The Meaning(less) of Life in the Early Films of Wojciech Jerzy Has
Abstract
The paper argues that the early films of Wojciech J. Has, namely Pętla (Loop, 1957), Wspólny pokój (A Shared Room, 1959) and Złoto (Gold, 1961), convey the idea or a sensation that life has no ultimate or deeper meaning. However, one can also identify a certain trajectory in Has’s films: Loop is the most pessimistic of Has’s films; in Gold the author is closer to affirming life, although the film still comes across as rather pessimistic. Mazierska tries to identify reasons for the pessimism of Has’s films by emphasising the link between Has’s characters and those populating existential works, which were very influential at the time Has made his films. The author of the paper also points to their transformation, marked by gradual diminishing of their existential aspect; this being replaced by socialist realism. She also argues that the transformation in Has’s early cinema can be seen in terms of the shift from tragedy to melodrama. The essay is also informed by a discussion of Has’s approach to gender and comparison of his films to those made by Jerzy Skolimowski at a similar time.
Keywords:
Wojciech Jerzy Has, existentialism, Jerzy SkolimowskiReferences
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Authors
Ewa Mazierskakwartalnik.filmowy@ispan.pl
University of Central Lancashire United Kingdom
Profesor w departamencie dziennikarstwa i mediów na University of Central Lancashire w Preston w Wielkiej Brytanii. Opublikowała m.in. Słoneczne kino Pedra Almodóvara (2007) oraz wydane po angielsku From Moscow to Madrid: European Cities, Postmodern Cinema (2003), Dreams and Diaries: The Cinema of Nanni Moretti (2004), Crossing New Europe: The European Road Movie (2006) - wszystkie wespół z Laurą Rascaroli), a także Women in Polish Cinema (2006) z Elżbietą Ostrowską, Polish Postcommunist Cinema: From Pavement Level (2007), Roman Polanski: The Cinema of a Cultural Traveller (2007) oraz Masculinities in Polish, Czech and Slovak Cinema (2008). Jest też współredaktorką pracy Relocating Britishness (2004).
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