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Battle of Warsaw 1920

Original title: 1920 Bitwa Warszawska
  • 20112011
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
4.4/10
2K
YOUR RATING
Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
  • Drama
  • History
  • Romance
Different strata of Polish society oppose communist aggression from Soviet Russia. Love lives on a par with war.Different strata of Polish society oppose communist aggression from Soviet Russia. Love lives on a par with war.Different strata of Polish society oppose communist aggression from Soviet Russia. Love lives on a par with war.
IMDb RATING
4.4/10
2K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Jerzy Hoffman
  • Writers
    • Jerzy Hoffman
    • Jaroslaw Sokól
  • Stars
    • Daniel Olbrychski
    • Natasza Urbanska
    • Borys Szyc
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jerzy Hoffman
  • Writers
    • Jerzy Hoffman
    • Jaroslaw Sokól
  • Stars
    • Daniel Olbrychski
    • Natasza Urbanska
    • Borys Szyc
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 20User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 nominations

    Photos15

    Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Daniel Olbrychski in Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Michal Zebrowski in Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Lukasz Garlicki in Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Aleksandr Domogarov and Borys Szyc in Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Lukasz Garlicki in Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
    Borys Szyc and Natasza Urbanska in Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Daniel Olbrychski
    Daniel Olbrychski
    • Józef Pilsudski
    Natasza Urbanska
    Natasza Urbanska
    • Ola Raniewska
    Borys Szyc
    Borys Szyc
    • Jan Krynicki
    Jerzy Bonczak
    Jerzy Bonczak
    • Capt. Kostrzewa
    Adam Ferency
    Adam Ferency
    • Bukowski
    Boguslaw Linda
    Boguslaw Linda
    • Boleslaw Wieniawa-Dlugoszowski
    Ewa Wisniewska
    Ewa Wisniewska
    • Actress Ada
    Aleksandr Domogarov
    Aleksandr Domogarov
    • Kryshkin
    • (as Aleksander Domagarow)
    Olga Kabo
    Olga Kabo
    • Sofiya Nikolayevna
    Adam Strzelecki
    • Wincenty Witos
    • (as Andrzej Strezelecki)
    Michal Zebrowski
    Michal Zebrowski
    • Premier Wladyslaw Grabski
    Rafal Cieszynski
    Rafal Cieszynski
    • Kowalewski
    Lukasz Garlicki
    Lukasz Garlicki
    • Ignacy Skorupka - Priest
    Piotr Glowacki
    Piotr Glowacki
    • Anatol
    Wojciech Solarz
    Wojciech Solarz
    • Samuel
    Viktor Balabanov
    • Vladimir Lenin
    • (as Wiktor Balabanow)
    Jaroslaw Boberek
    Jaroslaw Boberek
    • Paproch
    Stanislawa Celinska
    Stanislawa Celinska
    • Zdzisia
    • Director
      • Jerzy Hoffman
    • Writers
      • Jerzy Hoffman
      • Jaroslaw Sokól
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film takes place from August 12 to August 25, 1920.
    • Goofs
      The band playing 'The Internationale' has no percussion instruments, even though percussion can be heard.
    • Soundtracks
      Spiewka 1920
      Written by Krzesimir Debski

      Performed by Natasza Urbanska & Borys Szyc

    User reviews20

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Unrefined and rough but mostly riveting (see it in 2D)
    My starting point for this film was no knowledge of this famous battle (and I imagine a good many people from outside central/eastern Europe know little about it either), which made this film a real cultural education.

    If films were like singing, this film would be a rowdy pub singalong rather than a finely nuanced choral mass, but by the end of it, I didn't mind one bit. There are a few functions it should fulfill: to tell the amazing story of this battle (I had to educate myself afterward, and it really is an amazing episode) as well as to say something about Poland's place in the world, and explain something about Polish mentality, particularly with respect to Russia. It more or less succeeds on all fronts, even while lurching from almost slapstick comedy (a beloved art form in Eastern European film) to the horrors of war to the important military strategising scenes.

    The nightclub scenes are really well done, with some great stage numbers, which although incidental to the main story, lend authenticity. The two leads - one a soldier, one the night club star singer are warm characters, and the rest of the cast are good too. The war scenes are not only visceral and realistic, but historically fascinating. At the point in time of this battle, the old technologies of canon and horse were competing with machine guns and armoured cars. But in 1920, machine guns often jammed (the downside), but were becoming lighter and nearly portable (the upside), while armoured cars were not much more than a T-model Ford covered in steel sheets, undoubtedly with limited range and speed. This meant that no single technology was decisive: in the end, a Polish cavalry charge is what sends the Bolsheviks fleeing, even though they had greater numbers and more 'new' technology.

    Some scenes are set in the halls of the Kremlin and involve the conversations of Lenin, Stalin, and others as they plan the attack, justified by what seems today an absurd concept of a pan-European (and then global) socialist nirvana. It's hard to believe anyone could even think in such abstract terms, with a complete disregard for real human lives and indeed entire countries and cultures, but we know of course that it was only too real.

    It would have been easy for this film to be a breast-beating Polish nationalist pride statement, but it absolutely avoids that stance, and in doing so I suspect would make many Polish people proud of what their forebears achieved in this battle, and how they are perceived today. For me, with little knowledge of Polish culture, it was a real eye-opener into issues such as the historical antipathy for Russia, and the insecurity of even being Polish during a century of invasion. The Polish general Jozef Pilsudski is portrayed as a real person, rather than a heroic personification of his erstwhile legend, and in doing so, allows us to reconstruct the legend for ourselves.

    One complaint: the 3D is terrible (I didn't realise it was 3D until too late). I really hate 3D, and I found it terribly disturbing when trying to focus, particularly on battle scene long shots. Let's give this 3D mania up now before too much money is spent on it - it adds nothing, and detracts from the great cinematography.

    I recommend anyone who doesn't know much about Poland to go and see this film - you will learn a lot. And anyone who likes cinema with real heart and soul should see it as well. As for Polish people reading this, all I can say is that I am glad to see such an important episode in your history finally on the big screen.
    helpful•23
    12
    • wolandscat
    • Oct 16, 2011

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 30, 2011 (Poland)
    • Country of origin
      • Poland
    • Languages
      • Polish
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Cuộc Chiến Ở Ba Lan 1920
    • Filming locations
      • Wolica Sniatycka, Lubelskie, Poland
    • Production company
      • Zodiak Jerzy Hoffman Film Production Sp. z o.o.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • PLN 27,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $8,417,043
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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