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The Devils - the second film for Gaumont

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The Devils in Teatr Stary
Andrzej Wajda Film-maker
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As I've already said, Dostoyevsky was a writer who wasn't popular with the authorities because Russian authors belonged to Russian film directors. Here, apart from Chekov and a few plays by Soviet writers, not much was performed nor was it performed willingly, especially not Dostoyevsky. I went to five different theatres proposing that we do The Devils. Why The Devils? When I was working with Marek Hłasko, before I made Ashes and Diamonds, he drew my attention to the existence of Dostoyevsky's The Devils, but I hadn't read it yet at that point. Then I read it and from that moment the vision of doing that play haunted me. Since there was no question of making it into a film, I considered the idea of putting it on stage at Stary Teatr where it would have been something of an event. I won't talk about the theatre but perhaps I'll just mention this play. I'll only say that this play remained in the repertoire of Stary Teatr for nearly 15 years. The actors changed yet the theatre continued to put on this play because it continued to have an audience and there was a need for it. There was some kind of mystery surrounding the theatrical The Devils. I introduced characters from Japanese theatre who blended very well with the realistic, surrealistic literature of Dostoyevsky. All of this together created a very integrated, strange, powerful, vivid performance with actors who acted beautifully and with strength.

Jak już powiedziałem, Dostojewski był pisarzem, który w Polsce nie był chętnie przez władze widziany, ponieważ rosyjski pisarz należał do rosyjskich reżyserów. I tu, że tak powiem, poza tym, że grywało się Czechowa, że grywało się radzieckie sztuki niewiele i niechętnie, a już Dostojewski zwłaszcza. Ja pięć teatrów obszedłem i proponowałem wszędzie, że zrobię Biesy. A dlaczego Biesy? Kiedy pracowałem z Markiem Hłasko, przedtem nim zrobiłem Popiół i diament, Marek Hłasko mi zwrócił uwagę na to, że istnieje wielka powieść Dostojewskiego Biesy, której ja jeszcze nie czytałem. Wtedy ją przeczytałem i od tamtego czasu chodziła za mną wizja, że tak powiem zrobienia tego. Ponieważ tu nie było mowy o tym, żeby zrobić film, więc raczej krążyłem wokół tego, żeby zrobić to na scenie i przedstawienie w Starym Teatrze było swojego rodzaju ewenementem. Jak będę opowiadał o teatrze, może opowiem o tym spektaklu. Powiem tylko tyle, że prawie przez 15 lat ten spektakl w repertuarze Starego Teatru się utrzymywał. Zmieniali się aktorzy, a teatr ciągle grał tę sztukę, dlatego że ona wciąż miała widownię i ciągle była potrzeba. Biesy teatralne miały jakąś tajemnicę. Wprowadziłem tam postacie z japońskiego teatru, które bardzo dobrze połączyły się z tą realistyczną literaturą, tak nadrealistyczną literaturą Dostojewskiego. Wszystko to razem stworzyło jakiś bardzo spoisty, dziwny, silny, wyrazisty spektakl z aktorami, którzy grali to pięknie i silnie bardzo.

Polish film director Andrzej Wajda (1926-2016) was a towering presence in Polish cinema for six decades. His films, showing the horror of the German occupation of Poland, won awards at Cannes and established his reputation as both story-teller and commentator on Poland's turbulent history. As well as his impressive career in TV and film, he also served on the national Senate from 1989-91.

Listeners: Jacek Petrycki

Cinematographer Jacek Petrycki was born in Poznań, Poland in 1948. He has worked extensively in Poland and throughout the world. His credits include, for Agniezka Holland, Provincial Actors (1979), Europe, Europe (1990), Shot in the Heart (2001) and Julie Walking Home (2002), for Krysztof Kieslowski numerous short films including Camera Buff (1980) and No End (1985). Other credits include Journey to the Sun (1998), directed by Jesim Ustaoglu, which won the Golden Camera 300 award at the International Film Camera Festival, Shooters (2000) and The Valley (1999), both directed by Dan Reed, Unforgiving (1993) and Betrayed (1995) by Clive Gordon both of which won the BAFTA for best factual photography. Jacek Petrycki is also a teacher and a filmmaker.

Tags: The Devils, Teatr Stary, Ashes and Diamonds, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Marek Hłasko

Duration: 2 minutes, 9 seconds

Date story recorded: August 2003

Date story went live: 24 January 2008