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1950s – 1990s

Polish Cinema

Polish film in and after the Communist era, from moral anxiety to humanist drama.

Polish film after 1945 was shaped by the war and by communist rule. In the 1950s the 'Polish School', led by Andrzej Wajda, Andrzej Munk and Wojciech Has, looked at the Resistance and occupation with irony and moral doubt, and Roman Polanski began with the strange, tense Knife in the Water. In the 1970s the 'Cinema of Moral Anxiety' of Krzysztof Zanussi, Wajda and Krzysztof Kieślowski examined everyday compromise in a regime of lies. After 1989, Kieślowski's Decalogue and Three Colours won world fame, and later directors such as Agnieszka Holland, Paweł Pawlikowski and Jerzy Skolimowski carried the tradition abroad.

Where
Poland
When
1950s to the 1990s, with later revivals
Key figures
Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Roman Polanski, Krzysztof Zanussi, Jerzy Skolimowski, Wojciech Has, Agnieszka Holland
Landmark films
Ashes and Diamonds (1958), Knife in the Water (1962), Man of Marble (1977), The Decalogue (1989)
Legacy
Combined moral seriousness with striking visual style, and shaped European art cinema

What to look for

  • Moral dilemmas in political settings
  • Strong symbols and visual poetry
  • History, war memory and resistance as recurring subjects

Famous Directors

Roman PolanskiPoland / FranceKrzysztof KieślowskiPolandAndrzej WajdaPolandJerzy SkolimowskiPolandAndrzej ŻuławskiPoland / FranceKrzysztof ZanussiPolandAgnieszka HollandPolandWojciech HasPoland

Top films · 79 films

  1. The Pianist 2002 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 8.5
  2. Chinatown 1974 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 8.1
  3. A Short Film About Love 1988 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 8.1
  4. Rosemary's Baby 1968 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 8.0
  5. Three Colours: Red 1994 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 8.0
  6. Kanal 1957 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.9
  7. A Short Film About Killing 1988 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.9
  8. The Promised Land 1975 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.8
  9. Three Colours: Blue 1993 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.8
  10. Camera Buff 1979 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.8
  11. Ashes and Diamonds 1958 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.7
  12. The Saragossa Manuscript 1965 · Wojciech Has · IMDb 7.7
  13. Blind Chance 1987 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.7
  14. Man of Marble 1977 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.6
  15. The Noose 1957 · Wojciech Has · IMDb 7.6
  16. The Double Life of Véronique 1991 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.6
  17. Three Colours: White 1994 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.6
  18. Repulsion 1965 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 7.5
  19. The Tenant 1976 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 7.5
  20. Europa Europa 1990 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 7.5
  21. Olivier, Olivier 1992 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 7.5
  22. Danton 1983 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.4
  23. Korczak 1990 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.4
  24. Knife in the Water 1962 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 7.4
  25. The Hourglass Sanatorium 1973 · Wojciech Has · IMDb 7.4
  26. Innocent Sorcerers 1960 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.3
  27. Man of Iron 1981 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.3
  28. Tess 1979 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 7.3
  29. Moonlighting 1982 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 7.3
  30. The Third Part of the Night 1971 · Andrzej Żuławski · IMDb 7.3
  31. Camouflage 1977 · Krzysztof Zanussi · IMDb 7.3
  32. The Secret Garden 1993 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 7.3
  33. How to Be Loved 1962 · Wojciech Has · IMDb 7.3
  34. Bitter Moon 1992 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 7.2
  35. The Ghost Writer 2010 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 7.2
  36. An Officer and a Spy 2019 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 7.2
  37. Possession 1981 · Andrzej Żuławski · IMDb 7.2
  38. A Generation 1955 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.1
  39. Deep End 1970 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 7.1
  40. On the Silver Globe 1988 · Andrzej Żuławski · IMDb 7.1
  41. A Year of the Quiet Sun 1984 · Krzysztof Zanussi · IMDb 7.1
  42. Illumination 1973 · Krzysztof Zanussi · IMDb 7.1
  43. The Constant Factor 1980 · Krzysztof Zanussi · IMDb 7.1
  44. Angry Harvest 1985 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 7.1
  45. Katyn 2007 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.0
  46. Afterimage 2016 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 7.0
  47. Cul-de-sac 1966 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 7.0
  48. The Fearless Vampire Killers 1967 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 7.0
  49. Mr. Jones 2019 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 6.9
  50. Everything for Sale 1969 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 6.8
  51. Frantic 1988 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 6.8
  52. Walkover 1965 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 6.8
  53. Barrier 1966 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 6.8
  54. Four Nights with Anna 2008 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 6.8
  55. Charlatan 2020 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 6.8
  56. EO 2022 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 6.7
  57. Washington Square 1997 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 6.7
  58. Spiral 1978 · Krzysztof Zanussi · IMDb 6.6
  59. Identification Marks: None 1964 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 6.5
  60. The Shout 1978 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 6.5
  61. The Public Woman 1984 · Andrzej Żuławski · IMDb 6.4
  62. Total Eclipse 1995 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 6.4
  63. Green Border 2023 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 6.4
  64. Samson 1961 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 6.3
  65. Julie Walking Home 2002 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 6.3
  66. Spoor 2017 · Agnieszka Holland · IMDb 6.3
  67. Pan Tadeusz 1999 · Andrzej Wajda · IMDb 6.1
  68. Essential Killing 2010 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 6.1
  69. My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days 1989 · Andrzej Żuławski · IMDb 6.0
  70. 11 Minutes 2015 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 5.7
  71. Cosmos 2015 · Andrzej Żuławski · IMDb 5.7
  72. La Fidélité 2000 · Andrzej Żuławski · IMDb 5.6
  73. Structure of Crystals 1969 · Krzysztof Zanussi
  74. Dekalog 1989 · Krzysztof Kieślowski
  75. Burning Bush 2013 · Agnieszka Holland
  76. The Young Ladies of Wilko 1979 · Andrzej Wajda
  77. Farewells 1958 · Wojciech Has
  78. The Doll 1968 · Wojciech Has
  79. Hands Up! 1967 · Jerzy Skolimowski