| The Promised Land | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Ziemia_Obiecana_original_poster.jpg) Polish promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Andrzej Wajda |
| Written by | Andrzej Wajda |
| Based on | The Promised Land by Władysław Reymont |
| Starring | Daniel Olbrychski Wojciech Pszoniak Andrzej Seweryn |
| Cinematography | Wacław Dybowski Edward Kłosiński Witold Sobociński |
| Edited by | Zofia Dwornik Halina Prugar |
| Music by | Wojciech Kilar |
Release date |
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Running time | 180 minutes |
| Country | Poland |
| Languages | Polish German |
The Promised Land (Polish: Ziemia obiecana) is a 1975 Polish drama film directed by Andrzej Wajda, based on the novel of the same name by Władysław Reymont. Set in the industrial city of Łódź, The Promised Land tells the story of a Pole, a German, and a Jew struggling to build a factory in the raw world of 19th-century capitalism.[1]
Wajda presents a shocking image of the city, with its dirty and dangerous factories and ostentatiously opulent residences devoid of taste and culture.[2] The film follows in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, Émile Zola and Maxim Gorky, as well as German expressionists such as Knopf, Meidner and Grosz, who gave testimony of social protest.[3][4]
American filmmaker Martin Scorsese recognized the film as one of the masterpieces of Polish cinema and in 2013 he selected it for screening alongside films such as Ashes and Diamonds, Innocent Sorcerers, Knife in the Water and Man of Iron in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom as part of the Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema festival of Polish films.[5] In the 2015 poll conducted by the Polish Museum of Cinematography in Łódź, The Promised Land was ranked first on the list of the greatest Polish films of all time.[6][7]
- ^ Niemitz and Steinberg, 2016: “Based on the novel by the Nobel Prize winner Władysław Reymont…”
- ^ "Ziemia obiecana". Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ "The Promised Land (Ziemia Obiecana) - screening at the Polish Film Festival". Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ Niemitz and Steinberg, 2016: “The Promised Land...recreates the harsh environment of early capitalism in nineteenth century Łódź, an industrial town…expose[ing] the crudity and brutality associated with the ruthless pursuit of profit.”
- ^ "UK Film List / Martin Scorsese Presents". mspresents.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "Polska – Najlepsze filmy według wszystkich ankietowanych". Muzeum Kinematografii w Łodzi (in Polish). 2015-12-28. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
- ^ Niemitz and Steinberg, 2016: “...considered one of the finest Polish films…”