Academy of Polish Cinema: The History of Sin (1975)

History of sin, 1975, directed by Walerian Borowczyk

Ewa Pobratynska (G. Długołęcka), a young girl from an impoverished landowning family, falls in love with Łukasz Niepołomski (J. Zelnik), her parents' subtenant. Even though he is married and things get complicated, the girl leaves the family home, quits her job and follows him. He heals him from the wounds sustained in the duel. After recovering, Łukasz leaves to pursue a divorce further, not knowing that Ewa is already pregnant. In love, mad with love and despair, the woman sets off on a journey in pursuit of him. It is true that Luke sends letters, he is seen here and there in Europe, but Eve still loses track of him. The pursuit of her beloved turns into a nightmare of her moral collapse.

At the time of making the film, Walerian Borowczyk had already produced animated and feature films in Poland and France. Immediately before “The History of Sin”, an adaptation of Stefan Żeromski's novel, he became known as a director of tasteful erotic films: “Contes Immoraux” (1974) and “La Bete” (1975). The “Acts of Sin” does not feature nudity or erotic scenes. Their morally scandalous dimension is contained in a desire that triumphs over all norms. All photographs, by Zygmunt Samosiuk, even those covering towns in the south of France and Italy, were made in Lodz locations. Thanks to Teresa Barska's scenographic work, the sensuality of the depicted world also emanated from objects and interiors.

18:00 - lecture by Prof. Sebastian Jagielski

19:30 - screening of Valeriana Borowczyk's film

Screening with english subtitles.