A documentary cartoon about World War II
Even though Wartime Portraits is a documentary series, its creators experiment with cinematic form. Archival materials from the World War are connected with interviews with historians, militants and experts, and the adventures of Polish soldiers are told in a comic book style.
Dark, black animations by Agnieszka Boryczko and Jacek Kościuszko are almost seamlessly connected to archival recordings from wartime chronicles. Different shades of grey are then replaced by the contrast of light and shadow and the realism of old photographs – by obscure, grotesque images, but still the whole is stylistically cohesive. Even when the creators connect an actors’ film with cartoon and, showing Nazi (and also Soviet) invaders, deliberately exaggerate and make them non-human.
The documentary series was created by young directors: Tomasz Matuszczak, Rafał Skalski and Cezary Iber. Telling the story of the heroes of World War II, the creators don’t try to build statues for their protagonists. When Rafał Skalski tells Zdzisław Pacak-Kuźmirski’s story, who was the organizer of one of the most courageous escapes from Oflag II C Woldenberg, he shows him as someone as brave, as disobedient. When depicting Jan Zumbach, the ace of Polish air force and the commander of the legendary 303 division, Cezary Iber shows him not only as an honoured warrior, but also as a womanizer, addicted to adrenaline.
The creators of Wartime Potraits not only portray Polish heroism, but also look at the blind courage and irresponsibility of their protagonists with a critical eye. It’s most obvious in Hellwig, when Tomasz Matuszczak shows the circumstances of the death of one of occupied Warsaw’s best drivers Bronisław Hellwig, but also points to serious mistakes in the planning of the underground actions.
Wartime Potraits skillfully connect education and entertainment. Experimental form, dynamic editing and impressive scenes accompany the commentaries of historians and experts who talk about the contexts and the protagonists of each episode.
- Wartime Portraits, Directed by: Tomasz Matuszczak, Cezary Iber, Rafał Skalski; Screenplay: Tomasz Matuszczak, Cezary Iber, Rafał Skalski, Tomasz Olejniczak, Wojciech Kasperski. Cinematography: Jacek Kościuszko. Montaż: Maciej Gajewski. Music: Łukasz Mrozik. Dźwięk: Kamil Radziszewski, Paulina Bocheńska. Illustrations: Michał Araszewicz. Animations: Agnieszka Boryczko, Jacek Kościuszko.
Author: Bartosz Staszczyszyn, translated by: N. Mętrak-Ruda, November 2015.