New Polish Cinema
The New Polish Cinema arose out of a newfound freedom and independence from Stalinist censorship in the years after the Polish October of 1956. This freedom led to the exploration of formerly taboo subjects such as politics and sexuality, as well as formal experimentation with narrative and cinema.
The Big Animal
(Duże zwierzę)
A man adopts a pet camel despite the hostile neighbors in his small town.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Poland • 2000
- Director Jerzy Stuhr
- Cast Jerzy Stuhr, Anna Dymna, Dominika Bednarczyk, Błażej Wójcik, Andrzej Franczyk, Feliks Szajnert
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Kanopy
Europa Europa
A boy in Nazi Germany, trying to conceal that he is Jewish, joins the Hitler Youth.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, France, Poland • 1990
- Director Agnieszka Holland
- Cast Marco Hofschneider, Julie Delpy, René Hofschneider, Piotr Kozlowski, André Wilms
- Genre Drama, History, War
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel
Art of Loving
(Sztuka Kochania)
Before her wedding, Anna seeks the advice of a sexologist to help her figure out if she is making the right choice.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Poland • 1989
- Director Jacek Bromski
- Cast Piotr Machalica, Joanna Trzepiecińska, Anna Romantowska, Wiktor Zborowski, Jerzy Bończak, Ewa Ziętek
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Cultpix
Blind Chance
(Przypadek)
Three different stories show how the simple act of either catching or missing a train profoundly changes one man's life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Poland • 1987
- Director Krzysztof Kieślowski
- Cast Bogusław Linda, Tadeusz Łomnicki, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Bogusława Pawelec, Marzena Trybała, Jacek Borkowski
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Possession
Helen wants a divorce, but as her behavior grows more alarming, a sinister force is found to be operating on her.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, West Germany • 1981
- Director Andrzej Żuławski
- Cast Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen, Heinz Bennent, Johanna Hofer, Carl Duering
- Genre Horror
- Available on Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Metrograph, Shudder Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne
(Docteur Jekyll et les femmes)
When people start turning up dead at Dr. Jekyll's engagement party, inquisitive minds seek the identity of the killer.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, West Germany • 1981
- Director Walerian Borowczyk
- Cast Udo Kier, Marina Pierro, Gérard Zalcberg, Patrick Magee, Howard Vernon, Clément Harari
- Genre Horror
- Available on ARROW, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube
The Shout
An enigmatic traveler invades the lives of a young couple, claiming he has learned a shout that can kill.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1978
- Director Jerzy Skolimowski
- Cast Alan Bates, Susannah York, John Hurt, Robert Stephens, Tim Curry
- Genre Drama, Horror
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Criterion Channel, TCM, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Tubi TV, Shout! Factory TV, Freevee, Plex, Plex Channel
Illumination
(Iluminacja)
A decade in the life of a physics student whose faith in reason is shaken by love and tragedy.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Poland • 1973
- Director Krzysztof Zanussi
- Cast Stanislaw Latallo, Małgorzata Pritulak, Monika Dzienisiewicz-Olbrychska, Jan Skotnicki, Edward Żebrowski, Wlodzimierz Zonn
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Knife in the Water
(Nóż w wodzie)
A married couple invite a hitchhiker on their boating trip, creating a tense dynamic that leads to a cataclysmic outcome.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Poland • 1962
- Director Roman Polanski
- Cast Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz, Roman Polanski, Anna Ciepielewska
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Ashes and Diamonds
(Popiół i diament)
A resistance fighter in WWII Poland questions his commitment to the cause.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Poland • 1958
- Director Andrzej Wajda
- Cast Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyżewska, Wacław Zastrzeżynski, Adam Pawlikowski, Bogumił Kobiela, Jan Ciecierski
- Genre Drama, Romance, War
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Eroica
A drunk becomes an unwitting hero of the Warsaw uprising and another man attempts to escape a prison camp.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Poland • 1958
- Director Andrzej Munk
- Cast Edward Dziewoński, Barbara Połomska, Leon Niemczyk, Kazimierz Opaliński, Ignacy Machowski, Zofia Czerwińska
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Klassiki
Farewells
(Pożegnania)
Class differences frustrate Pawel and Lidka's undying love, but will their love survive when Pawel is sent to Auschwitz?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Poland • 1958
- Director Wojciech Has
- Cast Maria Wachowiak, Tadeusz Janczar, Gustaw Holoubek, Stanisław Jaworski, Stanisław Milski, Zdzisław Mrożewski
- Genre Drama
- Available on Klassiki