Scorsese’s Polish connection dates back to the golden days of the Łódź National Film School, which brought us Polański, Wajda and Kieślowski, to name just a few.
I’ve long, long been drawn to Polish cinema, from the time I was a film student in NYU.
In 2011, Scorsese finally visited the National Film School at Wajda’s invitation, where he was presented with an honorary doctorate. Of his experience, the Italian American master said:
I’ve learned not just how films are made, but why. The school nurtured in me an unshakeable belief in artistic expression grounded in Italian neo-realism, French New Wave, and Polish cinema. The great, sweeping, humanistic, intimate and profound films that were an integral part of what, looking back, seems more and more like the golden age of international cinema.
While the artistic quality of those Polish masterpieces remained undamaged throughout the decades, the same could unfortunately not be said for their films, which were decaying at a threatening rate due to fading, dirt, scratches and poor material quality. Scorsese therefore decided to select 21 Polish masterpieces that have had a profound influence on his own art, and to have them digitally restored by a team of experts.
The series features iconic Polish directors like Wajda, Munk, Kieślowski, Zanussi and Has.
For those willing to find out what it is in Polish cinema that has smitten Scorsese, the Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema will be on show throughout the United States and Canada in 2014. The series will kick off on February 5th and run till the 16th at the Lincoln Society Film Center in New York. The full schedule is available here.
For more information, visit the Martin Scorsese Presents website here.
Source: own materials, press materials, mspresents.com. Edited by LB, 30/01/2014