Screen as Battlefield

Marek Haltof and Piotr Zwierzchowski discuss an impressive corpus of films which, with few exceptions, is little known outside Poland. Many of these films have often been the source of heated debate due to the subject matter, deemed sensitive for historical or political reasons. In this way, the book, authored by two authorities in the field of Polish cinema, provides a major contribution to our knowledge of the last 30 years of Polish cinema, including the industrial, political, and historical sources that have shaped it and will resonate with audiences in both the English-speaking world and in Poland. * Dorota Ostrowska, Senior Lecturer, Birkbeck, University of London, UK *
This impeccably researched book covers a vast range of motion pictures that grapple with the tensions of postwar – and especially post-Communist - Poland. Having carefully watched over 100 films, the authors illuminate the intersections of political history and cinematic representation. This timely study reminds us that in Poland, movies matter. * Annette Insdorf, Film Professor, Columbia University, USA, and author of Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust *
History did not end with the collapse of communism, and neither did Polish cinema’s intricate engagement with the past, which has continued to be shaped—just as before—by the politics of the present. Zwierzchowski and Haltof offer a sweeping panorama of post-1989 films that grapple with the regions and the country’s tumultuous twentieth-century history, from the interwar years, through the Second World War and the Holocaust, to the communist era. The breadth of their coverage is matched by the depth of their insights, resulting in an account that is both comprehensive and consistently engaging. * Izabela Kalinowska-Blackwood, Associate Professor, Stony Brook University, USA *