The Revenge (2002)
"Zemsta" (original title)

A winter day at a Polish castle, half owned by a fatalistic notary and half by a volcanic old soldier's niece. The old soldier, Cupbearer, and the notary are sworn enemies, which may doom ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrzej Wajda

Writers:

Aleksander Fredro (play), Andrzej Wajda

Stars:

Roman Polanski, Janusz Gajos, Andrzej Seweryn

8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roman Polanski	...	Józef Papkin
Janusz Gajos	...	Czesnik Maciej Raptusiewicz
Andrzej Seweryn	...	Rejent Milczek
Katarzyna Figura	...	Podstolina Hanna
Daniel Olbrychski	...	Dyndalski
Agata Buzek	...	Klara Raptusiewiczówna
Rafal Królikowski	...	Waclaw Milczek
Lech Dyblik	...	Smigalski
Cezary Zak	...	Perelka (cook of Czesnik)
Jerzy Nowak	...	Michal Kafar (bricklayer #1)
Tadeusz Wojtych	...	Maciej Mietus (bricklayer #2)
Henryk Golebiewski	...	Bricklayer #3
Jerzy Slonka	...	Priest
Magdalena Smalara	...	Rózia - Klara's maid
Grazyna Zielinska	...	Cookie of Czesnik

Storyline

A winter day at a Polish castle, half owned by a fatalistic notary and half by a volcanic old soldier's niece. The old soldier, Cupbearer, and the notary are sworn enemies, which may doom the love between the niece, Klara, and the notary's son, Waclaw. On this day, the tongue-tied Cupbearer asks a braggart courtier, Papkin, to sue on his behalf for the hand of the widow Hanna. Papkin succeeds and the wedding is set for the next day. In response, the notary plots to marry Waclaw to the widow to upend Cupbearer's plans. When Cupbearer learns of this perfidy, he responds with his own plot. Will there be poison, a duel, kidnapping, and imprisonment; or, will fate bring another solution?

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Plot Keywords:

based on play

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Release Date:

4 October 2002 (Poland)

Also Known As:

The Revenge

Filming Locations:

Bernardine Church of St Anthony of Padua, Czerniaków, Mokotów, Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland

Box Office

Budget:

PLN 6,700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arkafilm, Telewizja Polska (TVP), Vision Film Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The part of Smigalski was first offered to Cezary Pazura and Marek Walczewski.

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Connections

Version of Zemsta (1957)

User Reviews

Funniest film I saw in a long time.

Wajda has done a superb job in bringing Fredra's 19th century allegorical play (a high school must-read in Poland) to the Silver Screen. Polanski's portrayal of Papkin is excellent, he is exactly the way Polish impoverished petty gentry of his time were. The other characters are likewise beautifully portrayed caricatures. Olbrychski in a smaller role is unrecognizable, so good is his immersion in the role of the loyal old servant.

The choice of texture and color and location was handled very well. Those unfamiliar with Polish history should view the movie as an allegory of internal division. It's a perfect movie for our current American climate where the right and the left are at odds with each other.