Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema
Encyclopedia
Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema is a feature-length biographical documentary film
by Polish-American director Mariusz Kotowski
released in 2006. The film chronicles the life of Polish
silent film
actress Pola Negri
, as told by those who knew her and those who have studied her life and films.
The documentary is the first directorial work of Polish-born director Mariusz Kotowski. Kotowski had previously worked as a dancer and dance choreographer, and invested three years of work and a considerable personal fortune into producing the Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema documentary. He has gone on to direct the Holocaust film Esther's Diary
(2010, originally released as Forgiveness [2007]), which featured a lead character built strongly on Pola Negri, and the erotic psychological thriller Deeper and Deeper
(2009) starring David Lago
(The Young and the Restless
). Kotowski also went on to author a Polish-language Pola Negri biography entitled Pola Negri: Legenda Hollywood (English title: Pola Negri: Hollywood Legend), which was released in Poland in 2011.
and Eli Wallach
. Mills was starring actress and Wallach supporting actor in the Walt Disney film
The Moon-Spinners
(1964), Pola Negri's final film. In the documentary, both actors retell their stories of working with Negri in that film.
Others interviewed for the film included Jeanine Basinger
, professor and author; A.C. Lyles
, producer for Paramount Pictures
; Alfred Allan Lewis, ghostwriter of Pola Negri's autobiography Memoirs of a Star (1970); Emily Leider, author of Rudolph Valentino biography Dark Lover; Anthony Slide
, film historian; David Gasten, webmaster of The Pola Negri Appreciation Site; and Scott Eyman, author of Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise.
The documentary is narrated by actress Cyndi Williams
, who played a small voiceover role in Kotowski's Esther's Diary and a supporting live action role in Deeper and Deeper, making her the only actor to appear as a cast member in all of Kotowski's films to date.
. None of Miss Zakreta's interview footage was used in the feature film. The most recent trailer, released in June 2010 and running four and one-half minutes long, is a compilation of excerpts from Pola Negri's musical numbers in A Woman Commands (1932) and Mazurka (1935) interspersed with highlights from many of her films.
(MoMA) in New York and La Cinémathèque Française
in Paris, appeared in numerous film festivals and Pola Negri film retrospectives in the United States and Europe, and was featured an a lengthy 35 minute news report about the making of the film on Poland's TVP1 channel.
The documentary was also the recipient of the following awards:
Music used for soundtrack taken from Frédéric Chopin
's 24 Preludes, Op. 28:
No. 4 in E minor ("Suffocation"), No. 7 in A Major ("The Polish Dancer"), No. 15 in D Flat Major ("Raindrop"), and No. 21 in B Flat Major ("Sunday")
Voiceover recording by Black Productions; Phillip Hubner, Engineer
Audio Post Production by David Bewley and Corey Roberts, 501 Audio, Austin
Color Correction by Omar Godinez and Mike Curtis, Color Cafe, Austin
Tango scenes choreographed by Mariusz Kotowski
and filmed in New York
Film and Photo Sources: Photofest, St. Mary's University
(Texas), Library of Moving Images, New York Public Library
at Lincoln Center
, New-York Historical Society
Location footage shot in Los Angeles
, New York
, and San Antonio
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Polish-American director Mariusz Kotowski
Mariusz Kotowski
Mariusz Kotowski is a Polish-born film director and producer. He has gained a reputation for cinematic portrayals that are atypical of both Hollywood and independent film styles and that cleverly mix different film approaches into a cohesive whole....
released in 2006. The film chronicles the life of Polish
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...
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...
actress Pola Negri
Pola Negri
Pola Negri was a Polish stage and film actress who achieved worldwide fame for her tragedienne and femme fatale roles from the 1910s through the 1940s during the Golden Era of Hollywood film. She was the first European film star to be invited to Hollywood, and became a great American star. She...
, as told by those who knew her and those who have studied her life and films.
The documentary is the first directorial work of Polish-born director Mariusz Kotowski. Kotowski had previously worked as a dancer and dance choreographer, and invested three years of work and a considerable personal fortune into producing the Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema documentary. He has gone on to direct the Holocaust film Esther's Diary
Esther's Diary (film)
Forgiveness is a 2008 American dramatic Holocaust film written and directed by Polish-American director Mariusz Kotowski, with a screenplay by Allan Knee...
(2010, originally released as Forgiveness [2007]), which featured a lead character built strongly on Pola Negri, and the erotic psychological thriller Deeper and Deeper
Deeper and Deeper (film)
Deeper and Deeper is an 2010 American erotic psychological thriller written by Cyndi Williams and directed by Polish-American filmmaker Mariusz Kotowski.-Plot:...
(2009) starring David Lago
David Lago
David Scott Lago is an Cuban-American actor. He is best known for playing Raul Guittierez on The Young and the Restless from 1999 to 2004. He has also had a recurring role as Jeremy on 7th Heaven....
(The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
). Kotowski also went on to author a Polish-language Pola Negri biography entitled Pola Negri: Legenda Hollywood (English title: Pola Negri: Hollywood Legend), which was released in Poland in 2011.
Interviews and Narration
The most notable interviews in Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema are with film stars Hayley MillsHayley Mills
Hayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
and Eli Wallach
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
. Mills was starring actress and Wallach supporting actor in the Walt Disney film
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
The Moon-Spinners
The Moon-Spinners
The Moon-Spinners is a 1964 American Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Hayley Mills in a story about a jewel thief hiding on the island of Crete. The film was based upon a suspense novel by Mary Stewart and was directed by James Neilson...
(1964), Pola Negri's final film. In the documentary, both actors retell their stories of working with Negri in that film.
Others interviewed for the film included Jeanine Basinger
Jeanine Basinger
Jeanine Basinger , a film historian, is Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies and Founder and Curator of The Cinema Archives at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut....
, professor and author; A.C. Lyles
A. C. Lyles
Andrew Craddock "A. C." Lyles is an American movie producer for Paramount Pictures who is best known for producing a variety of westerns in the 1950s and 1960s.-Career:...
, producer for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
; Alfred Allan Lewis, ghostwriter of Pola Negri's autobiography Memoirs of a Star (1970); Emily Leider, author of Rudolph Valentino biography Dark Lover; Anthony Slide
Anthony Slide
Anthony Slide is a writer who has produced more than seventy books and edited a further 150 on the history of popular entertainment. He wrote a "letter from Hollywood" for the British Film Review from 1979 to 1994, and he wrote a monthly book review column for Classic Images from 1989 to 2001...
, film historian; David Gasten, webmaster of The Pola Negri Appreciation Site; and Scott Eyman, author of Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise.
The documentary is narrated by actress Cyndi Williams
Cyndi Williams
Cyndi Lou Williams is a voice actor and script writer. She has appeared in anime series mostly bt ADV Films. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Actress for her performance in Kyle Henry's film, Room, which was nominated for the Cassavetes Award.-Anime Roles:* Birth -...
, who played a small voiceover role in Kotowski's Esther's Diary and a supporting live action role in Deeper and Deeper, making her the only actor to appear as a cast member in all of Kotowski's films to date.
Preview Films and Trailers
The film's production company Bright Shining City Productions has released several different trailers and preview short subjects for Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema. The first, released in 2005, was an untitled 14-minute preview trailer that was released while the feature film itself was still being edited; this short film was re-edited slightly and reissued as the 16-minute, two-part short subject Pola Negri: Hollywood Legend. Both versions of this short subject are notable for featuring interview footage with Polish-born model Agnieszka Zakreta, best known as the 2003 Miss Illinois USAMiss Illinois USA
The Miss Illinois USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state Illinois in the Miss USA pageant.Illinois is one of the most successful states in the competition. It is one of only four states to have won four or more Miss USA titles and one of only three states to...
. None of Miss Zakreta's interview footage was used in the feature film. The most recent trailer, released in June 2010 and running four and one-half minutes long, is a compilation of excerpts from Pola Negri's musical numbers in A Woman Commands (1932) and Mazurka (1935) interspersed with highlights from many of her films.
Screenings and Awards
Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema made its world premiere on April 29, 2006 at Laemmle's Sunset 5 Theatre in Hollywood as part of the Seventh Annual Polish Film Festival of Los Angeles. The film went on to appear at the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
(MoMA) in New York and La Cinémathèque Française
Cinémathèque Française
The Cinémathèque Française holds one of the largest archives of films, movie documents and film-related objects in the world. Located in Paris, the Cinémathèque holds daily screenings of films from around the world.-History:...
in Paris, appeared in numerous film festivals and Pola Negri film retrospectives in the United States and Europe, and was featured an a lengthy 35 minute news report about the making of the film on Poland's TVP1 channel.
The documentary was also the recipient of the following awards:
- WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival - Remi Award, Special Jury Selection - April 2006
- Dixie Film Festival, Atlanta - Best Documentary - October 2006
- EMPixx Award - Gold - 2009
DVD Release
Director Mariusz Kotowski's production company Bright Shining City Productions released Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema on DVD in 2010 as part of a DVD/poster set. The set is currently being sold direct via Bright Shining City Productions' official website.Main
- Hayley MillsHayley MillsHayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
, Featured Interviewee and star of Negri's final film The Moon-Spinners (1964)The Moon-SpinnersThe Moon-Spinners is a 1964 American Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Hayley Mills in a story about a jewel thief hiding on the island of Crete. The film was based upon a suspense novel by Mary Stewart and was directed by James Neilson... - Eli WallachEli WallachEli Herschel Wallach is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
, Featured Interviewee and supporting actor in The Moon-SpinnersThe Moon-SpinnersThe Moon-Spinners is a 1964 American Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Hayley Mills in a story about a jewel thief hiding on the island of Crete. The film was based upon a suspense novel by Mary Stewart and was directed by James Neilson... - A.C. LylesA. C. LylesAndrew Craddock "A. C." Lyles is an American movie producer for Paramount Pictures who is best known for producing a variety of westerns in the 1950s and 1960s.-Career:...
, Featured Interviewee and producer for Paramount PicturesParamount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still... - Cyndi WilliamsCyndi WilliamsCyndi Lou Williams is a voice actor and script writer. She has appeared in anime series mostly bt ADV Films. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Actress for her performance in Kyle Henry's film, Room, which was nominated for the Cassavetes Award.-Anime Roles:* Birth -...
, Narrator
Other Interviewees
- Jeanine BasingerJeanine BasingerJeanine Basinger , a film historian, is Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies and Founder and Curator of The Cinema Archives at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut....
(film historian, professor and author of numerous film books) - Scott Eyeman (author of the book Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise)
- David Gasten (webmaster, The Pola Negri Appreciation Site)
- Alexis Gonzales (late professor at Loyola University New OrleansLoyola University New OrleansLoyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
who knew Pola Negri personally) - Emily Leider (author of Rudolph ValentinoRudolph ValentinoRudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
biography Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino) - Allan Alfred Lewis (ghostwriter of Pola Negri autobiography Memoirs of a Star)
- George Schoenbrunn (close friend of Pola Negri's)
- Anthony SlideAnthony SlideAnthony Slide is a writer who has produced more than seventy books and edited a further 150 on the history of popular entertainment. He wrote a "letter from Hollywood" for the British Film Review from 1979 to 1994, and he wrote a monthly book review column for Classic Images from 1989 to 2001...
(film historian and author of numerous film books) - Tony Vilecco (author of unpublished biography about Pola Negri)
Dancers in Tango Sequence
- Dario DaSilva
- Roula Giannopoulou
- Lorraine Muller
- Carolina Orlonsky
- Felipe Telpora Jr.
- Ivan Terrazas
Crew
- Mariusz KotowskiMariusz KotowskiMariusz Kotowski is a Polish-born film director and producer. He has gained a reputation for cinematic portrayals that are atypical of both Hollywood and independent film styles and that cleverly mix different film approaches into a cohesive whole....
, Director - Heidi Hutter, Executive Producer
- Lynn Moran, Screenwriter
- Mariusz Gorz, Music Score
- Simone Zimmerman, Director of Photography
- Elke Stappert, Director of Photography
- John Schaaf, Assistant Cinematographer
- Brian Burrowes, Animation
- John Larsen, Editor
- Richard Shirt, Music Consultant
- Bonena Konkiel, Music Consultant
Music used for soundtrack taken from Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
's 24 Preludes, Op. 28:
No. 4 in E minor ("Suffocation"), No. 7 in A Major ("The Polish Dancer"), No. 15 in D Flat Major ("Raindrop"), and No. 21 in B Flat Major ("Sunday")
Voiceover recording by Black Productions; Phillip Hubner, Engineer
Audio Post Production by David Bewley and Corey Roberts, 501 Audio, Austin
Color Correction by Omar Godinez and Mike Curtis, Color Cafe, Austin
Tango scenes choreographed by Mariusz Kotowski
Mariusz Kotowski
Mariusz Kotowski is a Polish-born film director and producer. He has gained a reputation for cinematic portrayals that are atypical of both Hollywood and independent film styles and that cleverly mix different film approaches into a cohesive whole....
and filmed in New York
Film and Photo Sources: Photofest, St. Mary's University
St. Mary's University, Texas
St. Mary's University is a Catholic and Marianist liberal arts institution located on northwest of downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. St. Mary’s is a nationally recognized master’s level school ranked among the top colleges in the west for best value and academic reputation by U.S. News...
(Texas), Library of Moving Images, New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
at Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
, New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
Location footage shot in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and San Antonio
External links
- Bright Shining City Productions' Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema page
- POLANEGRI.COM's Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema page
- Polish Cultural Institute's Pola Negri: Life is a Dream on Cinema page
- Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema 2010 trailer
- Pola Negri: Hollywood Legend, Part 1 and Part 2 (16-minute preview short subject)