Passenger (film)
Encyclopedia
Passenger is an unfinished 1963 Polish film directed by Andrzej Munk, which Witold Lesiewicz
assembled for release.
Passenger, using the form of a documentary, relates the experiences of one female SS officer (Slaska) at the Auschwitz concentration camp
during the Holocaust
and her relationship with an inmate, Marta (Ciepielewska), whose life she manages to save on occasion. Both women survive the war.
Munk died in a car accident while the film was in production and the completed scenes were combined from parts of original footage and screenplay sketches by Witold Lesiewicz
. The methods used are explained in a voiceover during the course of the film, so its unfinished state itself takes a documentary form. Parts of the film were shot at Auschwitz. The source was a radio drama Passenger from Cabin Number 45, written by Zofia Posmysz-Piasecka in 1959.
where it won a FIPRESCI Award
. The film was also selected as the Polish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 37th Academy Awards
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Witold Lesiewicz
Witold Lesiewicz is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He directed 24 films between 1949 and 1979. He completed the work on the 1963 film Passenger after the death of director Andrzej Munk.-External links:...
assembled for release.
Passenger, using the form of a documentary, relates the experiences of one female SS officer (Slaska) at the Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
during the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
and her relationship with an inmate, Marta (Ciepielewska), whose life she manages to save on occasion. Both women survive the war.
Munk died in a car accident while the film was in production and the completed scenes were combined from parts of original footage and screenplay sketches by Witold Lesiewicz
Witold Lesiewicz
Witold Lesiewicz is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He directed 24 films between 1949 and 1979. He completed the work on the 1963 film Passenger after the death of director Andrzej Munk.-External links:...
. The methods used are explained in a voiceover during the course of the film, so its unfinished state itself takes a documentary form. Parts of the film were shot at Auschwitz. The source was a radio drama Passenger from Cabin Number 45, written by Zofia Posmysz-Piasecka in 1959.
Cast
- Aleksandra ŚląskaAleksandra SlaskaAleksandra Śląska was a Polish film actress. She appeared in 18 films between 1948 and 1983. Born in Katowice, Upper Silesia, she left for Warsaw after World War II...
- Liza - Anna Ciepielewska - Marta
- Janusz Bylczynski - Capo
- Krystyna Dubielowna
- Anna Golebiowska - Female Prisoner
- Barbara Horawianka - Nurse
- Anna Jaraczówna - Capo
- Maria Koscialkowska - Guard Inga Weniger
- Andrzej Krasicki - Commission Member
- Jan KreczmarJan KreczmarJan Kreczmar was a Polish theatre and film actor.Brother of actor and director Jerzy Kreczmar, he was married to actress Justyna Kreczmarowa.-Selected filmography:* Family Life...
- Walter - Irena Malkiewicz - Oberaufseherin Madel
- Izabella Olszewska
- Leon Pietraszkiewicz - Lagerkommandant Grabner
- Kazimierz Rudzki - Commission Member
- Wanda Swaryczewska
Awards
The film was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival1964 Cannes Film Festival
The 17th Cannes Film Festival was held from 29 April to 14 May 1964. The Palme d’Or is renamed 'Grand Prix International du Festival', the name that will be used until 1975.-Jury:*Fritz Lang *Charles Boyer...
where it won a FIPRESCI Award
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
. The film was also selected as the Polish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 37th Academy Awards
37th Academy Awards
The 37th Academy Awards honored film achievements of 1964. For the first time, an award was presented in the field of makeup. All four acting awards went to non-American actors, something not repeated until the 80th Academy Awards were awarded for 2007....
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
See also
- List of submissions to the 37th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Polish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film