AUSTERIA
By : Jerzy Kawalerowicz
With : Franciszek Pieczka, Wojciech Pszoniak, Jan Szurmiej, Ewa Domanska
Pologne, 1959, PAL, 4/3 - 102 mn
Zone 2, N&B,
Not available for sale now
English title : THE INN
Original title : AUSTERIA
Directed by : Jerzy Kawalerowicz
with : Franciszek Pieczka, Wojciech Pszoniak, Jan Szurmiej, Ewa Domanska
Poland, 1959, PAL, 4/3 - 102 mn
Zone 2, black and white
Original Polish version, with French subtitles
Set up in the Polish Galicia in 1914, on the eve of World War I. Three communities shares the area : Polish, Ukrainian and Jewish people. The local inn ("austeria" in Galician) is run by an old and wise Jew called Tag. The neighboring village is abandoned by the Jews, who left only few steps ahead of advancing Cossacks. Soon the inn is full of desperate Jews, there is also an Austrian baroness on the run and an Hungarian hussar cut off from his unit.
The movie, based on a novel (1966) written by Julian Stryjkowski (1905-1996), is a nostalgic, poetic and cruel vision of the history and culture of the Polish Jews with their beliefs, traditions, legends and original humor.
"We wanted" said Jerzy Kawalerowicz "the film to be a movie of great metaphor, similar to a passionate, dynamic painting, which shows the world of Jews a moment before the tragical doom." AUSTERIA was announced to be one of the best movies of the director - the movie won the Gold Lion at the Polish Film Festival.
Watch a video excerpt :