Holy Week (1995)

Movie
German title	Holy Week
Original title	Wielki tydzień
Country of production	Poland , Germany , France
original language	Polish
Publishing year	1995
length	97 minutes
Rod
Director	Andrzej Wajda
script	Andrzej Wajda
production	Lev Rywin
camera	Wit Dąbal
cut	Wanda Zeman
occupation
Beata Fudalej : Irena Lilien Wojciech Malajkat : Jan Malecki Magdalena Warzecha : Anna Malecka Jakub Przebindowski : Julek Malecki Bożena Dykiel : Mrs. Piotrowska Cezary Pazura : Józef Piotrowski Wojciech Pszoniak : Zamojski Agnieszka Kotulanka : Karska Artur Barciś : Zaleski Krzysztof Stroiński : Osipowicz Michał Pawlicki : Irena's father Maria Seweryn : Miss Marta

Holy Week is a Polish feature film from 1995. The film was based on the novel of the same name by Jerzy Andrzejewski .

action

The Polish Jew Irena Lilien has never felt like a Jew. Before the Second World War , she led an unproblematic life as the daughter of Professor Juliusz Lilien. She was assimilated and her religion didn't matter. Even after the German occupation of Poland, she lived her life like any other Pole. She did not go into a ghetto and did not wear the yellow Star of David . Only in 1942 does life for Irena become more threatening. She has to go into hiding. But now it turns out that their friendship with Catholic Poles does not count for much in danger. She is not staying with anyone. In this seemingly hopeless situation, your father commits suicide.

In the Holy Week in 1943, while in the Warsaw Ghetto the revolt rages, Irena is from the Gestapo arrested. But she can buy her way out and is free again. On the street she meets her former lover Jan Malecki. Malecki takes her home with him. He is now married to Anna, who is pregnant. However, Irena feels uncomfortable between her former lover and his wife. Even Jan is overwhelmed by the situation, but he doesn't manage to put Irena back on the street. The Piotrowski neighbors are also frightened by the presence of the Jewish woman. Anna Malecka takes Irena's side. However, when Mrs. Piotrowska's husband is visibly interested in the attractive Irena, Irena is betrayed by the jealous wife.

Reviews

“Neither the story itself nor the staging can arouse interest and reproduce the atmosphere of those days. An unconvincing attempt to approach the subject of the persecution of the Jews on the way of morality. "

- Lexicon of international film

Awards

The film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 1996 Berlinale . Andrzej Wajda was awarded a Silver Bear for his life's work by the jury of the Berlinale .

literature

• Jerzy Andrzejewski : Holy Week. Roman (original title: Wielki tydzien ). German by Oskar Jan Tauschinski . With an afterword by Ariane Thomalla . Paperback edition. List-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 2000, 187 pages, ISBN 3-612-65039-4

Web links

• Holy Week in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Holy Week on filmpolski.pl with photos

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Holy Week. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed January 21, 2018 .