Abstrakt
Confronting the Past. Trauma, History and Memory in Wajda’s film
Historical films are important carriers of collective memory, and as a genre historical films can activate both strong feelings and strong debate. Historical fiction films often tell very accurate and almost documentary stories, but fictional films have the freedom to make historical reality in quite another way than factual historical films. This article deals with some of the most important historical film genres and uses a general theory of genres, emotions, memory and history to analyse the historical films of Polish film director Andrzej Wajda, especially those made post 1989. Dealing with both his heritage drama Pan Tadeusz (1999) and critical historical drama Katyń (2007), the article analyses the ways in which Wajda uses historical narratives to comment on both history and contemporary society, and how this strategy is reflected in all his historical films. The article argues that the traumatic and contrast-filled history of Poland makes historical films especially important and interesting as a critical part of public debate and the reframing and reinterpretation of the past.
Bibliografia
A. Wajda, Moje notatki z historii, “Kwartalnik Filmowy” no. 15–16, 1996/1997, pp. 7–21. Translation quoted from J. Falkowska, Andrzej Wajda. History, Politics and Nostalgia in Polish Cinema, New York– –Oxford 2007, p. 53.
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I. Bondebjerg, Coming to Terms with the Past: Post-1989 Strategies in German Film Culture, “Studies in Eastern European Cinema” 2010, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 29–42.
A. Higson, English Heritage, English Cinema. Costume Drama Since 1980, Oxford 2003
R. Rosenstone, History on Film – Film on History, Harlow 2006.
C. Plantinga, Rhetoric and Representation in Nonfiction Film, Cambridge 1997.
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D. Iordanova, Cinema of the Other Europe. The Industry and Artistry of East Central European Film, London 2003, p. 49 f.
E. Mazierska, In the Land oj Noble Knights and Mute Princesses: Polish Heritage Cinema, “Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television” 2001, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 167–182.
E. Nurczynska-Fidelska, Andrzej Wajda’s Vision of ’The Promised Land’, in J. Orr & E. Ostrowska(eds.), The Cinema of Andrzej Wajda. The Art of Irony and Defiance, London 2003, p. 154
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http://www.wajda.pl/en/filmy/film34.html [accessed April 4, 2011].
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Licencja
Copyright
© 2012 Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
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