POST-WAR SLA226H: POLISH CINEMA University of Toronto Instructor: Artur Placzkiewicz Office Hours: Mondays 4-5PM and Wednesdays 4-5PM Class discussions (mandatory): Wednesdays 2-4 Film screenings (attendance strongly recommended): Mondays 2-4, Media Commons Room #1 (Robarts Library, 3rd floor.)
COURSE OUTLINE: September 13 Course Introduction
I. HISTORICAL TRAUMA AND MEMORY Week of Sep 18: Passenger (Pasaerka), 1963, dir. Andrzej Munk (63 min.) READINGS: Marek Haltof, chapters 3-5 from Polish National Cinema (New York and Oxford: Berghahn, 2002) 44-109. Available for purchase at Bob Miller Book Room (see last page of syllabus for info) and at ROBARTS RESERVE. Boleslaw Michalek's and Frank Turaj's The Modern Cinema of Poland (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988) chapter 7: 114-127. ROBARTS RESERVE Recommended films: Kornblumenblau, 1990, dir. Leszek Wosiewicz; Korczak, 1990, dir. Andrzej Wajda, Ashes and Diamonds (Popil i diament), 1958, dir. Andrzej Wajda.
Week of Sep 25: Canal (Kanal), 1958, dir. Andrzej Wajda (95 min.) READINGS: Thompson Ewa M. "Ways of Remembering: the Case of Poland" at: http://www.utoronto.ca/tsq/12/thompson12.shtml
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Boleslaw Michalek's and Frank Turaj's The Modern Cinema of Poland (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988) 129-172. ROBARTS RESERVE. Recommended films: Crossed-Eyed Luck (Zezowate szczcie),1960, dir. Andrzej Munk; Ashes and Diamonds (Popil i diament), 1958, dir. Andrzej Wajda.
Week of Oct 2: Hands Up (Rce do gry), 1967/1985, dir. Jerzy Skolimowski (78 min.) READINGS: Marek Haltof, chapters 6 from Polish National Cinema (New York and Oxford: Berghahn, 2002) 110-175. Available for purchase at Bob Miller Book Room (see last page of syllabus for info) and at ROBARTS RESERVE. Boleslaw Michalek's and Frank Turaj's The Modern Cinema of Poland (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988): in chapter 3: Skolimowski 42-45. ROBARTS RESERVE Recommended films: The Barrier (Bariera), dir. Jerzy Skolimowski, 1966; Man of Iron (Czlowiek z elaza), dir. Andrzej Wajda, 1981; Workers '80 (Robotnicy '80),1981, dir.Andrzej Chodakowski and Andrzej Zajczkowski; Interrogation (Przesluchanie), 1982/1989, dir. Ryszard Bugajski
II. THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE WORLD OF CHOICES Week of Oct 9: Knife in the Water (N w wodzie), 1962, dir. Roman Polanski (94 min.). WATCH THE FILM ON YOUR OWN (Media Commons, Videocass 002714): NO CLASS SCREENING READINGS: Browse Polanski's official website for his biography and information on films: www.rp-productions.com Ivan Butler, The Cinema of Roman Polanski (London: Zwemmer and New York: Barnes, 1970) 25-48, 175-190. ROBARTS RESERVE.
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Excerpts on Knife in the Water from Roman Polanski's Roman by Polanski (New York: William Morrow, 1984) 173-184, 199-207. ROBARTS RESERVE. Recommended films: (American film) Rosemary's Baby, 1968, dir. Roman Polanski; The Pianist, 2002, dir. Roman Polanski; Night Train (Pociag), 1959, dir. Jerzy Kawalerowicz
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE OCTOBER 11
Week of Oct 16: Lonely Woman (Kobieta samotna), 1981/1988, dir. Agnieszka Holland (92 min.) READINGS: Search www.perfectnet.com/holland/ for Holland's biography and information about the film. Chapter 15 "Agnieszka Holland, Barbara Sass and Dorota Kdzierzawska in the World of Male Polish Filmmaking" by Janina Falkowska in Women Filmmakers: Refocusing (eds. Jacqueline Levitin, Judith Plessis, and Valerie Raoul; Vancouver and Toronto: UBC Press, 2003) 96-108, 167179. ROBARTS RESERVE. Recommended films: Europa,Europa,1991, dir. Agnieszka Holland; Crows, 1994, dir. Dorota Kdzierzawska; By Touch, 1985, dir. Magdalena Lazarkiewicz
Week of Oct 23: A Short Film About Killing (Krtki film o zabijaniu) and A Short Film About Love (Krtki film o miloci) from Decalogue (Dekalog,) Episodes 5 and 6, respectively, 1988, dir. Krzysztof Kielowski (55 min. each). READINGS: Browse excellent websites on Kieslowski for his biography and information on The Decalgue: www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/kieslowski.html (Strictly Film School), www.petey.com/kk/ (Kino Kieslowski), www.facets.org/decalogue/ Chapter 4 "The Decalogue: Ten Short Films about Mortality" from Annette Insdorf, Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzysztof Kieslowski (New York: Hyperion, 1999) 69-124. ROBARTS RESERVE.
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OPTIONAL: "Background" and "The Decalogue," "A Short Film about Killing," "A Short Film about Love" from Kieslowski on Kieslowski, ed. Danusia Stok (London and Boston: Faber and Faber, 1993) 1-22, 143-171. ROBARTS RESERVE. Recommended films: Eight other films from The Decalogue (see above), dir. Krzysztof Kielowski, Double Life of Veronique (Podwjne ycie Weroniki); I'm So-So, 1995, dir. Krzysztof Wierzbicki (documentary on Kielowski)
Week of Oct 30: Camouflage (Barwy ochronne ), 1977, dir. Krzysztof Zanussi (99 min.). READINGS: Chapter 9 "Krzysztof Zanussi: The Cinema of Intellectual Inquiry" in Boleslaw Michalek and Frank Turaj The Modern Cinema of Poland 173-195. ROBARTS RESERVE. On Zanussi in Chapter 6 Haltof's Polish National Cinema 127-131. Available for purchase at Bob Miller Book Room or at ROBARTS RESERVE. Marek Haltof, chapter 7 from Polish National (New Cinema York and Oxford: Berghahn, 2002) 146-175. Available for purchase at Bob Miller Book Room (see last page of syllabus for info) and at ROBARTS RESERVE. Recommended films: The Structure of Crystals (Struktura krysztalu), 1969, dir. Krzysztof Zanussi; Year of the Quiet Sun (Rok spokojnego sloca), 1985, dir. Krzysztof Zanussi; Illumination (Iluminacja), 1973, dir. Krzysztof Zanussi.
III. SOCIAL MECHANISMS, CHANGES, AND MALLAISES Week of Nov 6: Sexmission (Seksmisja), 1984, dir. Juliusz Machulski (121 min.) READINGS: "Introduction: Mapping the Cult" from The Cult Film Eexperience: Beyond All Reason, ed. J.P. Telotte (Austin: University of Texas, Austin, 1991) 138. ROBARTS RESERVE.
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"Comedies" (excerpts from chapter 6) from Haltof's Polish National Cinema 140-145. Available for purchase at Bob Miller Book room or at ROBARTS RESERVE. Chapter 4 "The Real End of the Cinema of Moral Anxiety" by Wieslaw Godzic 54-64 in The New Polish Cinema Janina Falkowska and Marek Haltof, eds. ROBARTS RESERVE. OPTIONAL: Chapter 9 "Scenes from the Lives of Masqueraders: Polish Film Comedy" by Iwona Sowinska-Rammel 127-142 in The New Polish Cinema Janina Falkowska and Marek Haltof, eds. Recommended films: The Cruise/A Trip Down the River (Rejs), 1970, dir. Marek Piwowski; Teddy Bear (Mi), 1981, dir. Stanislaw Bareja; All among Ourselves (Sami swoi), 1967, dir. Sylwester Chciski
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE NOVEMBER 8
Week of Nov 13: White (Bialy), 1994, dir. Krzysztof Kielowski (102 min.) READINGS: Chapter 8 "Landscape after Battle: The Return of Democracy" in Haltof's Polish National Cinema 176-206. ROBARTS RESERVE. Chapter 7 ,,Three Colors White" in Annette Insdorf, Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzysztof Kieslowski 153-165. Available for purchase at Bob Miller Book Room and at ROBARTS RESERVE. OPTIONAL: "Three Colors" in Kieslowski on Kieslowski 212-228. ROBARTS RESERVE. Recommended films: Blue (Niebieski), 1993; Red (Czerwony), 1994, dir. Krzysztof Kielowski
Week of Nov 20: Pigs (Psy), 1992, dir. Wladyslaw Pasikowski (110 min.) READINGS:
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Chapter 11 "Polish Films with an American Accent" from Haltof's Polish National Cinema 241-258. Available for purchase at Bob Miller Book Room or at ROBARTS RESERVE. Marek Haltof, "Everything for sale Polish national cinema after 1989" at: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3763/is_199703/ai_n8755108/print Recommended films: Pigs 2. Last Blood (Psy2. Ostatnia krew), 1994, dir. Wladyslaw Pasikowski; Kiler, 1997, dir. Juliusz Machulski
Week of Nov 27: Eddie (Edi), 2002, dir. Piotr Trzaskalski (100 min.) READINGS: ,,Afterword" in Haltof's Polish National Cinema 259-261. Available for purchase at Bob Miller Book Room or at ROBARTS RESERVE Ewa Mazierska, ,,Cinema of Hard Times: Individuals, Families and Society in Polish Contemporary Films" at: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3763/is_200409/ai_n11849838/print
Week of Dec 4: Day of the Wacko (Dzie wira), 2002, dir. Marek Koterski (90 min.) READINGS: Boena Janicka, "Polish Cinema During the Period 1989-1999" at http://www.culture.pl/en/culture/artykuly/es_film_fabularny_8999
FINAL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT DUE DECEMBER 4
*** COURSE REQUIREMENTS Attendance and active participation in class discussions are essential and constitute 15% of your final grade. Written assignments: Two shorter take-home assignments (3-4 pages each,) to be completed on OCTOBER 11 and NOVEMBER 8, respectively. The assignments will consist of short factual questions about films/readings and analytical
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essay questions that will give you a chance to respond to the films and issues raised in class. Assignments will be distributed in class one week before they are due. Each assignment is 25% of final grade. A longer take-home final assignment (7-8 pages) that will follow the model of the short assignments and will require you to write a paper on a topic of your choice (approx. 8 pages) as part of the assignment. The assignment will be distributed in class two weeks before it is due but will cover the material up to the penultimate class meeting (Nov 22). The paper topic can be discussed with the instructor earlier in order to ensure sufficient time for writing. Due last day of class, DECEMBER 4. 35% of your final grade.
WHERE TO FIND READINGS On Short Term Loan at Robarts Library: marked in the syllabus ROBARTS RESERVE. Available for purchase at Bob Miller Book Room, 180 Bloor Street W. (marked in the syllabus as such): PRIMARY TEXTBOOK: Marek Haltof, Polish National Cinema, 2002 ($41). PRIMARY BOOK ON POLISH HISTORY: Norman Davies, Heart of Europe, 2001 ($31). Annette Insdorf, Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1999 ($20) David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction, 2003 ($79). A few readings will be distributed in class by the instructor (5 cents per page). Readings available on the Internet are marked in the syllabus as such; addresses are provided.
USEFUL WEBSITES: www.filmref.com (English) www.culture.pl (English) www.filmpolski.pl (Polish; excellent in-depth resource) www.stopklatka.pl (Polish)