Andrzej Zulawski
Encyclopedia
Andrzej Żuławski (ˈandʐɛj ʐuˈwafskʲi; born 22 November 1940) is a Polish
film director
. He was born in Lwów, Poland
(now Lviv, Ukraine
). Żuławski has often gone against mainstream commercialism in his films,
and has enjoyed success mostly with European art-house audiences.
In the late 1950s, he studied cinema in France. His second feature The Devil (1972) was banned in Poland, and Zulawski went to France. After the success of That Most Important Thing: Love in 1975, he returned to Poland where he spent two years in making The Silver Globe (1988). The work on this film was interrupted by the Polish authorities. After that, Zulawski moved to France where became known for controversial and violent art-house films. Zulawski is also known for his work with certain specific actresses including Romy Schneider
, Isabelle Adjani
and Sophie Marceau
.
His films have received 16 awards at various international film festivals. Żuławski has also written three novels: Il était Un Verger, Lity Bór (a.k.a. La Forêt Forteresse), V Oczach Tygrysa, and Ogród Milosci.
. When his second film Diabeł was banned in Poland he decided to move to France
, where he made L'Important c'est d'aimer (1975) with Romy Schneider
.
After returning to Poland he worked for two years on a film which the authorities did not allow him to finish (On the Silver Globe), based on a book by his great-uncle Jerzy Żuławski. Since then he has lived and worked mostly in France
, making art films.
Being a maverick who always defied mainstream commercialism, Żuławski enjoyed success mostly with the European art-house audiences. His wild, imaginative, and controversial pictures have received 16 awards at various international film festivals. He also wrote the novels Il était Un Verger, Lity Bór (a.k.a. La Forêt Forteresse), W Oczach Tygrysa, and Ogród Milosci.
He was in a relationship for fifteen years with the French actress Sophie Marceau
, with whom he made four films over a 15-year period (L'Amour braque, Mes nuits sont plus belles que vos jours, La Note bleue, La Fidelité). They broke up in 2001.
On the Silver Globe
Andrzej Żuławski had always wanted to film his granduncle's masterwork and saw the offer as a unique opportunity to achieve that aim. Żuławski devoted over two years to the task of adapting the first two volumes to the screen. Between 1975 and 1977, he wrote the screenplay and lensed the film on various locations around Poland
, as well as Crimea
, the Caucasus Mountains
and even the Gobi Desert
.
In spring 1977, however, the project came to a sudden halt with the appointment of the hardline ideologue Janusz Wilhelmi as the Vice-Minister of Culture. Perceiving the Selenites' battle against the Szerns as a thinly-veiled allegory of the Polish people's struggle with totalitarianism, Wilhelmi shut down the filming, which was 80% complete and ordered all materials destroyed.
Żuławski went back to France
to find that the reels of unfinished film were preserved, along with costumes and props, by the Polish film studio and archives and by members of the film's cast and crew. A passage of another eight years was required, as glasnost and perestroika began to thaw the Cold War
-dominated Eastern Europe, for Żuławski to be able to return again to Poland and edit the still-unfinished remnants into a 166-minute rough approximation of what the finished film might have been. On the Silver Globe
premiered at the Cannes Film Festival
in May 1988, with some critics proclaiming it a ruined masterpiece.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
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:...
. He was born in Lwów, Poland
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...
(now Lviv, 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...
). Żuławski has often gone against mainstream commercialism in his films,
and has enjoyed success mostly with European art-house audiences.
In the late 1950s, he studied cinema in France. His second feature The Devil (1972) was banned in Poland, and Zulawski went to France. After the success of That Most Important Thing: Love in 1975, he returned to Poland where he spent two years in making The Silver Globe (1988). The work on this film was interrupted by the Polish authorities. After that, Zulawski moved to France where became known for controversial and violent art-house films. Zulawski is also known for his work with certain specific actresses including Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider was an Austrian-born German film actress who also held French citizenship.-Early life:Schneider was born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach in Nazi-era Vienna, six months after the Anschluss, into a family of actors that included her paternal grandmother Rosa Albach-Retty, her Austrian...
, Isabelle Adjani
Isabelle Adjani
Isabelle Yasmine Adjani is a French film actress and singer. Adjani has appeared in 30 films since 1970. She holds the record for most César Awards for Best Actress with five, for Possession , One Deadly Summer , Camille Claudel , Queen Margot and Skirt Day...
and Sophie Marceau
Sophie Marceau
Sophie Marceau is a French actress director, screenwriter, and author. She has appeared in 38 films. As a teenager, Marceau achieved popularity with her debut films La boum and La boum 2 , receiving a César Award for Most Promising Actress...
.
His films have received 16 awards at various international film festivals. Żuławski has also written three novels: Il était Un Verger, Lity Bór (a.k.a. La Forêt Forteresse), V Oczach Tygrysa, and Ogród Milosci.
Career
Żuławski was an assistant of Andrzej WajdaAndrzej 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"...
. When his second film Diabeł was banned in Poland he decided to move to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he made L'Important c'est d'aimer (1975) with Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider was an Austrian-born German film actress who also held French citizenship.-Early life:Schneider was born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach in Nazi-era Vienna, six months after the Anschluss, into a family of actors that included her paternal grandmother Rosa Albach-Retty, her Austrian...
.
After returning to Poland he worked for two years on a film which the authorities did not allow him to finish (On the Silver Globe), based on a book by his great-uncle Jerzy Żuławski. Since then he has lived and worked mostly in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, making art films.
Being a maverick who always defied mainstream commercialism, Żuławski enjoyed success mostly with the European art-house audiences. His wild, imaginative, and controversial pictures have received 16 awards at various international film festivals. He also wrote the novels Il était Un Verger, Lity Bór (a.k.a. La Forêt Forteresse), W Oczach Tygrysa, and Ogród Milosci.
He was in a relationship for fifteen years with the French actress Sophie Marceau
Sophie Marceau
Sophie Marceau is a French actress director, screenwriter, and author. She has appeared in 38 films. As a teenager, Marceau achieved popularity with her debut films La boum and La boum 2 , receiving a César Award for Most Promising Actress...
, with whom he made four films over a 15-year period (L'Amour braque, Mes nuits sont plus belles que vos jours, La Note bleue, La Fidelité). They broke up in 2001.
On the Silver GlobeOn the Silver GlobeOn the Silver Globe may refer to:*On the Silver Globe , first volume of the Polish science fiction epic Lunar Trilogy by Jerzy Żuławski...
Andrzej Żuławski had always wanted to film his granduncle's masterwork and saw the offer as a unique opportunity to achieve that aim. Żuławski devoted over two years to the task of adapting the first two volumes to the screen. Between 1975 and 1977, he wrote the screenplay and lensed the film on various locations around PolandPoland
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...
, as well as Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, the Caucasus Mountains
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region .The Caucasus Mountains includes:* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains....
and even the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
.
In spring 1977, however, the project came to a sudden halt with the appointment of the hardline ideologue Janusz Wilhelmi as the Vice-Minister of Culture. Perceiving the Selenites' battle against the Szerns as a thinly-veiled allegory of the Polish people's struggle with totalitarianism, Wilhelmi shut down the filming, which was 80% complete and ordered all materials destroyed.
Żuławski went back to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to find that the reels of unfinished film were preserved, along with costumes and props, by the Polish film studio and archives and by members of the film's cast and crew. A passage of another eight years was required, as glasnost and perestroika began to thaw the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
-dominated Eastern Europe, for Żuławski to be able to return again to Poland and edit the still-unfinished remnants into a 166-minute rough approximation of what the finished film might have been. On the Silver Globe
On the Silver Globe
On the Silver Globe may refer to:*On the Silver Globe , first volume of the Polish science fiction epic Lunar Trilogy by Jerzy Żuławski...
premiered at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in May 1988, with some critics proclaiming it a ruined masterpiece.
Filmography (selected)
- The Third Part Of The Night (1971)
- The Devil (1972)
- The Important Thing Is To LoveL'important c'est d'aimerL'important c'est d'aimer is a French film directed by Polish filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski. It tells the story of a passionate love relationship between Nadine Chevalier, a B-List actress and Servais Mont, a photographer in the violent and unforgiving French show biz.In 1975, Żuławski coadapted...
(1975) - PossessionPossession (1981 film)Possession is a 1981 cult horror film directed by Andrzej Żuławski.-Plot:Mark returns home to Berlin to find his wife Anna is leaving him for unclear reasons. He initially suspects an affair and hires detectives to track her, but gradually discovers clues that something far stranger is afoot...
(1981) - The Public WomanLa femme publiqueThe Public Woman is a 1984 French drama film inspired by Dostoevsky's novel The Devils and directed by Andrzej Żuławski, starring Valérie Kaprisky, Lambert Wilson and Francis Huster as the lead actors. The film had a total of 1,302,425 admissions in France where it was the 28th highest grossing...
(1984) - Mad LoveL'amour braqueL'amour braque is a 1985 French language motion picture comedy directed by Andrzej Zulawski. According to the film credits, L'amour braque was inspired by Dostoyevsky's The Idiot and was intended as a homage to the great writer.- Plot :...
(1985) - On the Silver GlobeOn the Silver Globe (film)On the Silver Globe is a Polish film released in 1987, directed by Andrzej Żuławski and adapted from a novel by Jerzy Żuławski.-Plot:A group of astronauts leaves Earth to find freedom. Their spaceship crashes on the Earth-like unnamed planet. Astronauts, equipped with video-recording devices,...
(1988) - My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days (1989)
- Boris GodunovBoris Godounov (1989 film)-Cast:* Ruggero Raimondi as Boris Godunov* Kenneth Riegel as Prince Chouisky* Pavel Slaby as Grigory/Dimitri—The Innocent* Bernard Lefort as Pimene* Delphine Forest as Marina Mnichek* Romuald Tesarowicz as Varlaam, the hermit-Critical response:...
(1989) - The Blue Note (1991)
- SzamankaSzamankaSzamanka is a Polish-French-Swiss film, released in 1996, directed by Andrzej Żuławski and adapted from a screenplay by Manuela Gretkowska. The film, which was controversial upon its release in Poland, is about the obsessive relationship between an anthropology professor and a disturbed woman only...
(1996) - FidelityFidelity (film)Fidelity is a French film released in 2000 and directed by Andrzej Żuławski, based loosely on the novel La Princesse de Clèves by Madame de La Fayette. The lead role is played by Sophie Marceau.-Plot:...
(2000)