One of the biggest projects in the history of Polish cinema.
A colourful historical fresco showing the character of King Casimir the Great, against the background of the most important political events of the era.
The dying King Casimir recalls key episodes of his long life - his marriage for political reasons, the tragic love affair with a Hungarian lady of the court, the battle at Płowce and the death of Ladislaus the Short, after whom he inherited the crown. The ruler sought to build a strong, modern state. He had to make a number of controversial decisions, both political and personal. He struggled with many difficulties - the opposition of the church, the lawlessness of nobles, invasions of Tatars... Casimir’s biggest failure was not having a male heir. Despite this the monarch dies with the knowledge that his rule contributed to strengthening Poland’s position in Europe.
“Casimir the Great” can be described as a blockbuster. 150 actors, thousands of extras and several hundred horses took part in the filming. The crew of over 100 people worked, among others, in East Germany, Czechoslovakia and France. Life-size replicas of wooden buildings were erected on the military training ground in Biedrusko, and authentic furniture was borrowed from the warehouses of the museum in Malbork.
The role of Ladislaus the Short was initially entrusted to Tadeusz Łomnicki. Just after filming started he was replaced by Ignacy Machowski.
Excerpt from the movie
