The Struggle for Form

Perspectives on Polish Avant-Garde Film, 1916-1989
Erscheinungsjahr 2014
ISBN: 978-0-231-16983-7
Verlag: Columbia University Press

Buch, Englisch, 256 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 158 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 332 g

This is the first comprehensive English-language account of the Polish avant-garde film, from its beginnings in the early decades of the last century to the collapse of communism in 1989. Taking a broad understanding of avant-garde film, this collection includes writings on the pioneering work of the internationally-acclaimed Franciszka and Stefan Themerson; the Polish Futurists' (Jalu Kurek, Anatol Stern) engagement with film; the Thaw and animation (Jan Lenica and Walerian Borowczyk, Andrzej Pawlowski, Zbigniew Rybczynski); documentary (Natalia Brzozowska, Kazimierz Karabasz, Wojciech Wiszniewski), Polish émigré filmmakers (Roman Polanski, Jerzy Skolimowski, Andrzej Zulawski) as well as essays and documentation on the highly influential Film Form Workshop (Józef Robakowski, Ryszard Wasko, Wojciech Bruszewski). Including a mix of historical writings from early film magazines with commissioned essays, this book constitutes an important source on the rich, complex and diverse history of the Polish film avant-garde, which is presented from the perspective of both British (A. L. Rees, Jonathan Owen, Michael O'Pray) and Polish (Marcin Gizycki, Ryszard Kluszczynski, Kamila Kuc) authorities on the subject. This book is thus an indispensable introduction to the theories and practices of critically important avant-garde artists and filmmakers.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kuc, Kamila

O'Pray, Michael

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Filmwissenschaft, Fernsehen, Radio Filmgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Filmwissenschaft, Fernsehen, Radio Filmgattungen, Filmgenre

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgments Notes on ContributorsIntroduction 1. The Themersons and the Polish Avant-Garde: Warsaw;Paris;London, by A. L. Rees2. 'The Inexpressible Unearthly Beauty of the Cinematograph': The Impact of Polish Futurism on the First Polish Avant-Garde Films, by Kamila KucExcerpts from the 'Archives' of the Polish Avant-Garde 3. The Search for a 'More Spacious Form': Experimental Trends in Polish Documentary (1945;1989), by Mikolaj Jazdon4. Avant-Garde and the Thaw: Experimentation in Polish Cinema of the 1950s and 1960s, by Marcin Gizycki5. Avant-Garde Exploits: The Cultural Highs and Lows of Polish Émigré Cinema, by Jonathan L. Owen6. The Mechanical Imagination Creativity of Machines: Film Form Workshop 1970;1977, by Ryszard Kluszczynski7. The 1980s: From Specificity to the New Tradition Avant-Garde Film and Video Art in Poland, by Ryszard KluszczynskiFilm Form Workshop Statements8. A Rebellion à la Polonaise, by Mateusz WernerBibliographyFilmographyIndex of Names

Über Autor(innen)

Kamila Kuc teaches film at the universities of Kingston and Brighton, UK. She is co-editor Laura Mulvey: Do Utraty Wzroku (ha!Art, 2010).

Michael O'Pray is retired Professor of Film in the School of Art, Architecture and Theory, University of East London. He has published widely on avant-garde film and animation.