Groundbreaking Films According to Piotr Zawojski

Barbara Kita

Abstract

A book review of Piotr Zawojski's Great Films at the Turn of the Century. A Subjective Guide (Wielkie filmy przełomu wieków. Subiektywny przewodnik). The book presents the most important films that were made in the last 16 years, beginning with Ken Loach's Riff-Raff (1990) and ending with Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain (2005). The reviewer points to the subjective nature of the guide, and to the fact that making a selection of the most important films that would satisfy everybody is next to impossible. Kita notices that the book is written in a style that makes the readers accept the views presented as their own. One of the best features of the book is the fact that specialist nomenclature and the people (such as Sontag, Baudrillard, Virilio, Debord, Greenaway, Lynch or Haneke) that one simply needs to know in order to appreciate and understand the world of culture (and not just film culture) are introduced in an easy to understand manner. Zawojski also discusses the state of audiovisual culture, the status of an artist and the importance of technology. Kita considers this reflection - hiding behind the presentation of particular films - to be the most important element of the book and its actual substance.