A Reverence for the Irreverent | PIOTR GZOWSKI
At a garden party under an arbor of grape vines, one of the guests asked me how many films I have watched over my lifetime, and who among those films were my favorite director and film star. A question like that is difficult to answer, especially for someone who watches almost everything. My answer was – quite a lot. As for who appeals to me changes frequently depending on my film palate at the moment. However, a follow up question made for an easier response . Of all the films, which director’s and which actor’s films which would I watch repeatedly? The two names that came immediately to mind were - the director Wladyslaw Pasikowski, and the actor Boguslaw Linda. Two film artists who, coincidentally, also collaborated on several of my favorite films.
After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Polish cinema underwent a significant change. Prior to that, all films produced in Poland were under the scrutiny of the Polish Ministry of Culture who reviewed the screenplays and awarded funding to films that were deemed worthy of “social commitment”. Nevertheless, despite what openly seems like direct censorship, Polish cinema was able to offer an excellent assortment of movies from filmmakers like Andrzej Wajda (Ashes and Diamonds (1958), Man of Marble (1976)) and Krzystof Zanussi (Camera Buff (1979), the Constant Factor (1980)), to mention two. But, for the most part, directors tended to travel outside the Polish borders to create motion pictures in places that offered them more artistic freedom and control. Roman Polanski, for example, after being awarded the 1963 Oscar as the Best Foreign Language Film for Knife in the Water (which originally had been denied funding by the Ministry of Culture for lacking content of “social commitment”) emigrated from Poland to the U.S. to create Chinatown (1974) , a film which has become a cult favorite. Prior to the 90s, communist authorities in Poland allowed American action films to be shown, but despite the enormous appeal of those films to Polish audiences, funded none internally. After 1989, everything changed. The restrictions of the Ministry of Culture waned, and because Poland now emerged into the international commercial market, Polish cinema went into direct competition for audiences whose tastes tended toward the action films of the West. Within this environment a new school of filmmakers emerged that accepted the challenge.
Among the vanguard was Wladyslaw Pasikowski whose films introduced a darker, almost nihilistic vision of humanity. The Polish hero in prior years was always depicted as an altruistic, courageous social warrior struggling against a society of political and economic oppression. Pasikowski, on the other hand, introduced the anti-hero, a person with an intrinsically strong character, personal courage, and attractive intelligence whose goal in life was not so much to oppose a system but simply to survive it. In his first film Kroll (1991), several Polish Army officers bypass military protocols to find a deserter before the Military Prosecutor becomes involved. In the Demons of War (1998) an officer in the new NATO-allied Polish Army, fighting in the Bosnian War of the 90s, countermands direct orders from his superiors in an effort to rescue a journalist captured by the Serbs. In the 1992 film Psy (which literally translates to Dogs, but which was released for the international market under the title Pigs), Pasikowski introduced a tale about former communist Polish policemen who worked as crime trackers (therefore the title Psy, or Dogs,) who, after the change of the regime, were faced with an entirely different concept of policing. By 2001, Pasikowski offered one of his most interesting films - Reich, a gangster movie about two Polish hitmen involved in a deal gone wrong between the Polish and German mafia.
Pasikowski’s talent as a filmmaker is his ability to introduce to screen the underbelly of the human psyche, a toughness of character expressed in the basest terms. He is considered by some in the Polish industry as controversial because of his keenness to stage uncomfortable situations and to illustrate traits of human nature which some find unappealing, but aspects which are all an integral part of his storytelling. Since 1991 he has produced fourteen films. Psy (Pigs) 3 (a now established trilogy) which was recently released in 2020, is steadily on its way to becoming a cult favorite. His themes are irreverent, but he delivers them with such a reverence that the viewer cannot help but be lured into the stories.
The acting hub of Pasikowski’s films is Boguslaw Linda. Linda, educated at the Krakow School of Dramatic Arts, is one of the most sought-after actors in the contemporary Polish film industry. Since 1987, he has starred in over forty films, directed three and written one. He has worked with the some of the brightest stars of Polish directing - Krzystof Kieslowski, Andrzej Wajda, Agnieszka Holland, Wladyslaw Pasikowski – and despite avoiding the spotlight of celebrity, continues his craft with an admirable enthusiasm.
The most appealing thing about Linda as an actor is his range. Whether he portrays a gangster, a philanderer, a soldier, a cop, a painter, a historical figure, or a con man, Linda moves through his performances with such ease and depth of emotions that even when he sits perfectly still the stillness vibrates around him despite itself. He is at home in comedy as well as drama and watching him perform entices the viewer into participating in the character’s life. His portrayal as Franz Maurer in the Psy trilogy is without a doubt extremely mesmerizing. Linda plays the role as if the character were moving through a stream flowing with the rhythm of slow heavy blues where the heaviness does not bear him down but rather fuels his intent to survive on his own terms. As Alex the hitman in Reich, he executes his assassinations with a moral righteousness that actually entices the viewer to cheer for him. And, in the comedy, Planeta Singli (Planet Singles -2019), as Maks, the philandering father who shows up at his son’s wedding with the sole intention of borrowing money to support his roguish lifestyle, Linda creates a character who is hard not to pardon. Linda has that rare talent to hypnotize the audience, coupled with the ability to emboss the story of the film permanently into the viewer’s memory. It is not surprising, therefore, to learn that Boguslaw Linda is not only the most sought-after but also the highest paid actor in the Polish film industry.
That’s why the question about my favorite director and favorite actor is an easy one to answer. Those who know me well, recognize that within my own nature, similar to the two artists, there is a strong reverence for the irreverent. Whether that is a fault, or a grace is really for St. Peter to adjudicate when I show up at the Pearly Gates after this whole trip is over. But, whether you, dear reader, agree or disagree with me is for you to decide. Take some time. Watch the works mentioned in these short paragraphs and then decide for yourself.
A rising star worth tracking
There is the musician who plays the music expertly, hitting each note perfectly, moving from phrase to phrase with the precision of a master. Then there is the musician who not only understands the music and has the required skill to produce it but also performs it.
Recently, Daniel Chouinard, a burgeoning jazz cellist and composer, accompanied by a quartet composed of Adam Bodine (piano), Juli Royster (bass), Declan Scully (drums) and Maggie Howe (violin) presented a musical meal of two pop songs and three original compositions which transformed the Muse Performance Space in Lafayette, Colorado, into small galaxy of emotional reverberation. Nineteen-year-old Chouinard and his colleagues, who met for the first time to rehearse the music a mere three hours before the performance, presented a concert that was nothing short of professional.
Muse Performance Space in Lafayette, 25 August 2021- Daniel Chouinard (cello), Adam Bodine (piano), Juli Royster (bass), Declan Scully (drums) and Maggie Howe (violin) | Fot: Mark Chouinard
Chouinard as a musician not only plays the music, he rides it, and in doing so, it’s easy for the audience to surrender themselves to the ride. His compositions were not only tight but also made room for his fellow musician to improvise within the themes, allowing them to contribute their own virtuosity to the pieces, and thus creating the true experience of jazz.
Daniel is currently starting his sophomore year at the Berkely School of Music in Boston. If this concert was any indication of his blossoming talent, we should all emboss his name into our memories with an eager anticipation of what is still to come.
As a further note, the Muse Performance Space in Lafayette is worthy of patronage. It is a small venue offering affordable concerts of local artists, and well worth the trip to see them. Information about the venue is easy to find on the internet, it’s a pleasant ride to Lafayette, and the Muse is most worthy of support.