Man of Iron
(Czlowiek z zelaza)
With Jerzy Radziwilowicz, Krystyna Janda, Marian Opania.
Poland, 1981, 35mm, color, 173 min.
Polish with English subtitles.
This sequel to Wajda’s Man of Marble—in a newly restored print that contains previously censored material—was inspired by real-life political events taking place at the Lenin Shipyards in Gdansk. Using a range of archival material (including posters, still photos, audio recordings, and eyewitness testimony), Wajda interweaves contemporary newsreel footage—including speeches by a young Lech Walesa and images of the heroism of Anna Welentynowycz, the worker whose dismissal sparked the birth of the Solidarity movement—through a narrative that concerns the efforts of a radio reporter to frame the son of a slain labor leader (the protagonist from Wajda’s earlier film). The resulting film represents a potent blending of fiction and reality, art and life, and earned Wajda the top prize at Cannes.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Children of Paradise
Fanny and Alexander
Milestones
Serge Daney: Journey of a Ciné-Son
Fanny and Alexander
Hiroshima mon amour
Children of Paradise
