Shamanka is the most controversial Polish-French production from the 1990s. Contrary to director Andrzej Żuławski’s assumptions, viewers were not ready for such bold scenes. Critics considered exaggeration when the title character eats cat food or brains straight from the skull. It was claimed that the film causes scandal and is a profanation of religious symbols. Debuting Iwona Petry did not expect the wave of criticism that fell on her before the premiere.
A chance meeting was to be the beginning of her career. “The Shaman” turned out to be the last role in Petra’s career
In Szamanka, Petry played the role of a young AGH student who starts a passionate affair with an anthropologist (played by ). She got the role with almost no experience. After passing the accelerated course at Agencja Gudejko, she played an episode in “The Order of Feelings”, and later in “Abduction of Agata”. However, her plans had a chance to come true only when Andrzej Żuławski accidentally noticed her in a cafe, offering her a role in his latest film. “I didn’t think long. It was a chance to exist. I knew that such proposals are rare — in an interview for “Onet Film”. The director was impressed by her determination and willingness to sacrifice herself for the role. “She was brave in accepting,” he recalled many years later. She’d be great in any movie. (…) He surrenders himself completely to the director, he said delightedly.
Preparations for the role turned out to be very exhausting. Young was subjected to trances carried out by a voodoo trainer. Working on the set was also not the most pleasant, not only because of the demanding scenes, but also because of the nervous atmosphere. For every delay or mistake, Żuławski was to call her names and shout, thus leading Petra to bursts of hysteria. Later, he told her to use emotions in her scenes. “It was a mentally very difficult role. (…) When I started shooting, I was 20 years old. At this age, you don’t have much life experience yet. So I entered the set as a rather naive girl, and a few months later I left as an experienced woman. Shamanka was a strong entry into life – she said in an interview for .
She overpaid her work on the set with depression. After the premiere, she disappeared from the media
The premiere of “Shamanka” took place on May 10, 1996, but neither Linda nor Petry graced the event with their presence. A wave of criticism poured out on the production and its creators, and the reviews were extreme. Even the debuting Petra was not spared, claiming that she had ruined her career chance with this role. retired from the industry for a long time. As it turned out years later, she overpaid the role with neurosis and depression. Żuławski did not like her disappearance.
A terrible mistake was made by Iwona Petry after ‘The Shaman’ when she started cursing the film and saying what a terrible injustice it was that she played at all. Which is completely insane. (…) If this is harm, then you will not play anymore, who wants to harm you? Nobody, go away
— in an interview for the book “Żuławski. Interview River” by Piotr Kletowski and Piotr Marecki. Although a few years later Petry tried to reactivate her career, but she was treated only through the prism of her debut. Eventually, she abandoned her dreams of conquering the world of film.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
