Academy of Polish Cinema: Epitraphy for Barbara Radziwiłłówna (1982)

Epitaph for Barbara Radziwiłłówna, 1982, dir. Janusz Majewski

Barbara Bird Costume Movie. Zygmunt August (Jerzy Zelnik) follows the mourning procession with the body of his beloved Barbara Radziwiłłówna (Anna Dymna) from Wawel to Vilnius Castle. On the way he is accompanied by an anonymous poet (Krzysztof Kolberger). During the trip, the king reflects on the past years. In daytime and nighttime dreams, he recalls the first unsuccessful marriage with Elizabeth of the Habsburgs (Bożena Adamkówna), who suffered from epilepsy. When the illness of the young wife came to light, on the advice of her mother, Queen Bona (Alexandra of Silesia), the heir to the throne goes to Lithuania. There he meets Barbara, the daughter of the great Lithuanian hetman Jerzy Radziwiłł. The lovers hide in the forest, until the brothers demand the honor of the sister. Zygmunt August vows her love. After the death of King Sigismund the Old, Queen Bona persuades her son to marry a French princess. The struggle for the position of Barbara Radziwiłłówna continues — the brothers demand that she be admitted to the Wawel, and the senators demand that the secret marriage be broken. Sigismund leads to the coronation of the spouse, but this weakens during the celebration. On her deathbed, she asks her husband to be buried in Vilnius. In the last visual scene, Zygmunt August sees Barbara Radziwiłłówna's living mummy, which is untangled from the bandages by a girl, her child incarnation. The historical film directed by Janusz Majewski is kept in a mournful tone of remembrance of the deceased, in the rhythm of a long journey and numerous stops, sparing in dialogues. The director used scenes from the TV series The Queen of Bon (1980).

18:00 - lecture by Maciej Kędziora, MSc

19:30 - screening of Janusz Majewski's film

Screening with english subtitles.