The second Polish feature movie, next to “Zakazane piosenki”, which was produced after the WW2, and the first one to touch upon contemporary issues of the post-war Poland.
The movie was made by a prematurely dead Eugeniusz Cękalski, one of pre-war authors of avant-garde films.
A propaganda-laden portrayal of a rural Poland in the wake of a Communist victory.
Village Łany is undeveloped and poor. Any attempts to introduce collective farming are thwarted by the enemies of People’s Poland. These troublemakers are led by a moonshine-selling miller and a former governor Elegant with ties to anti-soviet guerrilla groups. The situation changes along with the arrival of a young teacher. Under his influence, a deserted manor house is turned into a school, while local farmers decide to bring electricity to the village. Opponents of change do what they can to obstruct the process. On the day of his wedding, the teacher is shot, but his beliefs live on. Electricity helps the village change its name to Jasne (bright) Łany and bid farewell to ignorance and backwardness.
An interesting documentary which captures the spirit of the times, the film was produced according to the communist propaganda’s guidelines in a bid to reach out to mass audience.
What makes “Jasne Łany” noteworthy is a portrayal of everyday rural life in mazowieckie region prior to economic and technological revolution.
Stereotype-ridden storyline, characters’ strange manner of speaking and multiple exaggerations clash with outstanding camerawork and accomplished performances by supporting actors.
Excerpt from the movie
