Catastrophe

(Katastrofa)


1966   >   psychological/ slice of life/drama

A psychological and social drama in which a fatal construction disaster serves as a basis for an analysis of matters related to responsibility and morality. An honest portrayal of the ways and environment of technical professionals with university background in 1960s Poland.

Hulewicz is an engineer. A flyover he designed has come down shortly after being built, killing several people. The investigation reveals that the design was flawless, with the disaster caused by the contractor, who used different building materials than specified in the design. Site manager Bień is sentenced. Despite this, Hulewicz is haunted by the disaster. In an attempt to get away from it all, he leaves, even though his beloved Hanka pleads with him to stay.


Crew:

director
Sylwester Chęciński
script
Zbigniew Kubikowski, Sylwester Chęciński
d.o.p.
Kazimierz Konrad
designer
Jan Grandys
editor
Felicja Rogowska
music
Wojciech Kilar
cast
Aleksander Fogiel, Wiktor Grotowicz,
Marta Lipińska, Stanisław Niwiński,
Witold Pyrkosz, Edmund Fetting
Materials: SD
Length: 86’