to Israel
and from there through Germany
and Denmark
, to the United States
. He committed suicide in 1980 in Naples, Florida.
, Mascot in 1930, after a year of making short silent film
s. He did not use sound until The Legion of the Streets (1932). When World War II began, Ford escaped to the Soviet Union and worked closely with Jerzy Bossak to establish a film unit for the Soviet-sponsored People's Army of Poland in the USSR. The unit was called Czołówka Filmowa Ludowego Wojska Polskiego (or simply Czołówka; spearhead).
After the war, Ford was appointed head of the government-controlled Film Polski and has held enormous sway over the country's entire film industry. With a group of colleagues from the Polish Communist Party they rebuilt most of the film production infrastructure. Roman Polanski
wrote in his biography about them: "They included some extremely competent people, notably Aleksander Ford, a veteran party member, who was then an orthodox Stalinist
. […] The real power broker during the immediate postwar period was Ford himself, who established a small film empire of his own." For the next twenty years, Ford served as professor of the state-run National Film School in Łódź (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa). He is perhaps best remembered for directing the first postwar documentary Majdanek - cmentarzysko Europy (Majdanek – the Cemetery of Europe) and the feature film Knights of the Teutonic Order
(1960), based on a novel of the same name
by Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz
.
Ford, a self-identified Communist
, used his films to "express social messages on the screen," as in his documentaries: the award-winning Legion ulicy, (The Street Legion, 1932), Children Must Laugh (1936) and the postwar Eighth Day of the Week (1958) rejected by the communist party censors during the Polish October
. Ford continued making films in Poland until the 1968 Polish political crisis. Accused of antisocialist activity and expelled from the Communist Party, Ford emigrated to Israel
where he lived for the next two years. He later moved to Denmark
and eventually settled in the United States
. Ford made two more feature films, both of which were commercial and critical failures. In 1973, he made a film adaptation of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's
novel The First Circle
, a Danish-Swedish
production that recounted the horrors of the Soviet gulag
. In 1975 he made The Martyr, an English language
, Israeli-German
co-production based on the heroic story of Dr. Janusz Korczak
. Blacklisted by the Polish communist government
, Ford became a non-person in contemporary discussions and analysis of Polish filmmaking. Isolated, he committed suicide
in a Florida hotel on 4 April 1980.
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
– 4 April 1980, Naples, Florida
Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) was a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
; and head of the Polish People's Army Film Crew in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Ford became director of the nationalized "Film Polski" company at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1948–1968 he was a professor of the National Film School in Łódź (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa), where Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
was among his students. One of Ford's protégés was the Polish ascent film director Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda is a Polish film director. Recipient of an honorary Oscar, he is possibly the most prominent member of the unofficial "Polish Film School"...
. In 1968 Ford emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and from there through Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He committed suicide in 1980 in Naples, Florida.
Professional career
Ford made his first feature filmFeature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, Mascot in 1930, after a year of making short silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s. He did not use sound until The Legion of the Streets (1932). When World War II began, Ford escaped to the Soviet Union and worked closely with Jerzy Bossak to establish a film unit for the Soviet-sponsored People's Army of Poland in the USSR. The unit was called Czołówka Filmowa Ludowego Wojska Polskiego (or simply Czołówka; spearhead).
After the war, Ford was appointed head of the government-controlled Film Polski and has held enormous sway over the country's entire film industry. With a group of colleagues from the Polish Communist Party they rebuilt most of the film production infrastructure. Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
wrote in his biography about them: "They included some extremely competent people, notably Aleksander Ford, a veteran party member, who was then an orthodox Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
. […] The real power broker during the immediate postwar period was Ford himself, who established a small film empire of his own." For the next twenty years, Ford served as professor of the state-run National Film School in Łódź (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa). He is perhaps best remembered for directing the first postwar documentary Majdanek - cmentarzysko Europy (Majdanek – the Cemetery of Europe) and the feature film Knights of the Teutonic Order
Knights of the Teutonic Order (film)
Knights of the Teutonic Order is a 1960 Polish film directed by Aleksander Ford based on the novel of the same name by Henryk Sienkiewicz....
(1960), based on a novel of the same name
The Teutonic Knights (novel)
The Knights of the Cross or The Teutonic Knights is a 1900 historical novel written by the eminent Polish Modernist writer and the 1905 Nobel laureate, Henryk Sienkiewicz...
by Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. A Polish szlachcic of the Oszyk coat of arms, he was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his...
.
Ford, a self-identified Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, used his films to "express social messages on the screen," as in his documentaries: the award-winning Legion ulicy, (The Street Legion, 1932), Children Must Laugh (1936) and the postwar Eighth Day of the Week (1958) rejected by the communist party censors during the Polish October
Polish October
Polish October, also known as October 1956, Polish thaw, or Gomułka's thaw, marked a change in the Polish internal political scene in the second half of 1956...
. Ford continued making films in Poland until the 1968 Polish political crisis. Accused of antisocialist activity and expelled from the Communist Party, Ford emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
where he lived for the next two years. He later moved to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and eventually settled in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Ford made two more feature films, both of which were commercial and critical failures. In 1973, he made a film adaptation of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
novel The First Circle
The First Circle
In the First Circle is a novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn released in 1968. A fuller version of the book was published in English in 2009....
, a Danish-Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
production that recounted the horrors of the Soviet gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
. In 1975 he made The Martyr, an English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Israeli-German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
co-production based on the heroic story of Dr. Janusz Korczak
Janusz Korczak
Janusz Korczak, the pen name of Henryk Goldszmit was a Polish-Jewish children's author, and pediatrician known as Pan Doktor or Stary Doktor...
. Blacklisted by the Polish communist government
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
, Ford became a non-person in contemporary discussions and analysis of Polish filmmaking. Isolated, he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in a Florida hotel on 4 April 1980.
Selected filmography
- The Martyr (1975)
- The First Circle (1973)
- The First Day of FreedomThe First Day of FreedomThe First Day of Freedom is a 1964 Polish drama film directed by Aleksander Ford. It was entered into the 1965 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Tadeusz Lomnicki - Lt. Jan* Beata Tyszkiewicz - Inga Rhode* Tadeusz Fijewski - Dr...
(Pierwszy dzien wolnosci, 1964) - Knights of the Teutonic OrderKnights of the Teutonic Order (film)Knights of the Teutonic Order is a 1960 Polish film directed by Aleksander Ford based on the novel of the same name by Henryk Sienkiewicz....
(Krzyzacy, 1960) - Eighth Day of the Week (Ósmy dzien tygodnia, 1959)
- Five Boys from Barska StreetFive Boys from Barska StreetFive Boys from Barska Street is a 1954 Polish drama film directed by Aleksander Ford. It was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Aleksandra Śląska - Hanka* Tadeusz Janczar - Kazek Spokorny* Andrzej Kozak - Jacek Siwicki...
(Piątka z ulicy Barskiej, 1954) - Youth of ChopinYouth of ChopinYouth of Chopin is a 1952 Polish film directed by Aleksander Ford....
(Młodość Chopina, 1952) - Border Street (Ulica Graniczna, 1949)
- Majdanek: Cemetery of Europe (Majdanek - cmentarzysko Europy, 1945)
- Children Must Laugh (Droga mlodych, 1936)
- Legion of the Streets (Legion Ulicy, 1932)