Andrzej Zulawski – Three Films

Uncompromising, visionary, highly controversial and a true maverick of European cinema: Polish director Andrzej Zulawski, whose avant-garde arthouse films are not particularly well known outside his native country and France (where he made in fact most of his films), is all of that. However, it is also true to say that many of his films are hard to grasp due to non-linear plotlines and intellectual/philosophical dialogue – making the entire experience a trifle demanding (an understatement if ever there was one). The three films included in this box set (presented in the UK for the very first time, and in a stunning 4k restoration) are a case in point.

We begin with the psychological drama THE THIRD PART OF THE NIGHT (1971) and its story is set during the German occupation of Poland during WW2. When a young man named Michal (Leszek Teleszynski) and his father (Jerzy Golinski) witness the brutal butchery of Michal’s wife, his little son and his mother (all of whom live in a remote country house) by invading Nazis, Michal understandably goes a little gaga and decides to join the local resistance group. However, trouble and sorrow follow him the minute he arrives in town when – before his first meeting with the group – the Gestapo kills the go-between and chases Michal through streets and apartments blocks. During the chase he encounters a pregnant woman, Marta (Malgorzata Braunek who, at the time of filming, was married to the director) who is the spitting image of his murdered wife. After aiding her in giving birth and striking up conversations with the woman and with some nuns, with whom he talks about his life before his family were murdered, he meets up with Marian (Michal Grudzinski), an old acquaintance of his, and begs for more rations but the man, matter of factly, replies that these are not needed. As Michal’s traumatised mind begins to play increasing havoc with his rational thinking, he starts to question the meaning of life, the meaning of law and even the existence of God. No wonder Zulawski was forever at loggerheads with the Polish authorities and censors. Gradually, Michal descends deeper and deeper into madness and is confronted with a mysterious masked man, biblical prophecies, an unexpected twist (as much a shock for him as for us) and finally, the four horseman of the apocalypse. Despite the initial uproar, the film won the Polish ‘Andrzej Munk Award’ for ‘Best Debut’ in 1971 and two years later, the ‘Grand Prize’ at the Polish ‘Koszalin Film Festival’.

One year later, Zulawski annoyed the Polish authorities yet again with THE DEVIL, a warped, gory and frenzied tale of satanic seduction (and possession) during the Prussian invasion of Poland in the 17th century. In fact, this time round the authorities were so incensed by the director’s work, it was banned for sixteen years! Set during the tail end of the 18th century, a stranger (Wojciech Pszoniak), entirely clad in black, arrives on horseback and then enters a prison where Jakub (Leszek Teleszynski again, this time sporting a beard) is held on serious charges: he tried to assassinate the King together with fellow conspirators. The man in black frees Jakub and, providing him with a horse, orders him to return home. He also sends a young nun, Zakonnica (Monika Niemczyk), who is entirely clad in white, along with Jakub to keep him company. Wherever the odd pair ride to, the black-clad man (who may well be the Devil) follows them and pulls the invisible strings. Along his journey through dense forests, Jakub encounters a troupe of hedonistic actors who try to undress and seduce him. All the while, the nun seems incapable of any rational behaviour and instead remains in a passive state of stunned horror. Eventually, Jakub and the nun arrive at a luxurious country estate where a group of mainly young people dance in an uncontrolled way in the grand ballroom, looking more like possessed dervishes than elegant dancers. It turns out that one of the young women, Narzeczona (Malgorzata Braunek again), was told by Jakub’s former best friend and co-conspirator that he was killed. Consequently, Narzeczona married him instead. Now that she has spotted Jakub, she isn’t sure whether its his ghost or the real him. Things descend ever more into lunacy when Jakub visits his family home and finds his father dead, his estranged brother as devious as ever and his young sister demented. That’s because their father, before he died, repeatedly raped her and made sure that she is betrothed to Jakub’s half brother. Charming! Later on, Jakub visits his mother, who is the madam in a bordello, and has incestuous sex with her although she does not recognise her own son. As Jakub’s mind spins out of control and he seemingly becomes the puppet of the black-clad devil, he commits more and more gruesome murders but if you think you’ve seen it all, then wait until the climax. It will make your jaw drop! Best watched while in a state of lunacy!

Finally, Zulawski’s Sci-fi epic ON THE SILVER GLOBE, adapted from ‘The Lunar Trilogy’ by Polish novelist Jerzy Zulawski (director Andrzej Zulawski is the grandson of Jerzy’s brother). Filming began in 1976 but once again, one year later the Polish authorities took the decision to shut the production down with all the negatives destroyed. Luckily, the original film reels were preserved and it wasn’t until 1985 that the director accepted a proposal to complete the film. In 1988, it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival (some scenes sadly lost forever) where it was received to great acclaim. Set in the future, a group of dissident astronauts crash-land on an Earth-like planet (nothing futuristic, it all looks like a Polish town in the 1970s…) after having escaped from a degraded planet Earth. One of the astronauts succumbs to his injuries shortly after and only three survive: a woman called Marta (Iwona Bielska) and two men, Piotr (Jerzy Gralek) and Jerzy (Jerzy Trela). Since there is no way back to Earth and no communication either, the three decide to make the best of their situation and start a new society. Many months later, when Marta gives birth to her first child, the boy seems to grow much faster than humans grow up on Earth. Many months later still, an invisible enemy kills Piotr and Marta dies in childbirth – making Jerzy the sole survivor. Decades pass and Jerzy is now an old man, with the remaining human tribe at odds with him. They ‘new humans’ behave and dress in a feral manner (think Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, minus the fun) and look upon Jerzy as a demigod. The plot gets more and more convoluted from thereon, when a planetary scientist named Marek (Andrzej Seweryn) receives a video diary and decides to travel to the far away planet to investigate. Big mistake! Upon arrival and hailed as a being from another planet (Earth), Marek is mistaken for another God who has come to protect and free the human inhabitants from a race of bird-like, telepathic humanoid creatures called Sherns. Turns out that Marek was sent to the strange planet because back on Earth, his girlfriend had an affair with a fellow officer and both wanted to get rid of him. Despite this personal setback, Marek and the other humans successfully capture the leader of the Sherns but as Marek and his men enter the city of the Sherns, a falsely believed religious prophecy turns out to be a disaster for the banished scientist and his men….
Visually stunning and with hugely original costumes, this film is a tour de force in more ways than one, bringing the age-old questions about religion in society to the foreground.

The Limited Edition 2-disc box set (3000 copies only) is presented in a hardbound slipcase with Collector’s booklet and an array of Extra material including auio commentaries, interviews, video pieces plus documentaries. In Polish with optional English subtitles.