FROM THE CITY OF LODZ (1969) 17 min.Kieślowski’s graduation film, made under the artistic mentorship of Kazimierz Karabasz. The working title was The People of Łódź. This documentary, filled with interesting observations not to mention its fair share of humour, is a multifaceted portrait of Łódź, where Kieślowski studied at the film school from 1964 to 1969. Toilworn women, the textile workers of Łódź, appear on the screen, as do Sunday-afternoon strollers, Edward Ciuksza’s well-known mandolin ...

Charles Perrault’s celebrated tale, set to music by Sergei Prokofiev, is transposed to a film set. In a series of references to the heroes of the American cinema, Rudolf Nureyev propels his Cinderella under the spotlights of Hollywood. With a producer for fairy godmother and a star actor as Prince Charming, she escapes her miserable destiny and sees her dreams come true in a story not without similarities with that of the choreographer, the young Tartar who became an international star. With th...

The story of Christ’s death and resurrection has dominated western culture for the past 2000 years. It is perhaps the most significant historical event of all time, as recounted by the gospels but, equally, as depicted by the greatest artists in history.  From the triumphant to the savage, the ethereal to the tactile, some of western civilization’s greatest artworks focus on this pivotal moment. This beautifully crafted film explores the Easter story as depicted in art, from the time of the ...

Act I Scene 1 A suburb of Marseilles, the town which gave its name to the French National anthem. Through the forest a large group of people are on the move. This is the battalion of the Marseillais who are on their way to Paris. A cannon which they are taking with them indicates their intentions. Among the men of Marseilles is Philippe. It is by the cannon that Philippe makes the acquaintance of the peasant girl Jeanne. He kisses her on parting. Jeanne’s brother, Jerome, longs to join the Mars...

Eddie is a docker, and proud of it. He is a man who keeps his word. He has fought, his whole life, to keep his promise of bringing up Catherine, the niece of his wife Beatrice, and to guarantee a bright future for the young orphan. For years now, he has been bleeding himself dry in order to watch over her. Though perhaps a little over jealously. Eddie fails to see that she has become a woman. But what he does see, all too well, are the sideways glances that men now give her. For Eddie, the succ...

Karol, a Polish hairdresser, is divorced by his beautiful French wife Dominique and thrown onto the streets of Paris, with no money and no passport. All seems lost until he meets a fellow Pole who ingeniously smuggles Karol back to Warsaw in a suitcase. Once there, Karol is determined to take revenge against his ex-wife. He deals successfully on the black market until he has enough money to put his plan into action, but he hasn’t counted on love getting in the way of its perfect execution. "...