Witek runs after a train. Three variations follow on how such a seemingly banal incident could influence the rest of Witek's life.Witek runs after a train. Three variations follow on how such a seemingly banal incident could influence the rest of Witek's life.Witek runs after a train. Three variations follow on how such a seemingly banal incident could influence the rest of Witek's life.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 1 nomination
- mez Werki
- (uncredited)
- dzialacz ZSMP
- (uncredited)
- Buzek
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough the movie was made in 1981, it had its premiere in 1987. The delay was because of state-imposed censorship due to the film's political content.
- Quotes
1. Werner: I intend to give you my current thoughts on an idea I've been committed to for 40 years. Every generation yearns for light. It needs reassurance and faith that the world can be better and a fairer place. This yearning which is older than Marx and younger than Marx, is like a drug. Early in life it brings joy, because the light seems so near and within reach. At life's end it brings bitterness, because the light has grown once again. In these 40 years I've lived through many things and the light seems further away than ever before, and thus I shouldn't encourage you, but you can be sure of one thing: without bitterness and this hope, life would be pitiful indeed.
- Alternate versionsThe film was scheduled for release in 1981, but was suppressed by the Polish government due to its criticism of Communist regime. The film was eventually released in 1987 with some of the politically sensitive material cut (these cuts totalling roughly 9 minutes). The film has since been released in a uncut form, however one of the scenes involving Witek being beaten by the train guard remains lost.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Century of Cinema: 100 lat w kinie (1995)
I don't feel it's a spoiler to alert the audience that in all three scenarios tragedy strikes. In fact tragedy strikes so often that the fatalism imbued throughout made me wonder what the fellow with the beer was up to. Even the events before the fated train ride has Witek's father passing away. In each scenario Witek comes across three possible lovers and three possible father figures, all of which force Witek to accept a version of truth in bad faith and he always ends up damaged goods.
And who is Witek for that matter? What foundations do we have to truly know a person whose deeply felt political beliefs can be so drastically changed by the catching of a train? We get a quiet moment with Witek and love interest #2 Werka (Trybala) where Witek retells the history of his family; how his great-grandfather took part in an uprising or how his grandfather fought the soviets etc. Yet even in a moment of heart-to-heart we're always calculating where Witek's place is in the larger picture, unable to grasp at what would otherwise be an emotional scene. There's a ring of hollowness to everything he does simply because we're always aware he's chained to his fate. He's not so much a character as he is a vessel for Kieslowski's cold and cobbled thought experiment. Thus when we get to the nexus of Kieslowski's political message, the structure with which it's based on falls apart.
While being a thought experiment, the film does give it's audience a pretty interesting tour of post-martial-law Poland. In the late 70's and early 80's pro-democracy movements sprouted all throughout the countryside. In 1980, the largest group was Solidarity, a self- governing labor union that at one point constituted one third of the total working population of the country. The single party communist state saw Solidarity and various student movements as threats to their power and on December 1981, Poland banned such organizations, instilled a curfew in major cities and sealed national borders. While martial law lasted until 1983, the resilience of opposition activists led to flagrant and open protests in the mid and late 80's. We all know what happened next. If you're looking for a much more comprehensive history lesson, may I suggest Andrzej Wajda's Man of Marble (1976) and Man of Iron (1981). As it stands Blind Chance's clever inserts of contemporary history are just that, clever inserts.
Amid the history and the slow, prosaic plot lies a strong political statement that has been completely undermined by the film's framework. I expected the somber humanism that made the Colors Trilogy (1993- 1994) so engrossing yet what I got was the blunted causal pessimism that similarly plagues A Short Film About Killing (1988) of it's message. Don't fall for the hype on this one.
- bkrauser-81-311064
- Jul 18, 2016
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- Der Zufall - möglicherweise
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