Reflections of a Media-Conscious Man

Marek Hendrykowski

Abstract

Hendrykowski explores the phenomenon of Polish films in a period of Socialist realism, and argues that the doctrine, which came officially into force during the Filmmakers’ Congress in the locality of Wisła in November 1949, had manifested itself much earlier. There were two things behind this. Firstly, shortly after World War 2 the hard core of most active film makers was a group of people who had started their careers in the film industry before WW2. They came from the left-leaning stream of the “Start” association. Secondly, the cinema of Socialist realism took advantage of artistic tricks and genre patterns tested in a popular cinema before the war. Hence, popular prewar actors were eagerly cast in new films, which attracted spectators to cinemas. Socialist realism was introduced in cinematic art in the first post-war years but overtones disrupting the purity of centrally imposed principles from the Stalinist Soviet Union were communicated in a disguised form in films in a peculiar game in the triangle of “the authorities – artists – audience”.