Camera Buff (1979)

Filip buys an eight-millimetre movie camera when his first child is born. Because it's the first camera in town, he's named official photographer by the local Party boss. His horizons widen... See full summary »

Director:

Krzysztof Kieslowski

Writers:

Krzysztof Kieslowski (scenario), Krzysztof Kieslowski (dialogue)

Stars:

Jerzy Stuhr, Malgorzata Zabkowska, Ewa Pokas

6 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerzy Stuhr	...	Filip Mosz
Malgorzata Zabkowska	...	Irka Mosz
Ewa Pokas	...	Anna Wlodarczyk
Stefan Czyzewski	...	Director
Jerzy Nowak	...	Stanislaw Osuch
Tadeusz Bradecki	...	Witek Jachowicz
Marek Litewka	...	Piotrek Krawczyk
Boguslaw Sobczuk	...	Kedzierski
Krzysztof Zanussi	...	Self
Andrzej Jurga	...	Self
Alicja Bienicewicz	...	Jaska
Tadeusz Rzepka	...	Wawrzyniec
Aleksandra Kisielewska	...	Hania, secretary
Wlodzimierz Maciudzinski	...	Stelmaszczyk
Roman Stankiewicz	...	Czeslaw

Storyline

Filip buys an eight-millimetre movie camera when his first child is born. Because it's the first camera in town, he's named official photographer by the local Party boss. His horizons widen when he is sent to regional film festivals with his first works but his focus on movie-making also leads to domestic strife and philosophical dilemmas.

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Plot Keywords:

home movie camera | communist poland | 1970s | cine camera | birth of a child | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's opening scene and Irka's nightmare about a hawk killing a chicken are reminiscent of Ken Loach's Kes (1969) -- a film about a boy who takes to training a wild kestrel in order to escape his troubled life. Later, Filip can be seen reading a filmmaking text and turning to a section about Ken Loach and Kes (1969). This reference is twofold. First, Filip is clearly inspired by filmmakers like Loach in making social realist films about working-class people. Second, Irka is tormented by images mirroring Kes (1969) which represent her husband's budding obsession with this type of filmmaking.

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Quotes

Witek Jachowicz: What are you filming?
Filip Mosz: Anything that moves.

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Connections

Features Camouflage (1977)

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Soundtracks

Staropolskim obyczajem
Lyrics by J. Odrowaz
Music by A. Skorupka & W. Kruszynski
Performed by Zofia & Zbigniew Framer with band

User Reviews

a great director's early work

One of the most ambitious early works of Kieslowski, AMATOR, or CAMERABUFF is a great work, sadly not too well know by the world. I accidentally stumbled upon this film at my local video store, and noticed that Jerzy Stuhr was on the cover (the lead role). i have always liked Stuhr's acting, so i decided to pick it up. i also noticed that this was a film by K. Kieslowski, giving me even more reason to take this film out. after popping this movie into the VCR, the first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful, yet fore-shadowing, close-up, sun lit shot of the the bird (a recurring camera technique used by Kieslowski). the film was shot in a very minimalistic, and the narrative was very involving. Fascinatingly enough, the film starts out at a "high point", where all the characters seem at peace and ease, and then plunges down to a miserable low. the feeling at the end of the movie is in-describable... i recommend this Krzysztof Kieslowski film anyone really interested in his work. it was a very good early piece.

Details

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Release Date:

14 February 1980 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Camera Buff

Filming Locations:

Katowice Central Railway Station - Szewczyka Square 2, Katowice, Slaskie, Poland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Polski, Zespol Filmowy "Tor"

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1