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ABOUT CULTURE - 10.2008
The triumph of ‘King Roger'
One of the most interesting events at this year’s theater festival in Edinburgh was the staging of Karol Szymanowski’s ‘King Roger,’ directed by Mariusz Treliński, and which had been presented earlier at the Maryjski Theater in St. Petersburg. This opera by the Polish composer (1882-1937) has become one of Polish culture’s main export products in recent years. It is difficult to imagine today that ten years ago ‘King Roger’ was only known to a very limited group of music lovers. The breakthrough came at the end of 1999 and the beginning of 2000, when a recording by the British conductor Simon Rattle led world critics to acknowledge the Polish opera as a contemporary masterpiece. From then on, the work has celebrated one spectacular triumph after another. Next year, premieres of ‘King Roger’ are scheduled at the Parisian Opera and in Barcelona.
'33 scenes from life'
The film ‘33 scenes from life’ by the Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska received a Special Jury Prize at the 2008 Locarno Film Festival. The festival in Locarno is one of the four most important film festivals in the world (the others being in Cannes, Berlin and Venice). The Polish director’s film attracted the interest of distributors from many countries around the world. The Polish premiere of Szumowska’s film will take place at the Warsaw Film Festival. ‘33 scenes from life’ is a very personal story about the experience of losing a close family member, and how it affects the family and changes everyone’s lives ‘ especially that of Julia (played by the German actress Julia Jentsch), the main character in the film; it is through her eyes that we observe the events of the story.
Singing giraffes
Jarek Kamiński (born in 1974) is a physically handicapped artist with a wonderful imagination and talent for painting. He works and lives in Lublin at the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Social Care Center. The artist’s favorite motif is happy, colorful, singing giraffes. His pictures are impressive for their expressiveness, warmth and luminosity. Kamiński’s giraffes give a feeling of dynamism, expression and love for life. Such is the spirit of this young artist from Lublin, whose works are already being viewed at exhibitions in many cities around Poland.
About Poles in Great Britain
For the first time in the history of Polish television, a series will be made about the fortunes of Poles who are living in Great Britain. According to Polish sociologists, this is proof that the phenomenon of emigration to the Isles has become a permanent part of Polish reality. The creators of the series ‘Londyńczycy’ ‘ ‘Londoners’ (pictured) ‘ present the fortunes of eight characters, among them a history teacher who does not speak English and ends up being a dishwasher at a bar. There are also characters like a young couple who wants to earn money for their wedding party, a manager working at construction sites, and a waitress who dreams of becoming a model. The series will be appearing on television in October. Part of the dialogues will be in English.
Polish Magda in Russia
Sony Pictures Television International, one of the leading producers of television shows in the world, has bought the rights from the Polish commercial TV station TVN to produce ‘Magda M,’ which was a popular series in our country. The agreement will allow for the realization of a local version of the adventures of a female, big city lawyer in Russia, and the former soviet republics. It is the second series to be sold by Polish producers for purposes of producing a local version for the Russian market. The first one was ‘M jak miłośÊ’ (ÑL is for Loveî), the Russian version of which has already been broadcasted in Russia for a year.
Wezyr Merefnebef in Warsaw
In 1998, a team of Polish archeologists under the direction of Professor Karol Myśliwiec from Warsaw discovered the tomb Merefnebef in Egypt, which is more than 4,200 years old, from the times of the Old Kingdom. The lid of the sarcophagus had been left slightly opened; the bones of the mummy were in disarray, which means that grave robbers had already stolen the original gold and robes. Since tourists do not have access to the tomb, Polish archeologists decided to create a life-sized replica of it, made out of a material similar to egyptian limestone. The design has already been made by an engineer from Poznań, Daria Tarara. The chapel will be 9 meters long, and 4 meters in height and width. The model will be shown at museums in Poland and abroad, and its permanent home will be the National Museum in Warsaw.
A Polish-German film
When a little boy named Staś was 10 years old, Germans came to his house and threw his entire family out. During their wanderings he lost his parents and was then sent to work in the Nazi Third Reich. Now, his dramatic story will be told in a film which is being made by Telewizja Polska (Polish Television) with the German Beta Film company. The movie will be called ‘Ojczyzna wam matką b’dzie’ (ÑThe Fatherland will be your motherî) and its fact-based script received an award in a competition organized by Polish Television. In the picture: Displacement of Poles. The Nazis gave them 30 minutes to pack their belongings.
Historical Yiddish cinema
Before the war ‘ meaning until 1939, Jewish cinema in the Yiddish language was flourishing. Still, that cinema tradition died along with its Jewish audience. Today, using digital technology to copy images, it is being rediscovered. Yiddish films let us see shtetls (orthodox communities) which have survived only in Hassidic enclaves in Israel and the United States. Many of these films were Polish-American co-productions. After their premieres in Europe, they were shown in New York ‘ the opposite of the way today’s Hollywood hits are presented. Recently, a few of these films were presented at the Festival of Yiddish Film Art in Białystok. There is a sizeable collection of Yiddish films at the Steven Spielberg Film Archives at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In the picture: a scene from the film ‘Dybuk’ (Der Dibuk) directed by Michał Waszyński.
One of the most interesting events at this year’s theater festival in Edinburgh was the staging of Karol Szymanowski’s ‘King Roger,’ directed by Mariusz Treliński, and which had been presented earlier at the Maryjski Theater in St. Petersburg. This opera by the Polish composer (1882-1937) has become one of Polish culture’s main export products in recent years. It is difficult to imagine today that ten years ago ‘King Roger’ was only known to a very limited group of music lovers. The breakthrough came at the end of 1999 and the beginning of 2000, when a recording by the British conductor Simon Rattle led world critics to acknowledge the Polish opera as a contemporary masterpiece. From then on, the work has celebrated one spectacular triumph after another. Next year, premieres of ‘King Roger’ are scheduled at the Parisian Opera and in Barcelona.
'33 scenes from life'
The film ‘33 scenes from life’ by the Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska received a Special Jury Prize at the 2008 Locarno Film Festival. The festival in Locarno is one of the four most important film festivals in the world (the others being in Cannes, Berlin and Venice). The Polish director’s film attracted the interest of distributors from many countries around the world. The Polish premiere of Szumowska’s film will take place at the Warsaw Film Festival. ‘33 scenes from life’ is a very personal story about the experience of losing a close family member, and how it affects the family and changes everyone’s lives ‘ especially that of Julia (played by the German actress Julia Jentsch), the main character in the film; it is through her eyes that we observe the events of the story.
Singing giraffes
Jarek Kamiński (born in 1974) is a physically handicapped artist with a wonderful imagination and talent for painting. He works and lives in Lublin at the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Social Care Center. The artist’s favorite motif is happy, colorful, singing giraffes. His pictures are impressive for their expressiveness, warmth and luminosity. Kamiński’s giraffes give a feeling of dynamism, expression and love for life. Such is the spirit of this young artist from Lublin, whose works are already being viewed at exhibitions in many cities around Poland.
About Poles in Great Britain
For the first time in the history of Polish television, a series will be made about the fortunes of Poles who are living in Great Britain. According to Polish sociologists, this is proof that the phenomenon of emigration to the Isles has become a permanent part of Polish reality. The creators of the series ‘Londyńczycy’ ‘ ‘Londoners’ (pictured) ‘ present the fortunes of eight characters, among them a history teacher who does not speak English and ends up being a dishwasher at a bar. There are also characters like a young couple who wants to earn money for their wedding party, a manager working at construction sites, and a waitress who dreams of becoming a model. The series will be appearing on television in October. Part of the dialogues will be in English.
Polish Magda in Russia
Sony Pictures Television International, one of the leading producers of television shows in the world, has bought the rights from the Polish commercial TV station TVN to produce ‘Magda M,’ which was a popular series in our country. The agreement will allow for the realization of a local version of the adventures of a female, big city lawyer in Russia, and the former soviet republics. It is the second series to be sold by Polish producers for purposes of producing a local version for the Russian market. The first one was ‘M jak miłośÊ’ (ÑL is for Loveî), the Russian version of which has already been broadcasted in Russia for a year.
Wezyr Merefnebef in Warsaw
In 1998, a team of Polish archeologists under the direction of Professor Karol Myśliwiec from Warsaw discovered the tomb Merefnebef in Egypt, which is more than 4,200 years old, from the times of the Old Kingdom. The lid of the sarcophagus had been left slightly opened; the bones of the mummy were in disarray, which means that grave robbers had already stolen the original gold and robes. Since tourists do not have access to the tomb, Polish archeologists decided to create a life-sized replica of it, made out of a material similar to egyptian limestone. The design has already been made by an engineer from Poznań, Daria Tarara. The chapel will be 9 meters long, and 4 meters in height and width. The model will be shown at museums in Poland and abroad, and its permanent home will be the National Museum in Warsaw.
A Polish-German film
When a little boy named Staś was 10 years old, Germans came to his house and threw his entire family out. During their wanderings he lost his parents and was then sent to work in the Nazi Third Reich. Now, his dramatic story will be told in a film which is being made by Telewizja Polska (Polish Television) with the German Beta Film company. The movie will be called ‘Ojczyzna wam matką b’dzie’ (ÑThe Fatherland will be your motherî) and its fact-based script received an award in a competition organized by Polish Television. In the picture: Displacement of Poles. The Nazis gave them 30 minutes to pack their belongings.
Historical Yiddish cinema
Before the war ‘ meaning until 1939, Jewish cinema in the Yiddish language was flourishing. Still, that cinema tradition died along with its Jewish audience. Today, using digital technology to copy images, it is being rediscovered. Yiddish films let us see shtetls (orthodox communities) which have survived only in Hassidic enclaves in Israel and the United States. Many of these films were Polish-American co-productions. After their premieres in Europe, they were shown in New York ‘ the opposite of the way today’s Hollywood hits are presented. Recently, a few of these films were presented at the Festival of Yiddish Film Art in Białystok. There is a sizeable collection of Yiddish films at the Steven Spielberg Film Archives at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In the picture: a scene from the film ‘Dybuk’ (Der Dibuk) directed by Michał Waszyński.
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Information published at 12 October 2008
