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Eroica (1958 film)

January 01, 1970

Eroica (released in some territories as Heroism) is a 1958 Polish film by Andrzej Munk, and his second feature film after Man on the Tracks (1956). Eroica is composed of two separate stories, presenting satirical critiques of two aspects of the Polish character: acquisitive opportunism, and a romantic fascination for heroic martyrs.[1]

Eroica
Directed byAndrzej Munk
Written byJerzy Stefan Stawiński
StarringEdward Dziewoński
Tadeusz Łomnicki
Leon Niemczyk
CinematographyJerzy Wójcik
Music byJan Krenz
Distributed byKADR
Release date
  • 1958 (1958)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryPoland
LanguagePolish

The film’s title is an ironic reference to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Third Symphony, which the composer initially dedicated to then French head Consulate Napoleon Bonaparte. When Napoleon declared himself Emperor, Beethoven, a devout republican, withdrew the dedication in disgust and titled the work simply “Eroica.”[2]

Eroica premiered on Polish Television in 1972 and depicts wartime couriers crossing the Tatra Mountains.[3][4]

Eroica won the FIPRESCI Award at the 1959 Mar del Plata Film Festival.

Synopsis edit

Scherzo Alla Pollacca edit

The first part is a bitter, tragicomic story of Dzidziuś ("Babyface"), a street-wise bon-vivant, drunkard, and coward who unwillingly joins the Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising. Dzidziuś' wife, Zosia, is having an affair with a Hungarian officer and Dzidziuś reluctantly becomes the messenger between the Home Army and the Hungarian unit, which is considering changing sides.[5]

Ostinato Lugubre edit

The second part is set in a POW camp for Polish soldiers. Lt. Zawistowski, one of the internees, decides to attempt to escape. While none of his fellow inmates are sure whether he succeeded, his absence upsets the guards and provides hope and inspiration for the prisoners. Soon his legend grows, making him a hero within the camp and helping to boost the prisoners' morale. However, it turns out that Lt. Zawistowski didn't actually follow through on his escape plans, but is hiding in the attic of one of the barracks. It turns out that he was hiding from his colleagues, whose ostentatious patriotism he simply could not stand.[6]

Cast edit

Critical Assessment edit

Historian Dorota Niemitz offers this on the cinematography of Eroica:

Some of the director’s experiments with camera work and the “theatrical” use of space in certain scenes (an individual in a large space versus groups stuck in a small one), are less successful and fail to create a cohesive unity. So Eroica becomes a bit tiresome, and leaves the viewer with the feeling of an unfinished piece that does not entirely live up to its ambitious aspirations.[7]

See also edit

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ Niemitz, 2014: “In Eroica, Munk criticizes both the opportunism and the national romantic tradition that demanded heroic sacrifice, showing how crippling these attitudes, two sides of the same coin, were to Poles throughout history…”
  2. ^ Niemitz, 2014: “Ending both portions of the film with the irony of success turning into failure, coupled with a reference to Beethoven’s Third (“Eroica” or Heroic) Symphony, shows Munk to be a master of tragicomedy.”
  3. ^ Haltof, Marek (2002-01-01). Polish National Cinema. Berghahn Books. pp. 106–107. ISBN 9781571812766.
  4. ^
  5. ^ Niemitz, 2014: “...Babyface…”
  6. ^ Niemitz, 2014: “The pride and honor of the movie’s heroes are contrasted with the submissiveness of the majority of the prisoners, who, protected by the Geneva Convention, manage to “normalize” life in the camp through food-eating contests and festivals.”
  7. ^ Niemitz, 2014

Sources edit

External links edit

January 01, 1970
eroica, 1958, film, eroica, released, some, territories, heroism, 1958, polish, film, andrzej, munk, second, feature, film, after, tracks, 1956, eroica, composed, separate, stories, presenting, satirical, critiques, aspects, polish, character, acquisitive, opp. Eroica released in some territories as Heroism is a 1958 Polish film by Andrzej Munk and his second feature film after Man on the Tracks 1956 Eroica is composed of two separate stories presenting satirical critiques of two aspects of the Polish character acquisitive opportunism and a romantic fascination for heroic martyrs 1 EroicaDirected byAndrzej MunkWritten byJerzy Stefan StawinskiStarringEdward DziewonskiTadeusz LomnickiLeon NiemczykCinematographyJerzy WojcikMusic byJan KrenzDistributed byKADRRelease date1958 1958 Running time87 minutesCountryPolandLanguagePolish The film s title is an ironic reference to Ludwig van Beethoven s Third Symphony which the composer initially dedicated to then French head Consulate Napoleon Bonaparte When Napoleon declared himself Emperor Beethoven a devout republican withdrew the dedication in disgust and titled the work simply Eroica 2 Eroica premiered on Polish Television in 1972 and depicts wartime couriers crossing the Tatra Mountains 3 4 Eroica won the FIPRESCI Award at the 1959 Mar del Plata Film Festival Contents 1 Synopsis 1 1 Scherzo Alla Pollacca 1 2 Ostinato Lugubre 2 Cast 3 Critical Assessment 4 See also 5 Footnotes 6 Sources 7 External linksSynopsis editScherzo Alla Pollacca edit The first part is a bitter tragicomic story of Dzidzius Babyface a street wise bon vivant drunkard and coward who unwillingly joins the Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising Dzidzius wife Zosia is having an affair with a Hungarian officer and Dzidzius reluctantly becomes the messenger between the Home Army and the Hungarian unit which is considering changing sides 5 Ostinato Lugubre edit The second part is set in a POW camp for Polish soldiers Lt Zawistowski one of the internees decides to attempt to escape While none of his fellow inmates are sure whether he succeeded his absence upsets the guards and provides hope and inspiration for the prisoners Soon his legend grows making him a hero within the camp and helping to boost the prisoners morale However it turns out that Lt Zawistowski didn t actually follow through on his escape plans but is hiding in the attic of one of the barracks It turns out that he was hiding from his colleagues whose ostentatious patriotism he simply could not stand 6 Cast editEdward Dziewonski as Dzidzius Tadeusz Lomnicki as Lt Zawistowski Barbara Polomska as Zosia Ignacy Machowski as the Home Army Major Leon Niemczyk as the Hungarian officer Kazimierz Opalinski as the Home Army commander of Mokotow Kazimierz Rudzki as Lt Turek Henryk Bak as Lt Krygier Roman Klosowski as Szpakowski Bogumil Kobiela as Lt Dabecki Stanislaw Bareja as a Home Army soldier Witold Pyrkosz as Kardas Wojciech Siemion as Lt MarianekCritical Assessment editHistorian Dorota Niemitz offers this on the cinematography of Eroica Some of the director s experiments with camera work and the theatrical use of space in certain scenes an individual in a large space versus groups stuck in a small one are less successful and fail to create a cohesive unity So Eroica becomes a bit tiresome and leaves the viewer with the feeling of an unfinished piece that does not entirely live up to its ambitious aspirations 7 See also editCinema of Poland List of Polish language filmsFootnotes edit Niemitz 2014 In Eroica Munk criticizes both the opportunism and the national romantic tradition that demanded heroic sacrifice showing how crippling these attitudes two sides of the same coin were to Poles throughout history Niemitz 2014 Ending both portions of the film with the irony of success turning into failure coupled with a reference to Beethoven s Third Eroica or Heroic Symphony shows Munk to be a master of tragicomedy Haltof Marek 2002 01 01 Polish National Cinema Berghahn Books pp 106 107 ISBN 9781571812766 BFI org Niemitz 2014 Babyface Niemitz 2014 The pride and honor of the movie s heroes are contrasted with the submissiveness of the majority of the prisoners who protected by the Geneva Convention manage to normalize life in the camp through food eating contests and festivals Niemitz 2014Sources editNiemitz Dorota 2014 The legacy of postwar Polish filmmaker Andrzej Munk World Socialist Web Site 13 October 2014 https www wsws org en articles 2014 10 13 munk o13 html Retrieved 8 July 2022 External links editEroica at IMDb nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Eroica 1958 film amp oldid 1223694524, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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