Bad Luck (
Zezowate szczęście, 1960), dir. Andrzej Munk, black comedy, Poland, 107 min.
Jan Piszczyk (Bogumił Kobiela) is petty bourgeois Jew and son of a Warsaw tailor. One day the middle-aged Piszczyk is laid off from a job, which prompting him to reflect on his life in a series of flashbacks. These flashbacks span the history of Poland, from the rise of fascist anti-Semitism during the 1920s to the postwar Stalinist era. Piszczyk emerges as a political and social chameleon, willing to adapt himself to any situation. His opportunism repeatedly leads him to ludicrous and pathetic failures.
The film is based on a screenplay by Jerzy Stefan Stawiński. As a hallmark of the Polish School movement, the production sparked significant controversy among critics. On one hand, the director and screenwriter faced criticism for allegedly mocking Polish history. On the other hand, some reviewers recognized Bad Luck as a universal parable about the importance of maintaining ones individuality and agency.
Lecture and discussion in English held by
prof. Mirosław Przylipiak - film scholar, film historian and theoretician, translator. Author of many books on the theory of Polish and world cinema, including
Kino stylu zerowego. Z zagadnień estetyki filmu fabularnego (1994; 2016),
Kino najnowsze (1999, together with Jerzy Szyłak),
Poetyka kina dokumentalnego (2000; Bolesław Michałek Award for the best film book of the year).
Movie with English subtitlesCinematic Poland is an initiative of the Andrzej Wajda Film Center of the University of Gdańsk, Medical University of Gdansk and the International Office of the University of Gdańsk, an unit established to cooperate with the foreign part of the academic community. One of its tasks is to familiarize foreigners with Polish culture, including the history of Polish cinematography. Thanks to Cinematic Poland, foreign students and employees will have the opportunity to watch both classic films and contemporary productions.
