| What a circus that PRL was ... |
| Aktualności | |||
| Tuesday, 04 August 2009 00:00 | |||
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After ‘Interrogation’ was made, the Censorship didn’t allow to screen it for 7 years. But thanks to the underground and conspiracy it could see the daylight. It became a legend and after 30 years from its making, it could still arouse admiration in the audience of TWO RIVERSIDES festival. In ‘I Love Cinema’ Café we could meet Ryszard Bugajski, the director of this film. He paid a high price for his independence- he got fired from work on disciplinary grounds, he couldn’t direct any film and was forced to leave the country. In the book “How INTERROGATION was made” he described the way of creating an anti-communist manifesto in a Communist country. It’s about film issues but it also reveals the truth about the absurdity of our times. In the introduction he says: “A warning to future generations. What a circus that PRL was”. The author wants to equip young people interested in this film with the knowledge of the mechanisms governing the system, he wants them to understand what life was like back then. Bugajski decided to show it from the perspective of a victim. They started to search for subjects, people, they analyzed the data from prison records, they talked with those who were subjects to interrogation. Wanda Podgórska served as an important data source, as she spent many years imprisoned. Bugajski wrote a draft script, which was checked and completed. Then the final version was made into film. When he presented the first takes to Krystyna Janda, she wanted him to change them. She didn’t like the lights, her silhouette was hidden in the shadow. And in the scenes where she was playing with her face the camera was focused on her legs, hands nervously wedged between them, red nail polish scraped off on broken fingernails… They quarreled all the time, Edward Kłosiński told that if there weren’t any tensions while making the film, it would never become what it is. In addition, we have to take into consideration the situation in Poland- the strikes, plans for imposing martial law, constant insecurity. The artists put their private emotions into acting, directing. The fact that this subject had never been raised before gave them the strength to work In 1981 the film material was reviewed. Andrzej Wajda, then president of the Polish Film Association X, watched 25% of it and declared that he didn’t like it- the shooting, lights, directing. That was a dilemma- whether to listen to those who didn’t like it, do it again differently. He took the risk and didn’t change a thing. Luckily. As he says, it turned out he was right. He produced a groundbreaking film and started a revolution in the Polish cinema. Krystyna Janda was awarded a Golden Palm in Cannes for her part in ‘Interrogation’ and claims that it was the best role she ever played.
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