EROICA - lecture by Prof. Marek Hendrykowski before the film

“Eroica” Directed by Andrzej Munk Poland, 1957, 78 minutes

One of the leading achievements of the “Polish school”, which is a kind of settlement with the mythologization of the war past. The film belongs to a rare genre - it consists of two loosely related novels. The first part tells about the Warsaw wanderer Dzidzius, who, accidentally drawn into the Warsaw Uprising, gets himself into a heroic act, although in fact unnecessary. The second story takes place in a German flag and for the first time presents the life of Polish officers in a POW camp during the last war. The legend of Lieutenant Zawistowski's escape here adds to the legend. Only the most insiders know that he is in the camp all the time - hidden in the ventilation duct. Despite the efforts and care of colleagues, the hero dies - from cold and loneliness. And all in order to preserve the legend that kept the spirits of all the soldiers crowded in the camp.