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Man of Iron - a commissioned film

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Man of Iron: Events in the Gdańsk shipyard
Andrzej Wajda Film-maker
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When the events began in the Lenin shipyard in Gdańsk, a film crew turned up and I, as the chairman of the Association, decided that it was a good excuse for me to go down there to the shipyard and to see if they weren't coming to any harm, were they filming and was everything alright. They were to film the negotiations between the government and the workers; no one knew what sort of event it would be, but it needed to be captured on film. The idea quickly arose that a sequel ought to be made to a film that Kieślowski had made while he was still at film school, Workers '70 [sic]. Ten years had gone by so perhaps the next film, Workers '80, needed to be made, so that was even more of a reason to show everything on screen. When I was entering the shipyard, those workers who were guarding the gate and who watched my films knew it was me, not because I was chairman of the Association but because I was sufficiently famous, and so they were pleased that I'd come. They led me into the room in which the negotiations were taking place between Solidarność advisers and Wałęsa, and the government committee. One of the workers who was with me wearing a red-and-white arm band said, 'Why don't you make a film about us?' I said, 'What kind of film would you like me to make about you?' And he replied, 'Make the film Man of Iron'. I have to say that I already had a title and I thought to myself, I've never made a film as a commission either for commercial reasons or political ones. I made films that I thought I ought to make, varied, each one different, but never because someone came to me and said: 'Make a film about me'.

Kiedy zaczęły się wydarzenia w Stoczni Gdańskiej imienia Lenina, pojawiła się też ekipa filmowa i ja jako prezes Stowarzyszenia uznałem, że jest bardzo dobry pretekst, żebym się pojawił w Stoczni i zobaczył, czy im się nie dzieje jakaś krzywda i czy oni robią zdjęcia i czy wszystko jest w porządku. Pertraktacje rządu z robotnikami, no więc oni mają to sfilmować, bo to nie wiadomo jeszcze, jakie to będzie wydarzenie, ale to powinno być. Bardzo szybko oczywiście ten pomysł się pojawił, żeby zrobić dalszy ciąg filmu, który Kieślowski zrobił w Szkole Filmowej jeszcze Robotnicy '70 [sic]. No, minęło dziesięć lat, może by zrobić film Robotnicy '80, tym bardziej trzeba to wszystko, że tak powiem, na ekranie pokazać.

Kiedy wchodziłem do Stoczni, oczywiście, że ci robotnicy, którzy stali na bramie, oglądając moje filmy, wiedzieli, że to jestem ja. Nie dlatego, że byłem prezesem Stowarzyszenia, tylko dlatego, że byłem wystarczająco znany, więc ucieszyli się, że przybywam. Wprowadzili mnie do tej... do tej sali, gdzie odbywały się pertraktacje pomiędzy... pomiędzy związkiem 'Solidarność', doradcami i Wałęsą i Komisją Rządową. I jeden z tych robotników, który szedł razem ze mną w biało-czerwonej opasce, mówi: 'Dlaczego Pan nie zrobi film o nas?' Ja mówię: 'No a jaki chcecie, żebym ja zrobił film o was?' A on mówi: 'Niech Pan zrobi film Człowiek z żelaza'. Ja muszę powiedzieć, że już miałem tytuł i pomyślałem sobie, że może jest taka chwila, nigdy nie robiłem filmu na niczyje zamówienie, ani... ani z powodów komercjalnych, ani z powodów politycznych. Robiłem takie filmy, które wydawało mi się, że powinienem zrobić, różnorodne, każdy inny, ale nigdy z tego powodu, że jakby ktoś przyszedł do mnie i powiedział: 'Niech Pan zrobi film o mnie'.

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: Gdańsk, Man of Iron, Lenin Shipyard, Workers`70, Workers`80, Solidarność, Lech Wałęsa, Krzysztof Kieślowski

Duration: 2 minutes, 33 seconds

Date story recorded: August 2003

Date story went live: 24 January 2008