Man of Iron (1981)
"Czlowiek z zelaza" (original title)

A worker becomes a "man of iron" forged by experience, a son comes to terms with his father, a couple fall in love, a reporter searches for courage, and a nation undergoes historic change. ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrzej Wajda

Writer:

Aleksander Scibor-Rylski (scenario)

Stars:

Jerzy Radziwilowicz, Krystyna Janda, Marian Opania

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerzy Radziwilowicz	...	Maciej Tomczyk / Mateusz Birkut
Krystyna Janda	...	Agnieszka
Marian Opania	...	Winkel
Wieslawa Kosmalska	...	Wieslawa Hulewicz
Irena Byrska	...	Matka Hulrwicz
Boguslaw Linda	...	Dzidek
Lech Walesa	...	Himself
Anna Walentynowicz	...	Herself
Jerzy Borowczak	...	Himself (as Stanislaw J. Borowczak)
Zbigniew Lis	...	Himself
Teodor Kudla	...	Himself
Franciszek Trzeciak	...	Badecki
Janusz Gajos	...	Z-Ca Szefa
Andrzej Seweryn	...	Kapt. Wirski
Marek Kondrat	...	Grzenda

Storyline

A worker becomes a "man of iron" forged by experience, a son comes to terms with his father, a couple fall in love, a reporter searches for courage, and a nation undergoes historic change. In Warsaw in 1980, the Party sends Winkel, a weak, alcoholic TV hack, to Gdansk to dig up dirt on the shipyard strikers, particularly on Maciek Tomczyk, an articulate worker whose father was killed in the December 1970 protests. Posing as sympathetic, Winkel interviews people who know Tomczyk, including his detained wife, Agnieszka. Their narrations become flashbacks using actual news footage of 1968 and 1970 protests and of the later birth of free unions and Solidarity.

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Plot Keywords:

1970s | protest | worker | union | 1980s | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Release Date:

27 July 1981 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Man of Iron

Filming Locations:

Central Station, Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Polski, Zespól Filmowy "X"

Technical Specs

Runtime:

153 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first, and so far only, sequel to win the Golden Palm at Cannes.

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Quotes

Maciej Tomczyk: You know why? Because students and workers all act alone. When we moved; they held back; now they're moving and we're scared. We'll always lose this way.

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Connections

Follows Man of Marble (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Piosenka dla Corki"
Lyrics by Krzysztof Kasprzyk
Music by Maciej Pietrzyk

User Reviews

One of the most important films from arguably the most important film movement in cinema history - the "Films of Moral Anxiety".

This film movement, while in no way the most important film movement artistically, considerably helped morally support and unite the Poles into a decade long, almost nation-wide rebellion against the Communist party which bloomed into the freeing of the Polish state from Soviet rule. This was a catalyst for the break-up of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, the end of the cold war, and a new stability in Europe, and indeed the world. Only taking this into account can one watch "Czlowiek z Zelaza" and truly appreciate how powerful this film is.