Man of Iron (1981)

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 6 wins & 3 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	...	Lech Walesa
Anna Walentynowicz	...	Anna Walentynowicz
Jerzy Borowczak	...	Stanislaw J. Borowczak (as Stanislaw J. Borowczak)
Zbigniew Lis	...	Zbigniew Lis
Teodor Kudla	...	Teodor Kudla
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:

worker | shipyard | 1970s | solidarity | protest | 

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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:

156 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lech Walesa has an acting role in the movie as the wedding guest of Agnieszka and Maciej, making him the only Nobel Prize winner to have an acting part in a film that won the Golden Palm.

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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

Referenced in Walesa. Czlowiek z nadziei (2013)

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Soundtracks

Piosenka dla Corki
Lyrics by Krzysztof Kasprzyk
Music by Maciej Pietrzyk

User Reviews

Poland triumphs...as does Wajda

What you need to know about "Man of Iron":

1. Palme D'Or 1981

2.Wajda's sequel to "Man of Marble"

3.Sweet-a** performances from Poland's acting elite

****NOTE**** Ok, you really do have to have a Warsaw-pact historical/political background when approaching this film, because it's compactly interwoven into flashback sequences recalling various anti-commie events (worker's movements and so on). And yes, that's mustachioed Lech Walesa making a cameo. If you have no idea what the Solidarnost movement was read up before watching this. Of course, the emotional and thus universal element is present (Maciek and Agnieska's love, etc) but this is mostly a story of survival and determination in the face of corruption and political hostilities. Polish people took amazing steps against their government as early as the late 60s, and here we see the triumphant and climactic finish to these efforts. Wajda incorporates interesting documentary footage within the film to make it more effective and appealing to his audience.

See "Man of Iron" and feel nostalgia for the times when Eastern Europe saw change as a forthcoming and hopeful force. Classic.