Zakazane piosenki
Encyclopedia
Zakazane piosenki is a 1946 Polish
musical film
directed by Leonard Buczkowski. It was the first feature film to be created in Poland following the six years of World War II
.
The film, set during the German occupation of Warsaw during the war, tells the story of several inhabitants of the same tenement house. Their stories are loosely tied together by a set of songs, both pre-war ballads popular during the war and war-time popular songs mocking German occupation (Siekiera, motyka
).
The film's premiere
took place on January 8, 1947 in the newly-reopened Palladium
cinema in Warsaw. The film proved to be highly popular and more than 10.8 million people watched it in the following three years - twice the usual average attendance in post-war Poland.
In 1948 the film was re-edited
and re-released in a new version, with more focus on Red Army
's role as the liberator of Poland and the main ally of post-war Polish communist
regime, as well as more grim outlook of the German occupation of Warsaw and German brutality in general. However, as the farcical plot and all-familiar songs were mostly free of ideological subtexts, the film remained popular in the decades to come and some of its' songs re-emerged in slightly modified form during the 1980s martial law
and struggle against the Communist rule. The film remains well-known and popular even in modern Poland, being screened by Polish public television channel
on a regular basis.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
directed by Leonard Buczkowski. It was the first feature film to be created in Poland following the six years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The film, set during the German occupation of Warsaw during the war, tells the story of several inhabitants of the same tenement house. Their stories are loosely tied together by a set of songs, both pre-war ballads popular during the war and war-time popular songs mocking German occupation (Siekiera, motyka
Siekiera, motyka
Siekiera, motyka is a famous Polish military songs from the period of World War II. It became the most popular song of occupied Warsaw, and then, of entire occupied Poland.-Creation:...
).
The film's premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
took place on January 8, 1947 in the newly-reopened Palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
cinema in Warsaw. The film proved to be highly popular and more than 10.8 million people watched it in the following three years - twice the usual average attendance in post-war Poland.
In 1948 the film was re-edited
Film editing
Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling...
and re-released in a new version, with more focus on Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
's role as the liberator of Poland and the main ally of post-war Polish communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
regime, as well as more grim outlook of the German occupation of Warsaw and German brutality in general. However, as the farcical plot and all-familiar songs were mostly free of ideological subtexts, the film remained popular in the decades to come and some of its' songs re-emerged in slightly modified form during the 1980s martial law
Martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
and struggle against the Communist rule. The film remains well-known and popular even in modern Poland, being screened by Polish public television channel
Telewizja Polska
Telewizja Polska Spółka Akcyjna is Poland's public broadcasting corporation...
on a regular basis.