Man of Marble (1977)
"Czlowiek z marmuru" (original title)

In 1976, a young woman in Krakow is making her diploma film, looking behind the scenes at the life of a 1950s bricklayer, Birkut, who was briefly a proletariat hero, at how that heroism was... See full summary »

Director:

Andrzej Wajda

Writer:

Aleksander Scibor-Rylski

Stars:

Jerzy Radziwilowicz, Krystyna Janda, Tadeusz Lomnicki

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerzy Radziwilowicz	...	Mateusz Birkut / Maciej Tomczyk
Krystyna Janda	...	Agnieszka
Tadeusz Lomnicki	...	Jerzy Burski
Jacek Lomnicki	...	Young Burski
Michal Tarkowski	...	Wincenty Witek
Piotr Cieslak	...	Michalak
Wieslaw Wójcik	...	Jodla
Krystyna Zachwatowicz	...	Hanka
Magda Teresa Wójcik	...	Editor
Boguslaw Sobczuk	...	TV Producer
Leonard Zajaczkowski	...	Leonard Zajaczkowski, Cameraman
Jacek Domanski	...	Soundman
Irena Laskowska	...	Museum Employee
Zdzislaw Kozien	...	Agnieszka's Father
Wieslaw Drzewicz	...	Hanka's Husband

Storyline

In 1976, a young woman in Krakow is making her diploma film, looking behind the scenes at the life of a 1950s bricklayer, Birkut, who was briefly a proletariat hero, at how that heroism was created, and what became of him. She gets hold of outtakes and censored footage and interviews the man's friends, ex-wife, and the filmmaker who made him a hero. A portrait of Birkut emerges: he believed in the workers' revolution, in building housing for all, and his very virtues were his undoing. Her hard-driving style and the content of the film unnerve her supervisor, who kills the project with the excuse she's over budget. Is there any way she can push the film to completion?

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Plot Keywords:

hero | interview | filmmaker | friend | housing | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Release Date:

25 February 1977 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Man of Marble

Filming Locations:

Gdansk Shipyards, Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Polski Film Agency, Zespól Filmowy "X"

Technical Specs

Runtime:

165 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Show (2003)

User Reviews

The filmmaker within this film is a real spitfire!

I'm surprised that this great film hasn't gotten more comments. In any case, the previous reviews really nail the film pretty well. I only want to add that the filmmaker within the film, Agnieszka (played by Krystyna Janda), is such a fiercely dedicated artist that she really commands our attention in every scene she's in. Sneaky, smart, with a deep cunning and a sly sense of humor, she is the real hero of the film. I love the many scenes where she steals mischievous glances at her co-workers while collecting the provocative material for her film.

Watch for the scene where she kicks her sound man in the shin. Also especially memorable is her encounter with a more successful film director, who she must persuade to be interviewed. She simply walks up to his car, bends down and looks in at him, with a blank expression on her face, and stares at him. It's as if she's persuading him by sheer force of will! Truly a great film, and a great performance.