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.
12 Titles
Date Created: September 29, 2023
Ashes and Diamonds
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Ashes and Diamonds
Andrzej Wajda
·
1958
·
Poland
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: Amazon Video, Criterion Channel, Fandango At Home, HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Apple TV, Kanopy
Eroica
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Eroica
Andrzej Munk
·
1958
·
Poland
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
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Farewells
Wojciech Has
·
1958
·
Poland
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
Knife in the Water
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Knife in the Water
Roman Polanski
·
1962
·
Poland
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: Apple TV, Criterion Channel, Fandango At Home, HBO Max, Amazon Video, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Kanopy
Illumination
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Illumination
Krzysztof Zanussi
·
1973
·
Poland
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: Eternal Family
The Shout
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The Shout
Jerzy Skolimowski
·
1978
·
United Kingdom
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: Criterion Channel, Fawesome, Plex Channel, Plex, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Tubi TV, Shout! Factory TV
Possession
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Possession
Andrzej Żuławski
·
1981
·
France, West Germany
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: Apple TV, Metrograph, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Hoopla, Kino Film Collection, Shudder Apple TV Channel, Shudder Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Shudder, Kanopy
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne
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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne
Walerian Borowczyk
·
1981
·
France, West Germany
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: YouTube, Google Play Movies, ARROW, Apple TV
Blind Chance
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Blind Chance
Krzysztof Kieślowski
·
1987
·
Poland
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: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Criterion Channel
Art of Loving
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Art of Loving
Jacek Bromski
·
1989
·
Poland
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
Europa Europa
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Europa Europa
Agnieszka Holland
·
1990
·
Germany, France, Poland
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, HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
The Big Animal
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The Big Animal
Jerzy Stuhr
·
2000
·
Poland
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