Pan Tadeusz (1999)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Andrzej Wajda

Writers:

Adam Mickiewicz (poem)
Jan Nowina-Zarzycki (writer)

Release Date:

21 January 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | War

Plot Keywords:

Battle | Poland | Lithuania | Invasion | Napoleon Bonaparte

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Boguslaw Linda	...	Jacek Soplica / Priest Robak
Daniel Olbrychski	...	Gerwazy
Grazyna Szapolowska	...	Telimena
Andrzej Seweryn	...	Sedzia Soplica
Marek Kondrat	...	Count Horeszko
Krzysztof Kolberger	...	Adam Mickiewicz
Sergei Shakurov	...	Rykow (as Siergiej Szakurow)
Jerzy Binczycki	...	Maciej Królik-Rózeczka
Alicja Bachleda-Curus	...	Zosia Horeszkówna
Michal Zebrowski	...	Tadeusz Soplica (Pan Tadeusz)
Jerzy Trela	...	Podkomorzy
Jerzy Gralek	...	Wojski
Marian Kociniak	...	Protazy
Piotr Gasowski	...	Rejent
Andrzej Hudziak	...	Asesor

Also Known As:

Pan Tadeusz - Quand Napoléon traversait le Niemen (France)
Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania (International: English title)

Runtime:

Argentina:127 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival) | Germany:125 min (Berlin Film Festival) | Japan:154 min

Country:

Poland | France

Language:

Polish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Spain:7 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | France:U

Filming Locations:

Józefów, Poland

Company:

Apollo Film

Trivia:

The first showing of this film was at a private screening in the Vatican attended by Pope John Paul II and Andrzej Wajda.

Movie Connections:

Version of Pan Tadeusz (1928)

Mediocre film based on a literary masterpiece

That's very true: this film's redeeming quality (if any) are the dialogues, and also narrator's voice-overs, which have been taken verbatim from "Pan Tadeusz", the Polish 19th century verse epic by Adam Mickiewicz. Mickiewicz was an excellent poet (one of the strongest in Polish language, and of decent standing in European literature of 19th century), and "Pan Tadeusz", written in 1834, is one of his peak works. The text, written in syllabotonic rhymed verse, is at time funny, at times touching, but always flowing and vibrant. The epic tells a story from the lives of Polish lesser gentry in eastern part of the former Commonwealth of Poland (these parts are now in Lithuania or Byelarus) in the times of Napoleon's conquests. The plot includes a little bit of love story, a little bit of war (skirmishes, really), mystery, intrigue, resistance against Poland's occupiers, scenes of everyday life - all with a good measure of nostalgia thrown in, as it was written by Mickiewicz as emigree in Paris, with the patriotic goal to cheer up (literally, in Polish, "to strengthen the hearts") of other emigrees and of Poles in the partitioned and non-existing Poland, at the time shortly after yet another unsuccessful uprising against the Russian Empire.

"Pan Tadeusz", the movie, is a costume drama directed by Andrzej Wajda, the Polish director with some notable previous work under his belt. Into this film he brings mainly his experience and routine as filmmaker. The acting, with few exceptions, fails to impress, the actors simply mill around and recite the splendid lines by Mickiewicz. The camera-work is passable, with some nice shots of the beautiful locations. Also scenography and costumes are decent. What stands out is the music by the renowned Wojciech Kilar. But then again, it is standing out against the backdrop of a, frankly, not very exciting movie.

All in all: the most interesting feature of this film is unfortunately lost in translation from rhymed verse in 19th century Polish.