Jerzy Kawalerowicz

Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Born	19 January 1922(1922-01-19) Gwozdziec, Poland
Died	27 December 2007(2007-12-27) (aged 85) Warsaw, Poland
Occupation	Film director Screenwriter
Years active	1952 - 2001

Kawalerowicz's star on the Łódź Walk of Fame

Jerzy Kawalerowicz (January 19, 1922 – December 27, 2007) was a Polish film director. He is of Armenian and Ukrainian Jewish descent.

Born in Gwoździec, Poland, Jerzy Kawalerowicz was noted for his powerful, detail-oriented imagery and the depth of ideas in his films. After working as an assistant director, he made his directorial debut with the 1951 film The Village Mill (Gromada). He was a leading figure in the Polish Film School, and his films Shadow (Cień, 1956) and Night Train (Pociąg, 1959) constitute some of that movement's best work.

Other noted works by Kawalerowicz include Mother Joan of the Angels (Matka Joanna od aniolów, 1961) and a 1966 adaptation of Bolesław Prus' historical novel, Pharaoh, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.^[1][2]

In 1955 Kawalerowicz was appointed head of the prestigious KADR production unit. He held that position again in 1972. He always resisted pressures from the communist administration to produce propaganda films. His studio produced some of the best Polish movies by Andrzej Wajda, Tadeusz Konwicki and Juliusz Machulski. In 1976, he was the head of the jury at the 26th Berlin International Film Festival.^[3] Two years later, his film Death of a President won the Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution at the 1978 festival.^[4]

In 1983 he alienated some of his peers by signing communist government reports criticizing filmmakers aligned with Solidarity.^{[citation needed]} He died on December 27, 2007 in Warsaw, Poland. His last film, Quo Vadis, had the largest budget for a Polish movie as off 2011.^[2]

Selected filmography

• The Village Mill (Gromada, 1952)
• Celuloza (1953)
• Under the Phrygian Star (Pod gwiazdą frygijską, 1954)
• Shadow (Cień, 1956)
• The Real End of the Great War (Prawdziwy koniec wielkiej wojny, 1957)
• Night Train (Pociąg, 1959)
• Mother Joan of the Angels (Matka Joanna od Aniołów , 1961)
• Pharaoh (Faraon, 1966)
• Maddalena (1971)
• Death of a President (Śmierć prezydenta , 1978)
• Encounter on the Atlantic (Spotkanie na Atlantyku, 1980)
• Austeria (The Inn) (1983)
• The Hostage of Europe (Jeniec Europy, 1989)
• Bronstein's Children (Bronsteins Kinder, 1991)
• Quo Vadis? (2001)

References

1. ^ "The 39th Academy Awards (1967) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/39th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-11-09. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Quo Vadis back on screen". BBC Online (BBC). 2000-04-11. Archived from the original on 2009-02-17. http://www.webcitation.org/5eenv4Ur8. Retrieved 2009-02-17. 
3. ^ "Berlinale 1976: Juries". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1976/04_jury_1976/04_Jury_1976.html. Retrieved 2010-07-14. 
4. ^ "Berlinale 1978: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1978/03_preistr_ger_1978/03_Preistraeger_1978.html. Retrieved 2010-08-08. 

External links

• Jerzy Kawalerowicz at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview, 2001
• [1]

Persondata
Name	Kawalerowicz, Jerzy
Alternative names
Short description	Film director, Screenwriter
Date of birth	1922-1-19
Place of birth	Gwozdziec, Poland
Date of death	2007-12-27
Place of death	Warsaw, Poland