Screenwriter, actor and director active in early Polish post-war cinema. Born on the 5th of August 1900 in Warsaw, died on the 19th of February 1967, in Warsaw.
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As the director of Poland’s first post-war feature – Zakazane Piosenki / Forbidden Songs, 1947 and the country’s first feature film in colour – Przygoda na Mariensztacie / Adventure at Mariensztat, 1954, Buczkowski became one of the cornerstones of post-war cinema in Poland. Forbidden Songs bears witness to the country’s quick re-entry into the film industry not long after the end of the war and has established itself as a classic among movies depicting the German occupation and the struggle of Poles to retain their personal freedom. The main protagonist of the film is the patriotic songs that helped upkeep their spirits. His 1949 film Skarb / Treasure was the first Polish post-war comedy.
Buczkowski made his directorial debut in 1928 with the war-drama Szaleńcy. He is known for making the most expensive films in pre-war Poland, Gwiaździsta Eskadra / Starry Squadron in 1930. The film is a love story between a Polish girl and an American volunteer pilot from the No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron who fought in the ranks of the Polish Army in 1918-1920. It is alleged that all the copies of the film were destroyed or taken away by Soviet authorities after 1945. Until the outbreak of WWII, Buczkowski went on to make around six other films; he also appeared in several productions.
Leonard Buczkowski studied acting at the Stanisława Wysocka Drama Film Studio and the Wiktor Biegański Institute (1920-1922) – whom he later joined as assistant director. During the Polish-Soviet War, he was a military pilot in 1919 and 1920.
Selected filmography:
- 1966 – Marysia i Napoleon / Maria and Napoleon
- 1964 – Przerwany Lot / Interrupted Flight
- 1963 – Smarkula
- 1961 – Czas Przeszły / Time Past
- 1959 – Orzeł / Eagle
- 1958 – Deszczowy Lipiec / Rainy July
- 1956 – Sprawa pilota Maresza / The case of pilot maresz
- 1954 – Przygoda na Mariensztacie / Adventure at Mariendsztat
- 1947 – Zakazane Piosenki / Forbidden Songs
- 1945 – Łódź 1939-1945
- 1942 – Testament Profesora Wilczura / Professor Wilczur’s Will
- 1939 – Biały Murzyn / The White Negro
- 1938 – Florian
- 1936 – Straszny Dwór
- 1935 – Rapsodia Bałtyku / Baltic Rhapsody
- 1932 – Szyb L-23
- 1930 – Gwiaździsta Eskadra / Starry Squadron
- 1928 – Szalency
Sources: culture.pl
Editor: Marta Jazowska