13th TNH IFF: Screenings at the Market Square in Wrocław - "Pan Tadeusz" by Ryszard Ordyński

During the 13th T-Mobile New Horizons IFF, a reconstructed version of the 1928 movie Pan Tadeusz, directed by Ryszard Ordyński, will be screened at the Market Square in Wrocław. The show will be accompanied by orchestral live music composed by Tadeusz Woźniak.

This movie is admirable, arousing interest in the masterpiece of Polish literature, and the director, who embarked on the seemingly impossible quest to capture the style of Mickiewicz with a camera (...)  deserves sincere gratitude from the viewers. This an excerpt from the review of Pan Tadeusz (dir. R. Ordyński, 1928) published by "Warsaw Gazette" at the time. After over eighty years, another generation of viewers will receive a chance to see one of the biggest cinematic production of the interwar period and the first screen adaption of the national epic by Adam Mickiewicz.

The festive premiere of Pan Tadeusz took place on 9 November 1928 in Warsaw. The movie was heralded by press as "a screen reincarnation of the immortal masterpiece from Adam Mickiewicz", a grand motion picture to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Polish independence. At 5.45 pm, the Philharmonic Concert Hall at 5 Jasna Street saw the arrival of state dignitaries, members of the Council of Ministers, diplomats, President Mościcki with his wife and Marshal Piłsudski with the family. The introductory speech was given by Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski. All of ticket proceeds went to charity causes.

The movie was highly acclaimed, meeting with enthusiastic reviews and many commendations from cultural figures such as Zofia Nałkowska, Jan Lechoń, or Antoni Słonimski. The cast included some of the most prominent actors of the time. Even cameos were entrusted to renowned pros. The movie Pan Tadeusz depicts the most important and impressive scenes of the epic. The film crew also arranged for a proper setting: the movie was shot at the Czombrów estate, near Świteź, which was often visited by Mickiewicz in his youth. According to literature researchers, Czombrów was the inspiration behind Mickiewicz's Sopliców. Interior decoration, costumes and props were consulted with a team of experts, and the battle scenes featured soldiers from the 1st Marshal Piłduski Chevau Leger Regiment and the 4th Transneman Ulhan Regiment. Curiously, the director himself appeared on the screen as one of the officer cameos at the engagement party.

More on the movie, its reconstruction, and the music