Acting
Stach is a wayward teen living in squalor on the outskirts of Nazi-occupied Warsaw. Guided by an avuncular Communist organizer, he is introduced to the underground resistance—and to the beautiful Dorota. Soon he is engaged in dangerous efforts to fight oppression and indignity, maturing as he assumes responsibility for others’ lives.
Karwowski, son of a pre-war colonel, is transferred from the West to Poland with the task of assembling a spy and diversion network. The task seems to be easy. However, after landing in Poland, it turns out that nobody wants to cooperate with him. Karwowski's "100% reliable" contacts with potential collaborators turn out to be completely outdated.
A young academy soldier, Maciek Chelmicki, is ordered to shoot the secretary of the KW PPR. A coincidence causes him to kill someone else. Meeting face to face with his victim, he gets a shock. He faces the necessity of repeating the assassination. He meets Krystyna, a girl working as a barmaid in the restaurant of the "Monopol" hotel. His affection for her makes him even more aware of the senselessness of killing at the end of the war. Loyalty to the oath he took, and thus the obligation to obey the order, tips the scales.
A short documentary by Stanisław Bareja showing the beauty of Masurian Lakes.
An actress visits her hometown to attend the funeral of her grandfather. She realizes that the places and people from her past differ from her cherished memories.
A new employee has to deal with the horrors of bureaucracy in this satirical short poking fun at the insititutions of the Polish People's Republic.
A TV musical featuring the appearances of famed actor Bogumił Kobiela and the most popular Polish musicians of the time.
Wacław Urbin joins an exclusive club, learning the secrets of its members.
The first love between two very different characters is the prism through which we are shown the point of view of the film-makers who denounce war and plead for simple human happiness.
A bus crashes and its passengers find themeselves in the afterlife, which they find has the not only the same set of rules as Earth, but also the same bureaucratic chaos.
Joanna, the daughter of quite wealthy traders from the Różycki bazaar, is in love with Andrzej, a young, talented, but poor painter. However, the girl's father, Kazimierz Burczyk, decides to find a suitable husband for her himself. A shrewd tradesman, unwilling to disclose his income, searches for a candidate whose professional position would justify his possession of a villa, a car and many other material possessions. In the end, his choice falls on Andrew, who is unsuccessfully trying to sell paintings under the walls of Warsaw's Barbican.
The reunion of a group of former medical students results in a flood of bitter memories.
Pilot Stefan Janotta recalls the war and the years following, when he helped rebuilding Polish Airlines.
Five short stories. (1) “Czas przybliża, czas oddala” – Edward recalls his unfulfilled love for Anna and, years later, writes to her sister Zofia, mistaking her for Anna. (2) “Krąg istnienia” – A girl falls for Wacek at an ice rink; pressured by family, she marries a soap manufacturer. (3) “Paryż 1945” – A Polish refugee soldier and an American woman share a fleeting wartime bond before she leaves at dawn. (4) “Stary profesor” – Two men seek an old professor to fulfill a dying prisoner’s last wish; Roger impersonates a former pupil. (5) “Nauczycielka” – Neglected wife Zofia accepts film tests, only to find the director seeks an ordinary woman.
Through various misunderstandings young Basia gets into the custody of several people after her mother's death.
During the Napoleonic wars, a Spanish officer and an opposing officer find a book written by the former's grandfather.
The short stories showing the troubles of youth serving in the "Służba Polsce" organisation.
The story takes place before World War II and centers on Pawel, a member of a conservative, middle-class family, and his love for Lidka, a taxi dancer. Social conventions and the lovers' inability to defy those forces Pawel and Lidka benefit. Times change, war breaks out, leading to Pawel sent to Auschwitz while Lidka marry his cousin. Their love has survived and conventions are no longer the issue.
A brief history of the malice of inanimate objects.
The main character, race car driver Ryszard Fox, is involved in many car accidents. After each car crash he gets a transplant for one or another internal organ. After a while there is a question: Who really is Ryszard Fox?