It turned out that due to the political climate, Hofffman was able to make three films based on Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novels, not in literary chronological order, but in the order in which he read the books when he read them for the first time. The future director was in Siberia at the time. In 2016, in an interview with Polish Radio, he recalled:
In 1940, I was deported there with my parents. And when the First Infantry Division named after Kościuszko crossed the former border of Poland, with the first Polish books that my father sent me, ‘The Former Pan Wołodyjowski’ and ‘The Deluge’. They made a shocking impression on me. The volume ‘With Fire and Sword’ did not arrive because the censorship did not let it through. I started reading this book only after returning to Poland.
For years, politics was an obstacle to filming the story of Skrzetuski, Bohun and Helena. After the political transformation, money was a problem. Hoffman said in one of his interviews that it took 11 years to find investors! Wiktor Zborowski, who plays Podbipieńa, noted that previously the filmmakers believed that the money came from the post office. – Some people said: I’m a filmmaker, I don’t care whether the viewer comes or not. I’m making a film… It can’t be like this anymore. Jerzy Hoffman took on this responsibility – he borrowed PLN 170 billion [kwota przed denominacją – red.]to shoot “With Fire and Sword” – actor. It was the first time in the history of Polish cinema when a bank granted a loan for a film. There were also sponsors, and Jerzy Hoffman himself pledged his apartment, a house in Masuria and a car so that the project could be implemented. He made the Third Polish Republic, the most watched Polish film in cinemas to this day.
Jerzy Hoffman on the set of ‘With Fire and Sword’ MARZENA HMIELEWICZ/Agencja Wyborcza
Did you know that Bogun with Fire and Sword could have been played by Żebrowski?
Shooting for “With Fire and Sword” lasted relatively short for a production on such a grand scale – only 118 days. They started on October 6, 1997 and lasted until June 28, 1998. There were seven different versions of the script, all of which were written by Hoffman himself. For weeks, the media and future viewers were buzzing with information about the cast.
Bohun was initially supposed to be played by Bogusław Linda. In the book “After Me, Even ‘The Deluge'”, Hoffman says that the actor resigned just three weeks before the shooting began! He chose the film adaptation of another classic work – “Pan Tadeusz” by Andrzej Wajda. The deadlines were tight, the situation was practically critical. Therefore, two weeks before the first With a slap, the offer to play Bohun was given to… Michał Żebrowski. It happened thanks to the director’s wife. The actor recalled in 2014 in an interview with Polish Radio:
Wala Hoffmanowa said that maybe Żebrowski would play Bohun and Mr. Jerzy asked me if I would try. I said: Mr. Jerzy, why not! I have been Skrzetuski for half a year, I can’t imagine thinking in any other categories.
When this plan failed, Hoffmanowa spotted Alexander Domogarov in the Russian series “Grafini de Monsoreau” by Alexandre Dumas. – Mr. Hoffman called with an invitation to Warsaw: You should come, we need to smell each other. I was shocked, but I left immediately, that is, I tried, because I failed to leave the country the first time. I forgot or didn’t know about such a small thing as a visa, so they turned me away from the airport – said the Russian actor years later. – When I finally reached Warsaw, Mr. Jerzy did a test. In fact, he just looked at me and said, “That’s enough.” That’s all and… he walked away, throwing his cigarette on the ground as he went. I didn’t know what was happening, I sat there and wondered what I was doing here. What everything? What is it about? Where have I come from? I’m going home! Half an hour later, I was giving my first interview, in which the journalist asked me what I could say about the role of Bohun – he recalled.
Aleksander Domagarow as Bohun MARZENA HMIELEWICZ/Agencja Wyborcza
Jerzy Hoffman in “After Me, Even ‘The Deluge'” mentions that it was not easy to find a good film Skrzetuski. It is no secret that he is not as characterful and colorful as Bohun, and yet he must be visible on the screen, after all, he is one of the main roles. – I needed a tall, physically fit actor who would look good on a horse. Michał [Żebrowski – re.] met these conditions. Moreover, there is a spark between him and Izabella Scorupco, and it helps if the actors like each other as much as the characters they play – he noted.
How a Bond girl became Helena
It is no exaggeration to say that his wife had as much influence on the appearance of “With Fire and Sword” as the director. Without her, there would be neither Bohun nor Helena Kurcewiczówna:
Walentyna saw Izabella in a television interview. I was just entering the house, she said: you have Helena. I watched the interview. There was no doubt that she should play this character – said the director on Polish Radio.
Scorupco had already finished her role in “GoldenEye”, she permanently lived in Sweden and mainly acted there, although thanks to the performance alongside Pierce Brosnan, Hollywood was open to her. However, the actress was three months pregnant when she was offered to play in “With Fire and Sword”. – My mother told me then that if I was to do anything in Poland, this was what I should do. I decided to try it, she said in an interview a few years ago. Jerzy Hoffman promised her that he would wait for her. Scorupco appeared on the set with her several-month-old daughter.
– Unfortunately, Iza didn’t have much to play – recalls Hoffman. Scorupco, like Małgorzata Braunek years earlier in “The Deluge”, also had to face the criticism of many people who imagined Kurcewiczówna differently. However, not only Hoffman was impressed, but many other people who had the opportunity to work with the actress. – She is so beautiful that it is simply unimaginable. And her second quality is that she is incredibly likable. She is such a lovely girl, so charming, so warm, so full of charm that we were all more or less in love with her – said Wiktor Zborowski before the premiere.
A galaxy of Polish actors
It was also not at all obvious that Krzysztof Kowalewski would play Zagłoba. Hoffman initially saw Janusz Gajos in this role. However, the actor was apparently afraid that he would have to gain a lot of weight for the role and then he would have trouble losing it. Finally, the director decided to invite Kowalewski, who had previously played Roch Kowalski in “The Deluge”, to collaborate on “Trilogy” for the second time. Hoffman then stated:
I do not regret. His Death is like Shakespeare’s Falstaff. Although maybe Kowalewski was a better Roch Kowalski than Zagłoba.
Ewa Wiśniewska played the role of Princess Kurcewicz, Helena’s characterful guardian. In one of the conversations, the actress said that at the beginning she didn’t have that many scenes, but thanks to Hoffman she managed to appear in a memorable dance scene at the Kurcewicz family’s residence in Rozłogi. In one of the conversations about the film, she admitted:
It was difficult for me to sit at the table while a whole group of people were dancing the Cossack. I also danced for eleven hours on set, because that’s how long we shot it, although on screen it lasts five minutes, or maybe even less.
Dance scene in ‘With Fire and Sword’ MARZENA HMIELEWICZ /Agencja Wyborcza
The only actor who played in the entire “Trilogy” is Daniel Olbrychski. In “With Fire and Sword” he was initially supposed to play Prince Jeremi Wiśniowiecki, but – as Hoffman said – he decided that he was too old for this role. It was directed at Tuhaj-bej, and Wiśniowiecki was played by Andrzej Seweryn.
There are many unforgettable performances in the film, including Wojciech Malajkat as Rzędzian, Adam Ferency as Khan, Gustaw Holoubek as Kisiel, Bohdan Stupka as Chmielnicki and Ruslana Pysanka as Horypny. To this day, I remember Maciej Kozłowski as Krzywonos with emotion. – He was a man who wanted extremely much. And he was always ready to stand in front of the camera. That’s why I developed his character, and in a role in which there is little dialogue, he created a hero who stayed in the audience’s memory for a long time – said the director of “With Fire and Sword” about the actor.
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.
