''Pan Twardowski'' is a 1921

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

silent

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually Magic (paranormal), magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The Film genre, genre is considered a form of speculative fic ...

directed by

Wiktor Biegański Wiktor Julian Biegański (16 November 1892 – 19 January 1974) was a Polish actor, film director and screenwriter. He appeared in 24 films between 1919 and 1966. He also directed eleven films between 1921 and 1929. Selected filmography Act ...

and starring

Bronisław Oranowski Bronisław (feminine: Bronisława) is a Polish name of Slavic origin meaning ''broni'' (to protect, to defend) and ''sława'' (glory, fame). The name may refer to: People * Bronislava of Poland, a 13th-century nun who was beatified in 1839 * Bron ...

Wanda Jarszewska Wanda Jarszewska (3 November 1888 – 15 May 1964) was a Polish film actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1916 and 1962. Selected filmography * '' The Adventures of Anton'' (1913) * '' Pan Twardowski'' (1921) * '' Księżna Łowi ...

and Antoni Nowara-Piekarski. Biegański was hired by the

government to make the film in an effort to foster a greater sense of Polish national identity—particularly in the ethnically mixed

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

. It is one of many films based on the legend of

Pan Twardowski Pan Twardowski (Polish: ''Pan Twardowski'' ), also known as Master Twardowski (Polish: ''Mistrz Twardowski''), is a sorcerer in Polish folklore and literature who made a deal with the Devil. Twardowski sold his soul in exchange for special powers ...

, the Polish word "Pan" being a respectable title often given to members of the nobility or diplomats.

Plot

According to a 16th-century Polish legend, an occultist from

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for magic powers, but later reneged on the deal. The character is said to have been based on a real-life 16th century German nobleman who lived in Kraków and

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

. There were many variations of the folktale over the years and since this film is now considered lost, it's impossible to tell which variation of the legend was used for the plot. But the 1936 sound film remake is said to have followed the story of this film closely, so the two films' storylines must be very similar.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 242..

Cast

as Mr. Twardowski *

as Mrs. Twardowska * Antoni Nowara-Piekarski as Iwan IV Groźny * Maria Krzyżanowska as Królowa nimf * Mila Kamińska as Ulubienica cara * Antoni Siemaszko as Stary bojar *

Władysław Grabowski Władysław Grabowski (1 June 1883 – 6 July 1961) was a Polish film actor. He appeared in more than 35 films between 1911 and 1957, mainly in supporting comedy roles. Biography Władysław Grabowski was born on 1 June 1883 in Warsaw, t ...

as Młody Bojar *

Stanisław Bryliński Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, Kherson Oblast, a coastal village in Ukraine * Stanislaus County, ...

as Diabeł * Paweł Dydek-Dudziński as Pokurcz *

Władysław Lenczewski Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: People Mononym *Włodzis� ...

Stanisława Umińska Stanisława Umińska (17 November 1901 – 25 December 1977) was a Polish theatre actress. Born in Warsaw, in early 1920s she was considered one of the rising stars of the Polish theatre, but in 1924 in Paris, France, she shot dead her dyi ...

Bruno Winawer Bruno Winawer (17 March 1883 in Warsaw, Poland – 11 April 1944 in Opole Lubelskie, Poland) was a Jewish-descended Polish physicist, columnist, and author of comedies, science fiction novels, short stories, and poetry. Life Winawer studied phys ...

Zofia Żukowska Zofia is a Slavic given name of Old Greek origin, meaning wisdom. It is a variant of Sofia. Famous people with the name Zofia: *Anna Zofia Sapieha (1799–1864) *Maria Zofia Sieniawska * Zofia Albinowska-Minkiewiczowa (1886–1971) *Zofia Baltarowi ...

References

Bibliography

*Skaff, Sheila. ''The Law of the Looking Glass: Cinema in Poland, 1896–1939''. Ohio University Press, 2008.

External links

* 1921 films 1921 lost films 1920s fantasy films 1920s Polish-language films Films directed by Wiktor Bieganski Films set in Poland Lost fantasy films Lost Polish films Polish black-and-white films Polish fantasy films Polish silent films Polish-language fantasy films {{fantasy-film-stub