directed by Andrzej Wajda, drama, 141 min, eng subtitles
written by Aleksander Œcibor-Rylski
with Jerzy Radziwi³owicz, Krystyna Janda, Marian Opania
A key re-enactment of the tormented moment in Polish history that triggered democratic revolution in the Eastern block. Man of Iron tells the story of the rise of the anti-communist opposition in Poland. In August 1980, when the strikes began, Wajda went to Gdansk to film the events. Later he mentioned that it was one of the strikers who had asked him to make a film about the strike: a very controversial and uncomfortable topic from the perspective of the authorities. Wajda decided to continue the story presented in Man of Marble, on the life of the Birkut family and Maciej Tomczyk, an opposition activist working at the Gdansk shipyard and his wife Agnieszka, once a film director, who became involved in the trade union movement. Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1981. A Polish classic, not to be missed.
Awards:
Cannes 1981 (Palme d’Or, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
Academy Award (Oscar) - Best Foreign Language Film (nominated)