The making of a legend – the making of memories. December 1970 in feature films. Cover Image

Kreacja legendy – kreacja pamięci. Grudzień ’70 w filmie fabularnym.
The making of a legend – the making of memories. December 1970 in feature films.

Author(s): Andrzej Szpulak
Subject(s): Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts
Published by: Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Wójcik; Jerzy; Lament (Skarga; 1991); Polish cinema; Polish history; massacre on the coast of northern Poland in 1970 in feature films; Polish identity.

Summary/Abstract: The author divides the text into two parts. In the first one he describes feature films dealing with the massacre on the coast of northern Poland in 1970. He sees it as a process of revealing recent past hitherto unrepresented on film, but also one that cannot be fully shown on film. Particularly important here is the microanalysis of Jerzy Wójcik’s "Lament" ("Skarga", 1991), a film that previously has not been analysed in depth. In the second part the author carries out a basic analysis of myth-creating that takes place in several films dealing with December 1970, that take on a particularly sacrificial dimension. The author identifies presentation of an iconic character, and shows the versatility of documentary citations, and directs the whole reflection towards the identification of specific components of Polish identity.

  • Issue Year: 2012
  • Issue No: 77-78
  • Page Range: 270-281
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Polish