On the Silver Globe
On the Silver Globe (1976-1987), a phenomenal science-fiction spectacle, told the story of settlers starting a new civilisation on a foreign planet. Each of the story’s three parts differed in its artistic setting and was filmed with different lenses and in a different way. Jaroszewicz and Żuławski came up with an extremely subjective camera technique, reminiscent of today’s micro-cameras, and, by manipulating the colour appropriately, they were able to distinguish the film’s textured materials from each other.
They shot On the Silver Globe on Kodak tape which allowed them to capture exceptionally vivid colours. ‘It’s horrible, we’re not making an American film,’ said Żuławski after seeing the samples.
Jaroszewicz invented a way to achieve a monochromatic image effect. Thanks to the use of appropriate filters, he managed to make vivid colours ‘washed out’ and put some dirt on the screen. To this day, the pale blue, almost monochromatic shots remain some of the most unusual in the history of Polish cinema.
It took many years for On the Silver Globe to be screened at the cinemas. The censors did not want the creators to complete the film. The production of this pioneering masterpiece was suspended for nine long years.
Film friendship
After the suspension of On the Silver Globe, Jaroszewicz worked on commercials (among others for FSO) and lectured at the Film School. He also worked with Żuławski on other foreign projects. He was a cameraman in The Most Important Thing: Love (1975) and Possession (1981), which was admired by Hollywood artists.
In 1989, together with Żuławski, he filmed Boris Godunov. During his work on the film, he suffered from a heart attack. In this project, he was not only the cinematographer but also the costume designer. When one of the costume transports was stopped at the border, his heart could not hold out. Boris Godunov was completed by the French cameraman Pierre-Laurent Chenieux.
A few months later, Żuławski invited Jaroszewicz to cooperate again. He was preparing to direct The Blue Note (1990) and wanted to do it with his friend. Żuławski did not make much of the warnings about Jaroszewicz’s state.
‘Don’t be silly,’ he said to Jaroszewicz. ‘Are you in or out?’ Jaroszewicz was in.
In an interview with Culture.pl, the cinematographer said:
I wanted to work with him because he proposed an entirely different way of thinking about film. He didn’t fake anything. He made the films he liked. And I liked them too. I’ve made a lot of films in my life, but only films made with Andrzej had an aura of seriousness.
Their film friendship also brought unexpected artistic events. One such situation was when Jaroszewicz appeared as an actor in The Public Woman (1984). When the French trade unions refused to allow a Pole to be the cinematographer for a French film, Żuławski decided to hire him as an actor and pay him the wage he would receive as a cameraman.
After that, he met with Żuławski one more time – in 1996 they made The Shaman, a scandalous film about erotic fascination based on a screenplay by Manuela Gretkowska. In 2002, Jaroszewicz and Żuławski received the Golden Frog award as a directing and cinematography duo at the Camerimage Festival.