July 15, 2023 marks the 613th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald. Officially, it was in honor of the victorious clash for the Polish knights with the German Order 63 years ago that the film adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz was created, who after the end of World War II again gained immense popularity among readers. Who came up with the idea to create the film? To the surprise of many, it turns out that the originator of the idea was the authorities, as the novel met almost all of Gomułka’s propaganda requirements at the time.
The filming of “Krzyżacy” also drew from other sources. What was the inspiration for the creators?
The director of the production was , who, as soon as he found out about the project, put forward his candidacy for the implementation of this honorable work. This pleased the State Council, because the filmmaker did not hide his numerous connections with the communists. His choice was also determined by the fact that already at that moment he had a rich filmography, which consisted of works created before and during the occupation. These were mainly documentaries, but also propaganda. After analyzing all the pros and cons, it turned out that he would be the best choice among Polish artists, especially since the goal was also to impress Western artists.
It should be emphasized, however, that the adaptation of Ford, contrary to the belief of the majority, is not a faithful reproduction of the original. It is true that most of the scenes are a picture of what the author wrote, but the inspiration for the film was also Ignacy Kraszewski’s novel “Krzyżacy 1410” from 1882. Its pages contain many architectural descriptions useful in the process of creating scenography. The advice of Professor Stefan M. Kuczyński, who saw numerous distortions in Sienkiewicz’s work, including those unfavorable to Władysław Jagiełło, was also significant.
The government did not skimp on the budget. “Krzyżacy” spent over PLN 30 million
Many factors contributed to the success of the adaptation, and the experienced director and excellent cast are only a part of them. The creators had, above all, enormous possibilities in the implementation of the project, which in turn was ensured by an almost unlimited budget. The authorities wanted Ford’s image to be created on a grand scale, following the example of the production of Western artists. They wanted to finally see the competition in the Poles, which was finally achieved. During the production, techniques were used that at that time only the largest labels could afford. In this way, the recordings were immortalized on a new, previously unknown, Eastmancolor tape, and the film was made in widescreen format. Ultimately, the screening cost over PLN 33 million, which was a colossal sum at the time and made it the most expensive in the history of Polish cinematography.
The first screening, directed by Aleksander Ford, took place on July 15, 1960, while the official distribution did not take place until September 2, in reference to the end of World War II. The premiere drew real crowds to the cinemas. As he calculated, a total of 32,315,695 tickets for screenings were sold throughout Poland, which makes the film one of the most watched in history.
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.
