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Man of Marble

Original title: Czlowiek z marmuru
  • 1977
  • 2h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
Man of Marble (1977)
Drama

A young Polish filmmaker sets out to find out what happened to Mateusz Birkut, a bricklayer who became a propaganda hero in the 1950s but later fell out of favor and disappeared.A young Polish filmmaker sets out to find out what happened to Mateusz Birkut, a bricklayer who became a propaganda hero in the 1950s but later fell out of favor and disappeared.A young Polish filmmaker sets out to find out what happened to Mateusz Birkut, a bricklayer who became a propaganda hero in the 1950s but later fell out of favor and disappeared.

  • Director
    • Andrzej Wajda
  • Writer
    • Aleksander Scibor-Rylski
  • Stars
    • Krystyna Janda
    • Jerzy Radziwilowicz
    • Tadeusz Lomnicki
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    4.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Andrzej Wajda
    • Writer
      • Aleksander Scibor-Rylski
    • Stars
      • Krystyna Janda
      • Jerzy Radziwilowicz
      • Tadeusz Lomnicki
    • 18User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos81

    Man of Marble (1977)
    Jerzy Radziwilowicz in Man of Marble (1977)
    Jerzy Radziwilowicz in Man of Marble (1977)
    Jerzy Radziwilowicz in Man of Marble (1977)
    Krystyna Janda in Man of Marble (1977)
    Jerzy Radziwilowicz in Man of Marble (1977)
    Krystyna Janda in Man of Marble (1977)
    Krystyna Janda in Man of Marble (1977)
    Jerzy Radziwilowicz in Man of Marble (1977)
    Jerzy Radziwilowicz in Man of Marble (1977)
    Man of Marble (1977)
    Man of Marble (1977)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Krystyna Janda
    Krystyna Janda
    • Agnieszka
    Jerzy Radziwilowicz
    Jerzy Radziwilowicz
    • Mateusz Birkut…
    Tadeusz Lomnicki
    Tadeusz Lomnicki
    • Jerzy Burski
    Jacek Lomnicki
    • Young Burski
    Michal Tarkowski
    Michal Tarkowski
    • Wincenty Witek
    Piotr Cieslak
    • Michalak
    Wieslaw Wójcik
    Wieslaw Wójcik
    • Jodla
    Krystyna Zachwatowicz
    Krystyna Zachwatowicz
    • Hanka
    Magda Teresa Wójcik
    Magda Teresa Wójcik
    • Editor
    Boguslaw Sobczuk
    Boguslaw Sobczuk
    • TV Producer
    Leonard Zajaczkowski
    • Leonard Zajaczkowski, Cameraman
    Jacek Domanski
    Jacek Domanski
    • Soundman
    Irena Laskowska
    Irena Laskowska
    • Museum Employee
    Zdzislaw Kozien
    Zdzislaw Kozien
    • Agnieszka's Father
    Wieslaw Drzewicz
    Wieslaw Drzewicz
    • Hanka's Husband
    Kazimierz Kaczor
    Kazimierz Kaczor
    • Colonel
    Ewa Zietek
    Ewa Zietek
    • Secretary
    Elzbieta Borkowska
    Elzbieta Borkowska
    • Casting Attendant
    • Director
      • Andrzej Wajda
    • Writer
      • Aleksander Scibor-Rylski
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The award Burski is flaunting at the airport on his return was Wajda's own award, hence Burski is a mock self-portrait.
    • Connections
      Edited into Sauve la vie (qui peut) (2006)

    User reviews18

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    What ever happened to Mateusz Birkut?
    "Czlowiek z marmuru" ("Man of Marble") goes to tells us the story of a filmmaker (Krystyna Janda) who wants to make as a film thesis a documentary about one of the heroes of Poland's communist regime, a simple man named Mateusz Birkut (Jerzy Radziwilowicz), a bricklayer who was famous for building housing for all the people, and that made him a cult figure in his country. She is trying to find Birkut, a popular figure that vanished without any explanation and she'll try to discover what happened with this mythic figure. Interviewing those who knew him and watching old footage of him, the filmmaker will make a great work about this man but her bosses who owns the funds (the Socialist government funds) for the film's realization are not very happy with her film, thinking that this might be a damaging project for them.

    If the story sounds a little like "Citizen Kane" well, be ready for countless flashbacks, back and forth in the past of Birkut, and an almost inconclusive ending just like Welles masterpiece. But wait! The ending of this journey appears in "Man of Iron" (1981), also directed by the great Andrzej Wajda.

    "Man of Marble" (term that refers to the propagandistic marble statues made in Birkut's image) is a powerful and brilliant story about the importance of past in the lives of everyone, it's the thing that makes us look for the future with better eyes, and in the film, we are constantly dragged down to it in order to get some answers about Birkut's future: Is he alive? Is he dead? Why he disappeared? Not just that, it is a great accomplish in showing how documentaries are made, both the protagonist work but the ones made up by the government, where Birkut and his friends were "trained" to appear important in front of camera. And, of course, a political and historical background that reveals many things about Poland and how strict the society were back in the 1950's and even in the 1970's with an absolute control on everything filmed, said and all.

    Unique in many senses, "Man of Marble" present us the sad reality of Communism with masked realities where everything presented as good but in the surface it wasn't all good, and Birkut realizes that after a painful incident and after the suspicion that his friend was a spy, something that he never agreed, and that made him fight with the ones who put him on a good position among people, the government.

    It is a well made film, with terrific performances by the cast, and a magnificent screenplay that knows how to evoke many times, many periods of Poland without being confusing (something that was problematic in its sequel), everything works fine. Bravo, Mr. Wajda. 10/10
    helpful•9
    0
    • Rodrigo_Amaro
    • Mar 6, 2011

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 25, 1977 (Poland)
    • Country of origin
      • Poland
    • Language
      • Polish
    • Also known as
      • Človek iz marmorja
    • Filming locations
      • Gdansk Shipyard, Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland
    • Production companies
      • Film Polski Film Agency
      • Zespól Filmowy "X"
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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