An unusual film about a dramatic turn of events.
A story inspired by Władysław Szpilman’s memoir. Over fifty years later, the memoir was adapted for the big screen by Roman Polański in “The Pianist”.
The film became one of the first victims of the socialist realism doctrine adopted at the Communist-steered Congress of Filmmakers in Wisła.
Warsaw in the aftermath of the ‘Rising 44. Germans expel civilians, then begin to systematically destroy the city. Few Poles that survived are hiding in the midst of the ocean of rubble that once was Poland’s capital city. One of these Robinson Crusoes of Warsaw, Piotr Rafalski saves the life of a wounded Jewish woman Krystyna. Among survivors are also three soldiers from the Polish People’s Army, who collaborate with a Soviet telegraphist. Following his heroic death, the soldiers join forces with Rafalski and Krystyna. Some of them die, others succeed in getting across to the right bank of the Vistula river. Rafalski lies low in the ruins until the Red Army enters the city.
In 1948, film director Jerzy Zarzycki made a movie called „Robinson Warszawski”. Following mounting criticism and censorship, the film’s release was suspended. The movie underwent multiple and far-reaching changes designed to reinforce the film’s ideological character, including a positive role of communists and the Red Army. In 1950, the film hit the big screen under a new title „Miasto nieujarzmione”.
Novelist Jerzy Andrzejewski and poet Czesław Miłosz were behind the film’s original concept. Faced with profound changes to the original script, Miłosz withdrew his name from the film credits.
In 2002, one of the film’s earlier versions was shown to audience for the first time. However, analysis of its content and opening credits made it clear that it was not the uncensored „Robinson Warszawski”.
