Starring: Robert Więckiewicz, Agnieszka Grochowska, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Maria Rosaria Omaggio
Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
Rating: ★★★★☆
This year has been one of the most trying of Andrzej Wajda’s long career. Wałęsa. Człowiek z nadziei (Walesa: Man of Hope), the third part of his ‘Man of’ trilogy about disillusionment with Communism (Man of Marble, 1976, Man of Iron, 1981), required a superhuman effort to complete. The collapse of the Amber Gold finance company seriously hampered the producers, who were relying on its backing to finish the digital manipulation of old black-and-white footage to include Wajda’s actors.
The race against time was won, however, and Wałęsa. Walesa: Man of Hope was presented, out of competition, at both Venice and Toronto. Janusz Głowacki helped Wajda to forge a multi-layered biopic of the Solidarity leader, tinged with irony. Węczkiewicz did not waste this role-of-a-lifetime chance to portray Wałęsa’s vices and virtues as they emerge in a long interview with journalist Orianna Fallaci (Maria Rosaria Omaggio). The conversation with the Italian reporter is used as a framework to demonstrate Wałęsa’s unconditional faith in the clergy, his arrogance, and his anti-intellectual mistrust of the Polish ‘inteligencja.’
Despite the theological overtones of the title, Wajda has avoided moulding a hagiographic portrait of Wałęsa. The film demonstrates once again the legendary director’s appetite and ability to swallow, historicize and rework his nation’s recent history.
Originally published by The Krakow Post on November 17, 2013