Bad Luck
by Andrzej Munk
from Polart
In this pointed black comedy, Jan, a middle-aged, nondescript everyman, desperately wants to remain in prison, though the state says it is time for him to go. The hapless hero launches into his life story of hard luck and misfortune, covering the years from 1930 to 1950, a time of great change in Poland's history. As Jan continues his story, it is clear that he has been so busy trying to please others that he never noticed the enormous changes happening around him. Prison, with its never-varying routine, is indeed the ideal place for Jan.
Man on the Tracks
by Andrzej Munk
from Polart
A train races through the night and then suddenly comes to a grinding halt because a man lies dead on the tracks. The man turns out to be an engine driver who had lost his job. Different characters who knew the dead man during his life take part in the investigation of his death, each relating their own interpretation of the man and his death. Was it suicide? Sabotage? Was he an eccentric? A regular Joe?
Eroica
by Andrzej Munk
from Polart
This potent black comedy by the legendary Andrzej Munk is a bitter yet timeless commentary on the varying notions of heroism and war. Based on a pair of World War II stories by Jerzy Stefan Stawinski, the film unfolds in two parts. The first,"Scherzo Alla Pollaca," tells the tale of a small-time black marketeer, who cares little about the war. He unwittingly becomes involved with the Polish Resistance, and in time his actions render him heroic, though his motivations are not those of the ideal soldier.In the second story, "Ostinato Lugubre," Polish military prisoners battle boredom and despair in a prison camp; one inmate decides that he can no longer stand to be confined and makes a brave if foolhardy attempt to escape. While no one is sure if the man actually made it out, his escape provides a sense of hope and inspiration for the other prisoners.
+++
