Feature film directed by Jerzy Stuhr, 2000.
Still from the movie 'Big Animal / Duże zwierzę' dir. Jerzy Stuhr
Mr. Sawicki, a respectable bank clerk, appears in the streets of his town in the company of a camel. The residents are astonished. Their initial friendliness and surprise turns into widespread hostility. Local government offices demand that the camel be registered and tax paid for it, officials receive letters claiming the animal is soiling the streets and distracting the children at school and, most importantly, could be the carrier of a tropical disease. Picket lines appear in front of the Sawickis' house, demanding that the exotic resident be removed...
Written in 1973, the script was meant as the feature debut of Krzysztof Kieślowski, but due to protests from the authorities of the time, it was never produced. Janusz Morgenstern discovered it in Wiesbaden in 1998 and, as a producer, proposed that Jerzy Stuhr direct it.
" 'Duże zwierzę' is a special film to me. Firstly because, in a symbolic way, I was working with my good friend Krzysztof Kieślowski again. I had the opportunity to give shape to something that was his idea, his aspiration. Secondly, this is my first poetic film. I have always been inclined towards a realistic view of the world. This time I dared to try metaphor, I tried to find a different sensitivity in myself". (Jerzy Stuhr)
"To give the film's storyline a universal dimension, the director sets it everywhere and nowhere, confusing the historical order - mixing scenery from 1960's Polish reality with traces of today's Poland. In the age of a cult of individualism, Stuhr takes on a theme that the audience treats with reserve, still associating him with cinema involved in battles against the red authorities.
The director has found a golden mean: he has turned an unfashionable theme into a parable that touches timeless principles through micro-events. Without resorting to catchy (read: audience-wooing) tricks, he uncovers the Sawickis' everyday life. Through the ritual of eating, going to work, resting, he builds the image of 'good people'. The Sawickis are not placed in any extreme situation, they don't have to battle against local gangs or make any conclusive revaluations in their lives. They do not discover that the world is evil, nor that everything they thought about people so far was just an illusion. They observe reality with na?ve sincerity, but not without refusing to accept stupidity.
As befits a parable, everything in this world is clear-cut - evil is evil, and good is good; no relativity. Stuhr avoids any emotional confusion leading to ethical disorientation. At the same time, there is not a whit of sermonizing here. The facts speak for themselves, provoking the viewer to reflection". (Katarzyna Kubisiowska "Film")
- Duże zwierzę / Big Animal. Poland, 2000. Directed by Jerzy Stuhr, screenplay by Krzysztof Kieślowski based on short story "Wielbłąd / Camel" by Kazimierz Orłoś, screenplay adaptation by Jerzy Stuhr, director of photography: Paweł Edelman, music by Abel Korzeniowski, film editing by Elżbieta Kurkowska, production design by Monika Sajko-Gradowska, costume design by Elżbieta Radke. Featuring: Jerzy Stuhr (Zygmunt Sawicki), Anna Dymna (Marysia Sawicka), Dominika Bednarczyk (Bank Clerk), Błażej Wójcik (Bank Clerk), Andrzej Franczyk (Bank Manager), Feliks Szajnert (Drunkard), Zbigniew Kaleta (Photographer), Andrzej Kozak (Conductor), Radosław Krzyżowski (reżyser), Stanisław Banaś (Fire Chief), Piotr Dąbrowski (Fireman), Zbigniew Rola (Fireman), Ewa Worytkiewicz (Councilwoman), Tomasz Schimscheiner (Builder), Zbigniew Kosowski (Stefaniak), Krzysztof Głuchowski (Mayor), Katarzyna Mrózek (girl), Leszek Świgoń (Policeman), Tomasz Karolak (Policeman), {C}with a special participation of Rubio, the camel from Zalewski Circus. Produced by Telewizja Polska; Studio Filmowe Perspektywa, Warsaw 2000. Black and White, 35 mm, {C} 73', 2033 m, Dolby Stereo.
Awards:
- Award for Abel Korzeniowski for the music at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, 2000;
- Grand Prix at the GOEAST International Film Festival, Wiesbaden 2001;
- Emerging Master Award for Jerzy Stuhr at the 27th Seattle International Film Festival;
- Jury's Special Prize at the Golden Knight Festival in Tambov (Russia);
- Jury's Special Prize (joint winner) and Award of the Ecumenical Jury at the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary, 2000;
- Audience Award at the 6th "Film Summer" Film and Arts Festival in Kazimierz Dolny, 2000.