Directing
Nov 21, 1940
Lwów, Lwów Voivodeship, Poland [now Lviv, Ukraine]
Andrzej Żuławski
Directing
Biography
Andrzej Żuławski (22 November 1940 – 17 February 2016) was a Polish film director. He was born in Lwów, Poland (now Lviv, Ukraine). Żuławski often went against mainstream commercialism in his films, and enjoyed success mostly with European art-house audiences. In the late 1950s, he studied cinema in France. His second feature The Devil (1972) was banned in Poland, and Żuławski went to France. After the success of That Most Important Thing: Love in 1975, he returned to Poland where he spent two years in making The Silver Globe (1988). The work on this film was interrupted by the Polish authorities. After that, Zulawski moved to France where became known for controversial and violent art-house films. Zulawski is also known for his work with certain specific actresses including Romy Schneider, Isabelle Adjani and Sophie Marceau.
Feature Films (11)
A documentary project about what the filmmakers claim to be the greatest, unfulfilled dream of Polish cinema, the 1970s science fiction epic "On the Silver Globe".
Escape to the Silver Globe
Set in the time of Napoleon wars, shows how the wars swept over the unfortunate Polish country at the beginning of the XIX-th century. Story revolves around the Polish legion under command of General Dabrowski, who then fought on Napoleon's side with the hopes of Poland's revival.
The Ashes
Hugo is a writer whose one great book was based on an affair he had with Lea, a sculptor. Bereft of inspiration for a follow-up, Hugo returns years later to rekindle the flame of romance and creativity. Lea soundly rejects him, and her student Prudence feels a burning hatred for the man who deserted the teacher she admires.
Sadness and Beauty
A small group of cosmic explorers, including a woman, leaves Earth to start a new civilization. They do not realize that within themselves they carry the end of their own dream. They die one by one, while their children revert to a primitive native culture, creating new myths and a new god.
On the Silver Globe
Daniel Bird narrates the making of Andrzej Zulawski’s 1981 film- Possession- covering the film’s inception, casting, shoot, it’s release in Cannes, and it’s reevaluation and cult status.
The Other Side of the Wall: The Making of Possession
A young Jewish man from Warsaw is imprisoned after an antisemitic incident at his university. He is released when the Second World War breaks out and manages to escape from the ghetto. However, he chooses to leave his hiding place and fight, determined to share the fate of those threatened by the Holocaust. The protagonist is compared to the biblical Samson, who sacrificed his own life.
Samson
A portrait of film director Andrzej Żuławski. This biographical documentary shows the different layers of the personality of the artist and doesn't hide the contradictions of his nature. The confessions of Żuławski are alternated with fragments of his films, showing the twists and turns of his personal life and art.
Żuławski on Żuławski
An exclusive talking head documentary about the film's production discusses how each aspect of the film was made and eventually halted.
Short Life, Long Death: The Making and Un-Making of On The Silver Globe
Interview with Andrzej Zulawski director talks about his two passions films and books.
Two Faces of Andrzej Zulawski
Television & Series (4)
Updated adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' classic 18th Century tale of seduction, betrayal and revenge set in the modern 1960s world of Parisian high society. The beautiful Madame de Merteuil seeks vengeance against her ex-lover Gercourt when he becomes engaged to her young goddaughter, Cécile.
Dangerous Liaisons
Marcello Mastroianni, Isabelle Adjani, Alain Delon, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen... the biggest stars in cinema were welcomed by Christian Defaye on his show Spécial cinéma. Between intimate confessions from actors and immersion in the world of the greatest filmmakers, Christian Defaye took viewers on a journey into the fascinating world of cinema for nearly thirty years.
Spécial cinéma
Le Grand Échiquier is a French variety television program created and presented by Jacques Chancel. It aired at 8:30 pm on the first channel of the ORTF from January 12, 1972 to July 12, 1972, then on the second color channel of the ORTF from September 1972 to December 1974, and finally on Antenne 2 from January 1975 to December 21, 1989. The program returned to France 2 on December 20, 2018 and is hosted by Anne-Sophie Lapix.
