Man of Marble (1976)

Not only is Andrzej Wajda’s award-winning Man of Marble one of the most important films in the history of Polis cinema, it is also one of the most compelling attacks on government corruption ever made. It is a Citizen Kane-styled story where Wajda introduces us to a young woman in Krakow, Agnieszka, who is making her thesis film. She is looking behind the scenes at the life of a 1950s bricklayer, Birkut, who was briefly elevated to the status of a communist hero. She wants to know how his heroism was created and what became of him. She gets a hold of censored footage and interviews with the man’s friends and ex-wife, and the filmmaker who made him a hero. A portrait of Birkut emerges as a man who believed in the socialist ideals, the workers revolution, and in building housing for all. However, the young filmmaker’s hard-driving style and the content of her film unnerve her supervisor, who thinks it’s getting too close to a political nerve. The film project is killed with the excuse she is over budget, but the young filmmaker pushes forward against all odds to finish her film.

Man of Marble

One of Wajda's most politically daring films, "Marble" was censored upon release, yet it resonates with the same animus for corruption that ultimately drove the Soviets from power. Agnieszka's difficulties with a wary producer and the reluctance of her interview subjects to speak on-camera parallel the story of an idealized worker, movingly depicted by Radziwilowicz, banished for challenging Party authority. Employing a "Citizen Kane"-like story structure, Wajda cleverly satirizes both the filmmaking impulse as well as government distortions of truth. July 4, 2007

Excellent story

I still remember Birkut - the man who this movie is based around. The story is stunningly powerful. To me, it epitomizes the role the state plays in a socialist/communist setup. However, what I liked best about this movie, is the extensively detailed character portrait you can build of any one character in this movie.

Every single character, however small his/her role, displays distinct (and different) characteristics - which taken in part, or as a whole, display the life in Poland perfectly at the time this movie was shot.

It is a beautiful, wonderful piece of art. August 31, 2005

A serious warning about the crash of the Communism!

This movie owns that golden touch which characterizes the immortal masterpieces . Wajda made a superb film against the double moral of the struggling Comunist system .
A lost statue in memory of a revolution hero will be the mysterious device to search the truth behind the nasty tearful au revoir of the false homage around a serious disturbance for the Status Quo .
You know as well as me the Totalitarian Regimes hate everything which works out of control because the free will is obviously a clear danger for the State surviving . The statement is very simple : Everybody must be inside the average . And you know what this means : the average always equalize but to bottom , if you are very good in a special field you are beyond the average and this is considered as a deadly sin for this Govern System .
Rememeber those words of Millan Astray : Dead the intelligence . Or Goering sentence : *When I hear the word culture I show the gun *.
And that is what it happened in this case when a extremely naive man deeply convinced about the Regime kindness decides in the name of the State to show how he and his team are capable to built a house in just one day .
The man becomes a popular hero; a raising mass symbol but without the support of the Governement ; so this may be well a double edge weapon .
So the dark arm of the establishment will turn the fate of this man in the great day with a merciless and casual? accident .
This brave film is really absorbing from start to finnish , and you will be involved step by step with this haunting story .
I have not a shadow of doubt this remarkable work was one of the multiple red light signals which would carry to the Perestroika a decade after .
Sublime, terrific, poignant and extraordinary film of this outstanding polish filmmaker.
October 27, 2004

"Man of Marble" sparks fire against censorship/communism

At a time when Poles became more and more frustrated with communist oppression, along comes Andrzej Wajda with MAN OF MARBLE. Not only does his film speak to a broad Polish audience, but it manages to mobilise them together in a fight for democracy that would last over a decade. The film itself is very entertaining and provides a story-within-a-story concept, following a young Polish student, Agneszka, and her struggles to complete her student film thesis. Incorporating some documentary stock footage, Wajda creates a solid piece of Polish cinema that reflects the real struggles and heritage of his fellow countrymen. Definitely a must for the world cinema enthusiast and Eastern European history buff. (Personally, I cannot wait to have Wajda's Man of Iron on DVD) January 28, 2004

A film about making a film

"Czlowiek z Marmuru," directed by Andrezej Wajda, is a story about a student making a film about a bricklayer that was idolized in the 1950s, and then denounced. She uncovers more and more details of what happened to him by interviewing people that knew him (that tell her their story) and viewing film clippings about him (which are shown in black-and-white). Between tracking down details in the present time (1976), watching black-and-white newsreels from the 1950s, and the stories various people tell (flashbacks), the film is a captivating mystery that unfolds, while holding your attention.

"Czlowiek z Marmuru" (1976) is 156 minutes, spoken in Polish, and has optional English subtitles. September 9, 2003

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