Classics from Poland: Andrzej Kondratiuk’s retrospective
HYDRO-RIDDLE/HYDROZAGADKA (1970)
A sudden crisis hits Warsaw: much to everybody’s surprise, water just vanishes from the taps. To make matters worse, it’s the middle of a very hot summer. People are sweltering and scientists (including the brilliant professor Milczarek) don’t have a clue what is causing this sudden drought. Hard times call for a different kind of hero. Just like detective Ace.
A true cult classic, over the years HYDRO-RIDDLE/HYDROZAGADKA lost none of its subversive charm. A mix between a superhero film and biting political satire, this black and white comedy is, much like its maker, truly one of a kind. Not to mention it’s probably the only film in which the opening credits are actually... sung out. Still the closest thing to Monty Python Poland has ever had.
Screening:
Kinoteka 2: Sunday, 16 Oct 21:30
ON CLOUD NINE/WNIEBOWZIĘCI (1973)
Two losers suddenly hit the jackpot at the national lottery. After a quick brainstorming session they decide to spend the money on plane tickets. As they don’t have passports to go abroad, they settle for a domestic flight and take off, all the while trying to charm two girsl they meet along the way. But one trip doesn’t satisfy their newly discovered appetite for adventure.
Endlessly quotable, ON CLOUD NINE/WNIEBOWZIĘCI remains a showcase of the remarkable talent of Jan Himilsbach and Zdzisław Maklakiewicz – a remarkable duo that took Polish cinema by storm. Coming right after his first critical failure (SCORPIO, VIRGO AND SAGITTARIUS/SKORPION, PANNA I ŁUCZNIK left both journalists and spectators rather cold), with its warm melancholy, it has been often compared to the Czech New Wave.
Screening:
Kinoteka 2: Sunday, 16 Oct 19:00
STARDUST/GWIEZDNY PYŁ (1982)
Far from the big city lights and noise lives a middle-aged couple. He is an inventor, although he works on things that have already been invented. However, this small inconvenience doesn’t discourage him at all. All that matters to him is not fame and glory, but the appreciation of the woman he loves.
The first film Andrzej Kondratiuk not only directed, but also wrote, lenses and composed music for, STARDUST/GWIEZDNY PYŁ opens a so-called “Gzowo period” in his career. Named after a tiny village he chose to live in, it marked a new chapter for the reclusive filmmaker. After that, he never looked back. Films films, however, got only more personal.
Screening:
Kinoteka 2: Sunday, 16 Oct 16:30
Andrzej Kondratiuk (1936-2016)
Polish director, screenwriter, cinematographer and actor, although he only played in his own films and shorts by none other than Roman Polański. Born on the 20th of July in 1936, he graduated from the Cinematography Department of PWSTiF (State Higher School of Film and Theatre). For a short time, he also studied directing with his younger brother Janusz. Since his debut in 1958, he made numerous documentaries, feature films and short films including A HOLE IN THE GROUND/DZIURA W ZIEMI, which was awarded at Karlovy Vary Film Festival, THE FOUR SEASONS/CZTERY PORY ROKU, winner of Bronze Leopard’s Eye at Locarno and STARDUST/GWIEZDNY PYŁ, awarded with a Special Jury Prize at the Polish Film Festival. He often collaborated with his wife, actress Iga Cembrzyńska. A unique phenomenon in Polish cinema, as stated by film historian Tadeusz Lubelski, Kondratiuk “built up his status as a private director”. He passed away on the 22nd of June in 2016.
