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Andrzej Wajda, Towering Auteur of Polish Cinema, Dies at 90	Andrzej Wajda, Towering Auteur of Polish Cinema, Dies at 90
2016-10-10 21:50:05 UTC	2016-10-11 18:05:09 UTC (about 20 hours later)

Andrzej Wajda, who mined Polish history to create films that established him as one of the world’s great directors and won him an Academy Award for his life’s work, died on Sunday. He was 90.	Andrzej Wajda, who mined Polish history to create films that established him as one of the world’s great directors and won him an Academy Award for his life’s work, died on Sunday. He was 90.
His death was confirmed by the Association of Polish Filmmakers, which did not specify where he died. The director Jacek Bromski, head of the association, said Mr. Wajda had recently been hospitalized.	His death was confirmed by the Association of Polish Filmmakers, which did not specify where he died. The director Jacek Bromski, head of the association, said Mr. Wajda had recently been hospitalized.
From his trilogy of Poland’s wartime resistance (“A Generation,” ”Kanal” and “Ashes and Diamonds”) to his twin portraits of workers under Communism (“Man of Marble” and “Man of Iron”) to his final film, “Afterimage,” released this year, Mr. Wajda unceasingly drew on Polish reality, sensibilities and memory, stressing elements that were at times mystifying to foreign viewers.	From his trilogy of Poland’s wartime resistance (“A Generation,” ”Kanal” and “Ashes and Diamonds”) to his twin portraits of workers under Communism (“Man of Marble” and “Man of Iron”) to his final film, “Afterimage,” released this year, Mr. Wajda unceasingly drew on Polish reality, sensibilities and memory, stressing elements that were at times mystifying to foreign viewers.
His absorption in those sensibilities, and in quintessentially Polish subjects, like the romantic appeal of lost causes, extended beyond plot and subtext to the iconography with which he filled his movies, a tendency he lamented but could not escape.	His absorption in those sensibilities, and in quintessentially Polish subjects, like the romantic appeal of lost causes, extended beyond plot and subtext to the iconography with which he filled his movies, a tendency he lamented but could not escape.
“I would gladly trade in this clutch of national symbols — sabers, white horses, red poppies — for a handful of sexual symbols from a Freudian textbook,” he once said. “The trouble is that I just wasn’t brought up on Freud.”	“I would gladly trade in this clutch of national symbols — sabers, white horses, red poppies — for a handful of sexual symbols from a Freudian textbook,” he once said. “The trouble is that I just wasn’t brought up on Freud.”
He was also aware that the tensions of the Cold War sometimes estranged Western audiences from his subjects and his style. “Films made in Eastern Europe seem of little or no interest to people in the West,” he wrote in “Double Vision: My Life in Film” (1989). Western audiences, he said, “find them as antediluvian as the battle for workers’ rights in England in the time of Marx.”	He was also aware that the tensions of the Cold War sometimes estranged Western audiences from his subjects and his style. “Films made in Eastern Europe seem of little or no interest to people in the West,” he wrote in “Double Vision: My Life in Film” (1989). Western audiences, he said, “find them as antediluvian as the battle for workers’ rights in England in the time of Marx.”
But the biggest problems he faced were the practical ones of government disapproval, and sometimes outright censorship, before Poland rid itself of Communist control. That he succeeded in overcoming so much to produce towering works of art earned him the enduring regard of his countrymen.	But the biggest problems he faced were the practical ones of government disapproval, and sometimes outright censorship, before Poland rid itself of Communist control. That he succeeded in overcoming so much to produce towering works of art earned him the enduring regard of his countrymen.
And as opaque as his allusions may have seemed outside Poland, his international reputation grew steadily. Western film historians eventually mentioned him alongside Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and Akira Kurosawa. He was given the Japanese Imperial Prize for his contribution to film in 1996 and an honorary Academy Award in 2000. He also received lifetime achievement awards from the film festivals in Venice in 1998 and Berlin in 2006.	And as opaque as his allusions may have seemed outside Poland, his international reputation grew steadily. Western film historians eventually mentioned him alongside Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and Akira Kurosawa. He was given the Japanese Imperial Prize for his contribution to film in 1996 and an honorary Academy Award in 2000. He also received lifetime achievement awards from the film festivals in Venice in 1998 and Berlin in 2006.
The images and textures that shaped the imaginative landscape of Mr. Wajda’s films were drawn from a life that reflected Poland’s tragic modern history, beginning with the outbreak of World War II, when the Nazis invaded and obliterated Poland in partnership with the Russians.	The images and textures that shaped the imaginative landscape of Mr. Wajda’s films were drawn from a life that reflected Poland’s tragic modern history, beginning with the outbreak of World War II, when the Nazis invaded and obliterated Poland in partnership with the Russians.
The agony continued through nearly six years of German occupation, when the Nazis used Polish soil to establish the ghettos and killing fields of the Holocaust. Then, with liberation, came more decades of totalitarian oppression as successive regimes in Moscow sought to impose Soviet-style Communism on a devoutly Roman Catholic country, an effort that even Stalin once conceded was like “putting a saddle on a bull.”	The agony continued through nearly six years of German occupation, when the Nazis used Polish soil to establish the ghettos and killing fields of the Holocaust. Then, with liberation, came more decades of totalitarian oppression as successive regimes in Moscow sought to impose Soviet-style Communism on a devoutly Roman Catholic country, an effort that even Stalin once conceded was like “putting a saddle on a bull.”
Andrzej Wajda (pronounced ON-jay VIE-dah) was born on March 6, 1926, in Suwalki, a garrison town near Poland’s border with Lithuania. His father was a cavalry officer, and as young Andrzej moved with his parents from camp to camp, he and his brother would playfully choreograph their own battles while all around them real troops carried out training maneuvers.	Andrzej Wajda (pronounced ON-jay VIE-dah) was born on March 6, 1926, in Suwalki, a garrison town near Poland’s border with Lithuania. His father was a cavalry officer, and as young Andrzej moved with his parents from camp to camp, he and his brother would playfully choreograph their own battles while all around them real troops carried out training maneuvers.
The German Army invaded when he was 12. Two weeks later, the Russians joined in the dismemberment of Poland. The country was quickly overrun by Nazi and Communist forces carrying out the collusion of the Hitler-Stalin pact.	The German Army invaded when he was 12. Two weeks later, the Russians joined in the dismemberment of Poland. The country was quickly overrun by Nazi and Communist forces carrying out the collusion of the Hitler-Stalin pact.
As it did for many Poles, history turned personal for Mr. Wajda. His father was one of thousands of Polish officers taken prisoner and killed by the Russians in the Katyn Forest in western Russia and ~~two~~ other locations.	As it did for many Poles, history turned personal for Mr. Wajda. His father was one of thousands of Polish officers taken prisoner and killed by the Russians in the Katyn Forest in western Russia and other locations.
Though most Poles came to understand who was responsible for what was known simply as Katyn, the official version of events under Communist rule insisted that the Polish officers had been killed by the Germans. Only in 1991 could Mr. Wajda, by then an elected senator in post-Communist Poland, make a documentary called “The Katyn Forest” in homage to his father and those murdered with him.	Though most Poles came to understand who was responsible for what was known simply as Katyn, the official version of events under Communist rule insisted that the Polish officers had been killed by the Germans. Only in 1991 could Mr. Wajda, by then an elected senator in post-Communist Poland, make a documentary called “The Katyn Forest” in homage to his father and those murdered with him.
His 2007 dramatization of the same story, called simply “Katyn,” was an Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film. A. O. Scott, in The New York Times, praised it as “a powerful corrective to decades of distortion and forgetting.”	His 2007 dramatization of the same story, called simply “Katyn,” was an Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film. A. O. Scott, in The New York Times, praised it as “a powerful corrective to decades of distortion and forgetting.”
After his father disappeared, young Andrzej lived through the war with his mother, a teacher, working at odd jobs in the countryside. He also had what he later called “a posting of no significance” with the Home Army, a resistance group sponsored by the anti-Communist Polish government in exile in London.	After his father disappeared, young Andrzej lived through the war with his mother, a teacher, working at odd jobs in the countryside. He also had what he later called “a posting of no significance” with the Home Army, a resistance group sponsored by the anti-Communist Polish government in exile in London.
He enrolled in the Fine Arts Academy in Krakow after the war but transferred to the newly opened Film School in Lodz. He began making films soon after graduating.	He enrolled in the Fine Arts Academy in Krakow after the war but transferred to the newly opened Film School in Lodz. He began making films soon after graduating.
His first, “A Generation,” finished in 1955, was shot in settings of rubble and ruin, in a Warsaw that had not yet recovered from the house-to-house devastation of the war. It centered on the wartime experiences of a tough Warsaw adolescent who joins a resistance group headed by a young woman with whom he has fallen in love.	His first, “A Generation,” finished in 1955, was shot in settings of rubble and ruin, in a Warsaw that had not yet recovered from the house-to-house devastation of the war. It centered on the wartime experiences of a tough Warsaw adolescent who joins a resistance group headed by a young woman with whom he has fallen in love.
Some aspects of the film reflect the Communist Party line of the time; the young Communist fighters are depicted as purer, braver and more committed than the members of the Home Army. But with its nuanced characters, “A Generation” transcends propaganda.	Some aspects of the film reflect the Communist Party line of the time; the young Communist fighters are depicted as purer, braver and more committed than the members of the Home Army. But with its nuanced characters, “A Generation” transcends propaganda.
In 1956, in the wake of worker upheavals that preceded the Hungarian uprising against Soviet Communist domination, Mr. Wajda made “Kanal,” the second film of his war trilogy. It deals with another uprising: the 1944 struggle of the citizens of Warsaw to free themselves from Nazi occupation.	In 1956, in the wake of worker upheavals that preceded the Hungarian uprising against Soviet Communist domination, Mr. Wajda made “Kanal,” the second film of his war trilogy. It deals with another uprising: the 1944 struggle of the citizens of Warsaw to free themselves from Nazi occupation.
“Kanal” tells the story of a corps of resistance fighters who are cut off from the main insurgent force and try to escape through the city’s sewers. It follows three groups of men and women as they wander in the cold, dark water, fearful of German booby traps and electrical wires. Some break down; some die in the sewers; others sustain hopes and illusions, only to be captured by the Germans.	“Kanal” tells the story of a corps of resistance fighters who are cut off from the main insurgent force and try to escape through the city’s sewers. It follows three groups of men and women as they wander in the cold, dark water, fearful of German booby traps and electrical wires. Some break down; some die in the sewers; others sustain hopes and illusions, only to be captured by the Germans.
The last of the trilogy that established Mr. Wajda’s international reputation was “Ashes and Diamonds” (1958), a dramatization of a novel by Jerzy Andrzejewski, set on the day Germany surrendered in 1945. The Communists have taken over the wheels of government, and membership in the non-Communist resistance is suddenly suspect. Maciek, a young former soldier of the Home Army, is instructed to assassinate a Communist official who is arriving to take control of a provincial town.	The last of the trilogy that established Mr. Wajda’s international reputation was “Ashes and Diamonds” (1958), a dramatization of a novel by Jerzy Andrzejewski, set on the day Germany surrendered in 1945. The Communists have taken over the wheels of government, and membership in the non-Communist resistance is suddenly suspect. Maciek, a young former soldier of the Home Army, is instructed to assassinate a Communist official who is arriving to take control of a provincial town.
The official is a compassionate man who has suffered greatly in concentration camps. When Maciek encounters him on the street, he shoots him dead. He slips away but panics when he sees police officers checking the papers of passers-by; he starts to run and is killed. As dawn rises, marking the end of the first 24 hours of peace, Maciek’s body is sprawled on a rubbish heap.	The official is a compassionate man who has suffered greatly in concentration camps. When Maciek encounters him on the street, he shoots him dead. He slips away but panics when he sees police officers checking the papers of passers-by; he starts to run and is killed. As dawn rises, marking the end of the first 24 hours of peace, Maciek’s body is sprawled on a rubbish heap.
Mr. Wajda went on to direct more than 40 theatrical and television films, among them narrowly focused psychological portraits like “Innocent Sorcerers” (1960) and expansive adaptations of historical novels and stories by celebrated Polish writers, like Stefan Zeromski’s “The Ashes” (1965) and Stanislaw Wyspianski’s “The Wedding” (1973). His largely improvised “Everything for Sale” (1968) was a tribute to Zbigniew Cybulski, the charismatic star of “Ashes and Diamonds,” who was killed while trying to leap aboard a train in 1967.	Mr. Wajda went on to direct more than 40 theatrical and television films, among them narrowly focused psychological portraits like “Innocent Sorcerers” (1960) and expansive adaptations of historical novels and stories by celebrated Polish writers, like Stefan Zeromski’s “The Ashes” (1965) and Stanislaw Wyspianski’s “The Wedding” (1973). His largely improvised “Everything for Sale” (1968) was a tribute to Zbigniew Cybulski, the charismatic star of “Ashes and Diamonds,” who was killed while trying to leap aboard a train in 1967.
Mr. Wajda returned several times to films set against the backdrop of World War II and focused on the tragedy of Poland’s Jews with films like “Samson” (1961), “Landscape After the Battle” (1970), “Korczak” (1991) and “Holy Week” (1995).	Mr. Wajda returned several times to films set against the backdrop of World War II and focused on the tragedy of Poland’s Jews with films like “Samson” (1961), “Landscape After the Battle” (1970), “Korczak” (1991) and “Holy Week” (1995).
Most of these films were shown in the West, although it was not until the late 1970s that Mr. Wajda’s work again received the worldwide critical attention that had welcomed his earliest work. This phase started with “Man of Marble,” which he completed in 1976 but which was kept from audiences abroad until a political thaw in Warsaw emboldened bureaucrats to issue it an export license in 1978.	Most of these films were shown in the West, although it was not until the late 1970s that Mr. Wajda’s work again received the worldwide critical attention that had welcomed his earliest work. This phase started with “Man of Marble,” which he completed in 1976 but which was kept from audiences abroad until a political thaw in Warsaw emboldened bureaucrats to issue it an export license in 1978.
In that film, a student filmmaker, memorably played by Krystyna Janda, is trying to find out what became of a bricklayer who in the Stalinist ’50s had won national fame for his enthusiastic productivity. After tracing the worker’s rise as a state-sanctioned hero, she uncovers his decline at the hands of the same government that once extolled him.	In that film, a student filmmaker, memorably played by Krystyna Janda, is trying to find out what became of a bricklayer who in the Stalinist ’50s had won national fame for his enthusiastic productivity. After tracing the worker’s rise as a state-sanctioned hero, she uncovers his decline at the hands of the same government that once extolled him.
Mr. Wajda tells his story like a thriller: The truth emerges through the shifting Communist propaganda of two decades as depicted in interview after interview, newsreel after newsreel.	Mr. Wajda tells his story like a thriller: The truth emerges through the shifting Communist propaganda of two decades as depicted in interview after interview, newsreel after newsreel.
When “Man of Marble” was released in Poland, some three million people saw it in less than three months, and arguments about its content broke out all over the country. The Poles knew that the Communist government had censored the crucial final scene of the film and refused to allow its presentation at the Cannes Film Festival as an official entry. But it was shown there anyway, and it won the International Federation of Film Critics prize.	When “Man of Marble” was released in Poland, some three million people saw it in less than three months, and arguments about its content broke out all over the country. The Poles knew that the Communist government had censored the crucial final scene of the film and refused to allow its presentation at the Cannes Film Festival as an official entry. But it was shown there anyway, and it won the International Federation of Film Critics prize.
Reviewing the movie in The Times, Vincent Canby called it “a political epic, compassionate and as bitterly funny as a cartoon.”	Reviewing the movie in The Times, Vincent Canby called it “a political epic, compassionate and as bitterly funny as a cartoon.”
As the disintegration of Communist rule accelerated in Poland, more quickly than in the other Soviet satellite states, Mr. Wajda played an active role as both an artist and a patriot. In 1981, when the Solidarity labor-union movement was mushrooming, Mr. Wajda released “Man of Iron,” his sequel to “Man of Marble.”	As the disintegration of Communist rule accelerated in Poland, more quickly than in the other Soviet satellite states, Mr. Wajda played an active role as both an artist and a patriot. In 1981, when the Solidarity labor-union movement was mushrooming, Mr. Wajda released “Man of Iron,” his sequel to “Man of Marble.”
In this film, the Communist government sends a reporter to Gdansk, ostensibly to cover the strike by shipyard workers there but really to smear one of its leaders. The leader turns out to be the son of the bricklayer of “Man of Marble,” who is married to the young documentary filmmaker who uncovered the truth about his father. Soon the reporter gets caught up in the passion of the event he has been assigned to discredit.	In this film, the Communist government sends a reporter to Gdansk, ostensibly to cover the strike by shipyard workers there but really to smear one of its leaders. The leader turns out to be the son of the bricklayer of “Man of Marble,” who is married to the young documentary filmmaker who uncovered the truth about his father. Soon the reporter gets caught up in the passion of the event he has been assigned to discredit.
“Man of Iron” was made as Solidarity was gaining momentum. Real members of Solidarity, including the movement’s leader, Lech Walesa, appear in the film alongside fictional characters. A late entry at Cannes, it was awarded the Golden Palm.	“Man of Iron” was made as Solidarity was gaining momentum. Real members of Solidarity, including the movement’s leader, Lech Walesa, appear in the film alongside fictional characters. A late entry at Cannes, it was awarded the Golden Palm.
Mr. Wajda was allowed to insert the censored last scene of “Man of Marble” into “Man of Iron.” “That was the best sign,” he later recalled, “that in the years between the two movies the Communists really started losing ground.”	Mr. Wajda was allowed to insert the censored last scene of “Man of Marble” into “Man of Iron.” “That was the best sign,” he later recalled, “that in the years between the two movies the Communists really started losing ground.”
He organized and ran the Solidarity filmmakers’ union and became an active member of the Committee to Help Workers, a major dissident organization. But the last Polish Communist government struck back and Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, its leader, banned Solidarity and declared martial law.	He organized and ran the Solidarity filmmakers’ union and became an active member of the Committee to Help Workers, a major dissident organization. But the last Polish Communist government struck back and Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, its leader, banned Solidarity and declared martial law.
As censorship intensified, Mr. Wajda encouraged the clandestine distribution of banned films by his younger colleagues through underground cassettes. The government moved against him, and for the next four years disapproved his film projects; he was not able to work in his homeland again until 1985.	As censorship intensified, Mr. Wajda encouraged the clandestine distribution of banned films by his younger colleagues through underground cassettes. The government moved against him, and for the next four years disapproved his film projects; he was not able to work in his homeland again until 1985.
Leaving Poland, he directed two films that drew critical praise. In “Danton,” made in France in 1982, he drew parallels to the political situation in Poland with his portrayal of the conflict between the moderate, democratic Danton (played by Gérard Depardieu) and the Stalin-like Robespierre (played by the Polish actor Wojciech Pszoniak) during the Reign of Terror that followed the French Revolution.	Leaving Poland, he directed two films that drew critical praise. In “Danton,” made in France in 1982, he drew parallels to the political situation in Poland with his portrayal of the conflict between the moderate, democratic Danton (played by Gérard Depardieu) and the Stalin-like Robespierre (played by the Polish actor Wojciech Pszoniak) during the Reign of Terror that followed the French Revolution.