Cinema as Deconstruction of Memory: On Acting in 1918-1939

Krystyna Duniec

Abstract

The conventional memory relating to Poland's pre-war acting is subjective; it eradicates negative experiences, preserving only spectators' admiration and critical reception. The researcher's memory brings them back and while re-constructing conventional memory; it assumes that it fails to perform the function and to communicate what is true. When we see outstanding theatre actors on the screen in a pre-war Poland, we usually see - as Duniec and other critics and theoreticians argue - just a semblance of the talent presented on the stage. In films these great actors not infrequently happened to be their theatrical caricature as they could not find a proper equivalent for the means of expression used on the stage. The then cinematic technology also did not make it possible to fully present their acting skills. Duniec wonders why the acting of some actors appears to be outdated while the performance of others remains as fresh as in the past. She also describes the realities of the cinematography of 1918-1939 and actors' selection and directing criteria.