Starring: Borys Szyc, Natasza Urbańska, Daniel Olbrychski
Directed by: Jerzy Hoffman
Rating: ★★★☆☆
When Jerzy Kawalerowicz passed away in 2007, Jerzy Hoffman and Andrzej Wajda became the only remaining Polish filmmakers capable of inspiring enough confidence in producers to tackle historical epics. This clout, together with the generous support of Bank Zachodni WBK, enabled Hoffman to collect the 6.1 million US dollars needed to bring one of the most epic battles of the 20th century to the big screen. It was a clash that saw Polish forces commanded by Marshal Józef Piłsudski halting the advance of the Red Army on Warsaw. Many Poles refer to the victory as the Miracle on the Vistula, and attribute it to Piłsudski’s military genius.
The success of 1920 Bitwa warszawska (Battle of Warsaw 1920) is the product of Sławomir Idziak’s technical mastery. Idziak accepted a role in the project on the condition that the production would be entirely in 3D. A stubbornness worthy of the Marshal himself, played here by a heavily accented and charismatic Daniel Olbrychski, won Idziak the day. He coats a highly predictable screenplay with visually stunning cinematography – it rains wounded men, horses and explosions.
Although unsurprisingly laden with heavy-handed patriotism, Hoffman’s epic is, nevertheless, indisputable proof of the technical maturity of the Polish movie industry.
Originally published by The Krakow Post on December 15, 2011