Jerzy Franciszek Kawalerowicz (19 January 1922 – 27 December 2007) was a Polish

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and politician, having been a member of

Polish United Workers' Party The Polish United Workers' Party (, ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other legally permitted subordinate minor parti ...

from 1954 until its dissolution in 1990 and a deputy in Polish parliament since 1985 until 1989.

Life and career

Kawalerowicz was born in Gwoździec,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, as one of the few Poles living in an ethnically-mixed Ukrainian and Jewish town. Kawalerowicz's father's family originated from

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

, originally having the surname Kavalarian. Jerzy Kawalerowicz was noted for his powerful, detail-oriented imagery and the depth of ideas in his films. After working as an assistant director, he made his directorial debut with the 1951 film '' The Village Mill'' ''(Gromada)''. He was a leading figure in the

Polish Film School Polish Film School () refers to an informal group of Polish film directors and screenplay writers active between 1956 and approximately 1963. Among the most prominent representatives of the school are Andrzej Wajda, Andrzej Munk, and Jerzy Kawa ...

, and his films ''

Shadow A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensio ...

'' (''Cień'', 1956) and '' Night Train'' (''Pociąg'', 1959) constitute some of that movement's best work. Other noted works by Kawalerowicz include ''

Mother Joan of the Angels ''Mother Joan of the Angels'' (, also known as ''The Devil and the Nun'') is a 1961 Polish religious horror art film on demonic possession, directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, based on a novella of the same title by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, loosely bas ...

'' (''Matka Joanna od Aniołów'', 1961) for which he was awarded the

Jury Prize The Jury Prize () is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. According to American film critic Dave Kehr, the award is "intended to recognize an original work that embodies t ...

at the

1961 Cannes Film Festival The 14th Cannes Film Festival took place from 3 to 18 May 1961. French writer Jean Giono served as jury president for the main competition. The ''Palme d'Or'' was jointly awarded to '' The Long Absence'' by Henri Colpi and '' Viridiana'' by Lu ...

, and a 1966 adaptation of

Bolesław Prus Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish journalist, novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, and a distinctive voice in world ...

' historical novel, ''

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

'' (''Faraon''), which was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. In 1955 Kawalerowicz was appointed head of the prestigious KADR production unit. He held that position again in 1972. He always resisted pressures from the

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

administration to produce propaganda films. His studio produced some of the best Polish films by

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the "P ...

Tadeusz Konwicki Tadeusz Konwicki (22 June 1926 – 7 January 2015) was a Polish writer and film director, as well as a member of the Polish Language Council. Life Konwicki was born in 1926 as the only son of Jadwiga Kieżun and Michał Konwicki in Naujoji Vil ...

and

Juliusz Machulski Juliusz Machulski (born 10 March 1955 in Olsztyn) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Son of noted actor Jan Machulski, he became notable for his comedies ridiculing the life in communist-ruled Poland of the 1970s and ...

. In 1969 he was a member of the jury at the

6th Moscow International Film Festival The 6th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 7 to 22 July 1969. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Cuban film ''Lucía'' directed by Humberto Solás, the Italian film ''Serafino (film), Serafino'' directed by Pietro Germi and the ...

. In 1975 he was a member of the jury at the

9th Moscow International Film Festival The 9th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 10 to 23 July 1975. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Polish film '' The Promised Land'' directed by Andrzej Wajda, the Soviet-Japanese film '' Dersu Uzala'' directed by Akira Kurosawa ...

. In 1976 he was the head of the jury at the

26th Berlin International Film Festival The 26th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 25 June to 6 July 1976. The Golden Bear was awarded to ''Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson'' directed by Robert Altman. The Japanese film ''In the Rea ...

. Two years later, his film '' Death of a President'' won the Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution at the 1978 festival. At the

11th Moscow International Film Festival The 11th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 14 to 28 August 1979. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Italian-French film ''Christ Stopped at Eboli (film), Christ Stopped at Eboli'' directed by Francesco Rosi, the Spanish film ''S ...

he was a member of the jury and was awarded with the Honourable Prize for the contribution to cinema. He died on 27 December 2007 in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. His last film, ''

Quo Vadis ''Quo vadis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you going?". It is commonly translated, quoting the KJV translation of John 13:36, as "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter's fi ...

'', had the largest budget for a Polish movie as of 2011.

Selected filmography

*'' The Village Mill'' (''Gromada'', 1952) *'' Celuloza'' (1953) by novel of

Igor Newerly Igor Newerly or Igor Abramow-Newerly (24 March 1903 – 19 October 1987) was a Polish novelist and educator. He was born in Białowieża in 1903 into a mixed Czech-Russian family. His grandfather Józef Newerly, was a Czech people, Czech natio ...

*'' Under the Phrygian Star'' (''Pod gwiazdą frygijską'', 1954) *''

'' (''Cień'', 1956) *''

The Real End of the Great War ''The Real End of the Great War'' is the English title for ''Prawdziwy koniec wielkiej wojny'', a film released in 1957, directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz. Plot Roza (Lucyna Winnicka) marries a promising young architect, Juliusz ( Roland Glowacki). ...

'' (''Prawdziwy koniec wielkiej wojny'', 1957) *'' Night Train'' (''Pociąg'', 1959) *''

'' (''Matka Joanna od Aniołów '', 1961) by short story of

Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz Jarosław Leon Iwaszkiewicz (; also known under his literary pseudonym Eleuter; 20 February 1894 – 2 March 1980), was a Polish writer, poet, essayist, dramatist and translator.Bartłomiej Szleszyński, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. 2003 Culture.plJ ...

*''

'' (''Faraon'', 1966) by novel of

*'' The Game'' (''Gra'', 1968) *'' Maddalena'' (1971) *'' Death of a President'' (''Śmierć prezydenta '', 1977) *'' Encounter on the Atlantic'' (''Spotkanie na Atlantyku'', 1980) *''

Austeria ''Austeria'' (aka ''The Inn'') is a Polish feature film directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, produced by ''Zespół Filmowy "Kadr"'' and released in 1983. ''Austeria'' takes place during the opening days of World War I, in the Austro-Hungarian provin ...

'' (''The Inn'') (1983) by novel of

Julian Stryjkowski Julian Stryjkowski (born Pesach Stark; April 27, 1905 – August 8, 1996) was a Polish journalist and writer, known for his social prose and radical leftist leanings. He was considered one of the best Polish-Jewish writers of the People's Republi ...

*'' The Hostage of Europe'' (''Jeniec Europy'', 1989) by novel of Juliusz Dankowski *' (''Bronsteins Kinder'', 1991) *'' Why?'' (''Za co?'', 1995) by short story of

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

*'' Quo Vadis?'' (2001) by novel by

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish epic writer. He is remembered for his historical novels, such as The Trilogy, the Trilogy series and especially ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawalerowicz, Jerzy 1922 births 2007 deaths Film people from Warsaw Polish people of Armenian descent Polish film directors German-language film directors Recipients of the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis Recipients of the Order of the Banner of Work Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Politicians from Warsaw People from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Recipients of the Medal of the 10th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland Recipients of the Medal of the 40th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland

Life and career

Selected filmography

See also

References

External links