A Soviet – Polish coproduction of an extraordinary film of a Soviet filmmaker Sergiej Jutkiewicz, awarded at the Cannes Festival.
An experimental form showing the events on the screen primarily as an illustration of the characters internal consciousness.
An attempt at drawing the portrait of Vladimir Lenin and his beliefs during the time the communist leader spent on the territory of today’s Poland.
The year 1914. After the outbreak of World War I the Austrian authorities arrest Lenin in Poronin. During his imprisonment the character delves on his memories and thoughts. Lenin’s stay in Poland is shown in the form of retrospections with emphasis put on showing his connections to the local people represented by a girl from the mountains – Ulka and the man she loves. The next events serve as a pretext to show Lenin’s thoughts and ideas regarding war, politics and social relations.
Jutkiewicz’s screenplay was based on Lenin’s letters and works as well as historical facts, which were presented selectively and in a biased way.
The film does not include traditional dialogues, which have been replaced by an almost continuous Lenin’s monologue, delivered by Tadeusz Łomnicki in the Polish language version of the film.
