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Władysław Ślesicki

Władysław Ślesicki

Directing

Biography

Władysław Ślesicki was a Polish film director and screenwriter, recognized for his contributions to both documentary and feature films. During World War II, he was a member of the Home Army and participated in the Warsaw Uprising. After the war, Ślesicki studied history at the University of Warsaw and later graduated from the National Film School in Łódź. His notable documentaries include Płyną tratwy (The Rafts Sail On, 1962) and Rodzina człowiecza (Family of Man, 1966), which offer insightful portrayals of human experiences. In feature filmmaking, he is best known for directing W pustyni i w puszczy (In Desert and Wilderness, 1973), an adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel. Ślesicki's work is celebrated for its depth and humanism, contributing significantly to Polish cinema.

Known For

Lato leśnych ludzi
9.0

A young boy from the city comes to the forester Januszko, a friend of his grandfather from the war and partisans. On the spot, he meets people who amaze him. They bear the names of the heroes of the novel "Summer of Forest People" by Maria Rodziewczówna, which they readily read and love nature very much. Under their guidance, the boy gets to know the local nature and makes friends with them. He also meets a girl named Justyna.

Lato leśnych ludzi

1985
The Contribution
10.0

A bank robbery conducted by Polish Underground members goes awry and the brother-in-law of the group's leader, Paweł gets arrested. Now Paweł must choose between helping his loved ones and staying loyal to the underground.

The Contribution

1967
In Desert and Wilderness
7.5

Fourteen year old Polish boy Stas Tarkowski and eight year old Nel Rawlison from England are kidnapped as the hostages by Arabic fanatics and taken to their religion leader. Then they manage to escape and try to return to their fathers. Children have a lot of dangerous adventures, meet two Black kids; Kali and Mea, who also help them, make a friendship with an elephant and help one Black's tribe.

In Desert and Wilderness

1973
Where the Devil Says Goodnight
8.0

A documentary depicting life in Targówek, a deprived and crime-affected district of postwar Warsaw, where reconstruction and cultural development projects have failed to materialize.

Where the Devil Says Goodnight

1956
Shifting Sands
10.0

A 12-year-old boy and his father embark on a fishing trip where the boy hopes to get to know his father better. When a young woman leaves her boyfriend after a quarrel, the father invites her along on the trip. The boy's hopes of a father-and-son retreat are shattered when it becomes obvious dad is after more than fish.

Shifting Sands

1969
Śpiewy po rosie
7.5

A portrait of a small, contemporary village, shaken by the return of one of its residents from prison. Zdzich returns from prison to a small village on the edge of the Augustów Primeval Forest. He was accused of shooting a militiaman and, despite the clear bias of the witnesses, he was convicted. Now the locals fear that his return will bring revenge for the false accusations. Zdzich hides in the forest. One day, he meets Romanek, the son of Jadźka, whose honor he once defended in a fight with others. Romanek cannot answer who his father is. Their meetings become more frequent and turn into friendship. Zdzich decides to come out of hiding and makes a show of attending church. He proposes to Jadźka and is accepted. He also explains the circumstances of his arrest to the locals. The next day, the forester is killed by a mysterious bullet. Zdzich was the last person seen with him. This causes unrest in the village.

Śpiewy po rosie

1982
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8.0

Documentary about kids in summer camp.

A Team with Forest Spirit

1957
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7.3

Documentary about a daily routine of a rural Polish family.

Family of Man

1966
Muchacho que vas cantando
8.0

A woman appears and unleashes the conflict when a man is on vacation without his wife.

Muchacho que vas cantando

1971
The Mountain
10.0

The viewers visit a school located high in the Tatra mountains, in the village of Zaczerczyk. There are only few students there. Teachers arrive at the place every day, including the film's protagonist, a young woman.

The Mountain

1964
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9.0

Record of a dam construction in a remote area of Poland.

Energy

1967
Droga daleka przed nami...
6.0

The fate of the youngest scouts – the "Zawiszacy" – is shown through the story of two brothers, their struggle and wartime wanderings after escaping from a prisoner-of-war camp, ending with their return to the destroyed capital, where they no longer find their parents. After the fall of the Warsaw Uprising, brothers Piotr and Wojtek found themselves in a labor camp in Germany. They escape, but after some time they are caught. Prison, interrogation by the Gestapo, torture. They do not break. The war ends. For a time, they lose touch with each other... In Warsaw, next to the ruined house where they used to live, they find the insurgent graves of their parents.

Droga daleka przed nami...

1980
The Rafts Sail On
7.0

The movie depicts the story of a young Mazurian boy named Mietek, who crosses the line between childhood and adulthood . He stands in close contact with nature; he decoys birds and feeds them, he catches fish. But above all he is attracted to the work of the woodcutters. He watches them as they fell the trees and he helps them load the timber onto rafts that float down the river and through the sluice-gates. Finally, he joins the raftsmen and when he receives his first salary and gives a girl his first bashful look, the time has come for him to say goodbye to his childhood.

The Rafts Sail On

1962
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9.0

Documentary about Roma life.

The Gypsy Camp

1954
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N/A

Portrait of the hard lives of Polish fishermen.

People and Fish

1962
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8.0

Portrait of a small town.

A Walk in Bieszczady

1958
A Day Without Sunshine
N/A

A lonely man wanders the streets of contemporary Warsaw. He reads the daily press, observes women in a beauty salon and follows the action on a film set. In each of the places he is just an observer, not a protagonist.

A Day Without Sunshine

1959
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9.0

Portrait of a small town.

Portrait of a Small Town

1961
Before the Leaves Fall...
8.0

The first Polish documentary about the life of Romani people. The film crew accompanied a tabor of the small Roma community during their journey from place to place. Their customs, relationships and cultural elements were captured on film. The individual scenes are not overcolored or enriched with any kind of romanticism, which was often presented in Polish literature concerning this community.

Before the Leaves Fall...

1964
Among Men
6.0

Impressionistic study of the fate of a stray dog, trying to avoid the results of human indifference and cruelty.

Among Men

1960