The writer Boleslaw Prus as early as 1896, in the pages of "Kurier dzienny" ("Daily Courier"),

wrote that thanks to the emerging cinema, we will be able to stop the world that has already passed away.

We will meet people who have passed away and are no longer with us today.

For Boleslaw Prus, film was an opportunity to immortalize everyday life.

However, for director Wojciech Has, film was something distant from ordinary life.

What then is a film?

Is it just a chronicle? Or maybe a dream?

Or maybe some magic?

THE TRAIL OF DREAMS

We are in the filming hall of the Centre for Audiovisual Technologies in Wrocław.

An institution which continues the rich tradition of the Wrocław Feature Film Studio

In its glory days Wroclaw Film Studio had three filming halls,

a recording studio, a projection room, a set construction department and an editing room.

A quarter of all postwar Polish film production was shot in these interiors.

Filmmakers such as Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polański, Wojciech Has, Tadeusz Konwicki

and many others have made their films here

The Wrocław studio was established on 22 July 1953.

It became the promised land for young filmmakers.

Roman Polanski made his first full-length film "Knife in the Water" here, and Krzysztof Kieślowski made "Personnel".

The feeling of creative freedom was stronger than in Łódź or Warsaw.

In their recollections, filmmakers and employees emphasize the good energy and family atmosphere that existed here.

The possibility of exchange of ideas and the presence of many prominent personalities

- not only artists - constituted a very special atmosphere of the place.

New post-war Polish cinema was emerging.

Often of world class standard.

And Wrocław was at its centre.

For the communist authorities, the new Production Studio in Wrocław symbolized the rebirth of Polish culture

in the regained post-German lands.

The communist authorities placed the Studio in pre-war exhibition pavilions:

a rectangular one and a pavilion of four domes.

Right next to the symbol of Wroclaw - The Centennial Hall.

For decades, the greatest films of Polish cinematography have been created in these two buildings.

What do filmmakers make here? Do they create Polish and Lower Silesian dreams?

The filmmakers create images from the matter that surrounds them.

By manipulating space and light they additionally make them move.

They capture the movement of this matter in a series of images.

Formerly on a film tape, today on disks and memory cards.

Action!

- Since my arrival in Madrid, I have been haunted as if by the evil spirit

- It's not appropriate for me to keep such nonsense around

The manuscript "Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie" ("The Saragossa Manuscript") directed by Wojciech Has is now a classic of world cinema.

Scenes for the film were shot in the Studio and in the open air in Wrocław.

- I am the daughter of a man as rich as your father, and that is the banker Moro

- The curse of my life.

- Senior!

- I am the unhappiest of men.

- I must not think of you on pain of the curse of my father, who crossed many seas and established a trading house in Cadiz.

- Cadiz... Do not believe him Madam and do not lose courage.

- These little crescents hardly take the hook. But sooner or later their turn will come

A 20th century concrete pergola next to the Studio was used as an open-air stage for this scene.

The filmmakers built their images from the matter right here next door.

The imagination of the filmmaker works on the reality available to the senses.

However, it transforms it in a new way, individual to the creator.

World War II left Wrocław in ruins.

For the Polish settlers it was a strange, anonymous and mysterious place.

The Poles had to re-tame and reorganize this post-German town.

In the film "We will see each other on Sunday" director Stanislaw Lenartowicz presents Wroclaw to the Polish people in a cheerful,

even romantic way. As a beautiful, unique and old European city.

Through film, the foreign city of Wroclaw was becoming emotionally closer - joy, tragedy, horror...

Thanks to films Wroclaw was supposed to find its way into the hearts of Poles.

Stanisław Lenartowicz would often show the uniqueness of this city and the beauty of Lower Silesia.

He himself fell in love with Wroclaw and lived there for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, however, the big-city architecture of Wrocław often acted as other cities, such as Warsaw.

The presented scene features Wroclaw's Nowa Street and the most popular actor of his time - Zbigniew Cybulski.

Most of the Warsaw film locations in Lenartowicz's comedy are set in Wroclaw.

It also used to happen that Wrocław played the role of an unspecified, nameless city.

The anonymity of the urban space meant to emphasize the character's isolation, alienation from society,

and the fact that his story could happen anywhere.

In Wojciech Has' directorial debut, alcoholic Kuba Kowalski wanders the streets of a hostile, dark, anonymous city.

- Was he drunk?

- How would I know? I'm as much a passerby as you are.

Starring the legendary Gustaw Holoubek and Barlickiego Street in Wrocław.

Magnificent big-city tenements of Wroclaw... It is because of them filmmakers continue to visit this city to this day.

Steven Spielberg used tenement houses on Kurkowa as well as Miernicza Street,

the most famous street in Wroclaw for filmmakers, to shoot scenes for "Bridge of Spies".

This unique street appears in many films.

Also in the drama "A Lonely Woman" produced by the Wrocław Feature Film Studio

Bogusław Linda and Maria Chwalibóg longing for love on the anonymous streets of Wrocław.

Miernicza Street was also the location for the filming of scenes for films such as:

"Character", "Amiee and Jaguar", "Air Bridge", "Avalon" and "City 44".

All of the townhouses have been preserved to this day.

An ideal place to step back into the first decades of the 20th century.

The filmmakers also made use of the interiors of Wrocław buildings. They often visited the famous Monopol Hotel.

- You don't know horses, the races take place on tracks in France or England

- So I look at the monitor and watch the locals play.

- Tadziu, regardless of country, race, beliefs 90% of people always lose.

- To win, you have to play the opposite. Dubito ergo cogito...cogito ergo sum.

- So not only facts. Interpretation of facts

- Imagination is more important than...

- Knowledge. Albert Einstein

However, there is nothing left of the old decor of the hotel.

Today it is difficult to recognize the place where one of the most famous scenes in Polish cinematography was shot.

Starring Zbigniew Cybulski in the lead role again.

- No!

- Haneczka. Wilga. Kosobudzki. Rudy. Kajtek

- We are alive!

Andrzej Wajda shot scenes for "Ashes and Diamonds" in several locations in Wrocław.

For example, on Nasypowa Street, or Boguslawski Street.

- He's got a gun!

- Freeze! - Freeze or I'll shoot

- Look out! He's got a gun! - Where is he? - Come on!

The director was shooting footage for this scene at various points along the street.

The viewer, however, has no time to look at the details.

He follows the character intently as he travels through the space-time continuum created by the demiurge.

Nasypowa Street leads us to another important film location in Wroclaw.

The architecture of Wrocław's railway station has drawn filmmakers several times.

They shot here, among others, scenes for the following films: "Giuseppe in Warsaw", "Immensity of Justice" or "Lesser Heaven"

Zbigniew Cybulski was a frequent visitor at the Wrocław station.

After shooting films, he used to return from here by train to Warsaw and Gdańsk.

His favorite cinema - Dworcowe - was also located here.

While waiting for the train, he was watching movies.

He had a habit of jumping into the train when the train was already moving:

as in the 77th minute of the movie "Train", directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz,

or as at the end of the film "Salto", directed by Tadeusz Konwicki.

On the morning of January 8, 1967, Cybulski was returning from the film set for "Morderca zostawia ślad" / "The Killer Leaves a Trace".

Again, he wanted to jump into the moving Odra express.

That jump turned out to be his last one.

The main railway station in Wrocław was also infiltrated by spies and the famous agent J-23...

Stanislaw Mikulski, as Hans Kloss, at the Berlin train station played by the Wroclaw train station.

The architecture of the city remained a part of German culture.

That is why Wrocław was an ideal place for shooting scenes set in Germany.

The whole action of the 12th episode of the adventures of Hans Kloss takes place in the German capital.

You can recognize more Wrocław buildings in it:

The PKP building on Joannitas Street plays quarters of the Gestapo

Polish Theatre - Berlin Roma Theatre

- Lieutenant Klos!

- I've been looking for you for hours. Standartenführer Miller wants to talk to you.

- Now?

- Right away.

and the Schaffgotsch Palace on Kosciuszko Street is Abhwer's headquarters.

Cinematic Wrocław - a city of many faces.

A chameleon.

The center of film production, but avoiding its own identity in films.

A city that remains in the shadows.

The film character embarks on a journey thrown by a demiurge into a fictional space-time continuum.

On a journey through reality that only sometimes resembles our own.

Such a character should have a purpose

For example, to narrate the history of film in Lower Silesia in an hour...

A goal almost impossible to achieve.

In the film "Base of the Dead" the characters land in unfriendly mountains in winter.

Forced by a party member Zawada to transport wood, they risk their lives.

Their goal is to survive. To achieve it they must defeat "Zawada," their Enemy.

Conflict drives the hero's filmed journey.

- Why did you do it? - You have to stay.

- You've dismantled the carburetors to smithereens. - You want to stop us. - I'll stop you no matter what.

The film starred, among others: Leon Niemczyk, Emil Karewicz, Tadeusz Łomnicki, Zygmunt Kęstowicz and Roman Kłosowski.

- And with a diploma like that, you won't get a job anywhere.

This great movie is based on the novel "Następny do raju" (Next to Paradise) by Marek Hłasko.

At the age of 16, Hłasko used to do this hard and dangerous work himself.

In a letter to his mother written in 1950, he noted, "I have been given felt boots, a big sheepskin coat, I look like a donsky cossack.

I am a driver's helper on a Studebaker wagon."

Hłasko worked here, in Bielice and in the Bialskie Mountains surrounding the village.

... he lasted a month and a half.

He returned to Wrocław and quickly became a star among writers of the emerging generation.

The filmmakers formed the reality of their scenes primarily from outdoor locations in Lower Silesia.

Kłodzko Land has always been a special place for them, Bystrzyca Kłodzka in particular.

Many scenes for movies and TV series were shot here.

The uniqueness of this place led to new films being shot here today.

In 2017, Agnieszka Holland shot scenes for the film "Pokot" based on the novel by Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk here.

Scenes were also shot here for the films "Behind the Blue Door" and "The Tower. Bright Day".

The Kłodzko area is the richest in historical monuments region of Poland.

A region full of unique locations forming the Polish film surroundings.

For example, the courtyard of the Castle on the Rock, which plays the elegant lounge in Baden Baden in the film " The Winner ".

This is not Baden Baden either. Wojciech Pszoniak is relaxing in Ladek-Zdrój

- And I wouldn't trust that professor of yours.

Kłodzko Land also hosted the makers of the series "Czterej pancerni i pies".

A few scenes for this series were shot in Kłodzko fortress, among others.

In Kłodzko were also filmed scenes for "The Loop", "The First Day of Freedom", "The Bream Season" and scenes for numerous series.

In the settings of Kłodzko, Stanisław Lenartowicz also placed a pre-war story about young girls

whose aim is to break away from home and become actresses.

Klodzko played the role of pre-war Brest. The symbol of the city - a gothic bridge - appeared in the series...

- Two zloty.

- Thank you very much. - Thank you.

- Here we are.

- Hyah

Scenes for the great cinema classic of the 1980s were also filmed in Kłodzko Land.

A mysterious businessman, a master of poker and manipulation, appears in the small town of Lutyn.

The main character, a cab driver Jurek, is drawn into the world of gambling.

Jurek's goal is to learn the poker trade from his enemy and then defeat him in the final showdown.

Starring Jan Nowicki and Andrzej Pieczyński.

- I told you this house wouldn't work out for you. - Tomorrow at the auction...we'll see.

The film by Wroclaw director Sylwester Chęcinski became a huge cinema hit with over two million viewers.

Polanica and Wambierzyce were used as film locations in Lutyn.

The film characters were most often placed in the Lower Silesian landscapes by the following directors:

Lenartowicz, Chęciński, Saniewski, Krzystek, and Kolski.

They were revealing the charm of this region for the Polish audience.

In the short story "The Cyclist" the cycling race around Lower Silesia becomes an excuse to show the beauty of the region.

. The viewer follows the adventures of the cyclists and absorbs the picturesque landscapes, which have only recently become part of Poland.

The leading role was once again played by Zbyszek Cybulski, whose acting talent was discovered by Lenartowicz.

-Get ready. - Ok

From the Pilchowice Dam it is not far to one of the most popular Polish film towns - Lubomierz.

In the setting of Lubomierz director Kazimierz Kutz placed the action of his novel " The Widow".

-Hydrangeas. -Hydrangeas.

- What? - Hydrangeas?

Soldiers demobilized after the war settled in the small town.

The female character, a young widow,

is treated by these veterans as a monument of collective memory of their deceased colleague

- a national hero.

- This is the first time that I see them blooming.

The veterans protect the memory of their colleague by preventing the "Captain" from moving into a new relationship with the handsome zootechnician Więcek.

Starring Grażyna Staniszewska and Zbigniew Cybulski.

Lubomierz served as an outdoor location for such productions as:

" Away in the West", "I Love Cinema" or "The Secret of the Cipher Fortress".

However, the most important film for which scenes were shot in Lubomierz

is the comedy "Sami Swoi" directed by Sylwester Chęciński.

One of the main characters Kazimierz Pawlak sets out on a journey from the Kresy (borderlands) to the regained territories.

His goal is to settle in the new place and in the new postwar reality.

The ongoing conflict between the Pawlaks and the Karguls makes this impossible.

- We couldn’t go anywhere else?

- Oh Mania, don't be nervous.

Shouldn't we have looked for a new enemy when the old one was right next door? That wouldn't be right.

- Yes, yes, yes.

The symbol of conflict between families is the fence dividing the two households.

- You little prick, you!

- Prick?! Wait, wait, wait!

- Now the sickle is all I have on you.

Starring the unforgettable Wacław Kowalski and Władysław Hańcza.

However, the famous fence was not located in Lubomierz.

It was located here, in Dobrzykowice near Wroclaw.

The fence is gone now, but the houses of the famous film characters are still in place.

In the end, it was the love of the younger generation of Kargul and Pawlak, which reconciled the conflicting families.

Love, which allows the migrants from the Borderlands to settle in their new land.

Directors Chęciński and Lenartowicz understood the feeling of strangeness.

They were pioneers of the Lower Silesian culture that made people feel at home in a new place.

In the 1960s, the communist government was tightening the loop of censorship on cinematography.

The aim of the new cultural politic was to fight against the pessimistic vision of man and history in cinema.

The main enemy - were the filmmakers of the "Polish film school" stream.

The films produced now had to be entertaining, patriotic, and serve to shape socialist beliefs

Stop! Stop! Edwin, where's your hat? Well, we have to film it again.

Filmmakers decided to escape into adaptations of literature and comedies.

This is when films such as "Sami Swoi", "Rzeczpospolita Babska" , "Giuseppe in Warsaw", and "Where is the General?" were made.

The last one was also filmed in Czocha Castle.

However, the most popular castle among filmmakers was Książ Castle.

The Baroque chambers of the Książ castle were used for the shooting of many films: "Countess Cosel", " The Leper" and "The Devil”.

The surrealistic film "The Devil" directed by Andrzej Żuławski is set in the 18th century, during the partitions of Poland.

The title "Devil," the enemy of humanity, possessed them all: the king, the artists, the aristocrats, the nobility.

The character Jacob, while traveling through a demoralized world, wants to save his family.

However, he does not succeed. He himself also becomes a victim of the demon.

A hero, drawn into the land of the enemy, may well lose to him. Just like in real life.

- Why do you hate me so much? - Because you're so big.

The devil also attacks the sacred space of the Henryków Abbey.

This intensifies the atmosphere of an apocalyptic conflict in the film.

For Aristotle, drama - which includes film - is the hero's straying into a world ruled by the Enemy.

The straying, however, results from the flaws and weaknesses of the hero himself.

As the hero travels and fights his vices, he meets allies as well as adversaries and fights an enemy that represents evil.

Film as the art of storytelling represents the conflict of good and bad.

In this difficult struggle, the hero also shows the truth about ourselves.

In their endeavors, the film characters also traveled to the north of Lower Silesia.

Not far from Trzebnica there is a chapel, well known among filmmakers.

The opening scene for "Ashes and Diamonds" and a scene for the series "Four Armoured and a Dog" were shot here.

- Get the documents!

- There are no documents!

Milice ponds, located north of Trzebnica, served as the settings for Sylwester Chęciński's film "Agnieszka 46"

and for Jan Jakub Kolski's film "Republic of Children".

Kolski also filmed the magical movie "Johnnie Aquarius" in these same amazing surroundings.

The hero Johnnie sets out into the world because he thinks he has been given a mission by God.

Johnnie's goal is to perform miracles, but pride is his flaw.

Because of his gift, he considers himself to be better than others.

The enemy, taking advantage of the hero's weakness, drags him into his world, intending to destroy him.

This time he fails and Johnnie returns home understanding his mistakes and the actions of evil.

The leading role is played by Franciszek Pieczka.

Scenes for the film were shot in Drągowo, where Johnnie's cottage is situated,

and in this ruined rococo palace in Goszcz.

The film Johnnie Aquarius was made in the 1990s, when Wroclaw Film Studio was producing less and less films.

The reasons being economic changes, lack of funds and finally the flood in 1997, which destroyed the studio buildings.

Without the support of the Wrocław studio, film directors of the younger generation:

Kolski, Saniewski, Krzystek, had to overcome many obstacles to continue making films.

It was a very difficult time for the new generation of Polish filmmakers.

Waldemar Krzystek worked on the scenes for the melodrama "Little Moscow" mainly in Legnica.

After 1945 the headquarters of the Northern Group of the Soviet Army was located here.

Poles and Russians lived here side by side.

In the film, Vera, a Russian woman, falls in love with Lieutenant Michał, a Polish military officer.

Her love to the Pole is at the same time a betrayal to her Russian husband.

Forbidden love draws the lovers into the brutal reality of Soviet military authority.

The heroine refuses to renounce her love and surrender to the Soviet authorities, so she is murdered by them.

The movie characters seek their destination and fight the enemy while wandering around the magical worlds.

Van Worden wandered, not knowing what the truth was and what an illusion was.

The heroes of "Base of the Dead" strayed into the dangerous mountains.

And Kuba Kowalski wandered into the "world of drunkenness"

Kargul and Pawlak strayed into hatred between families.

Oliver Linovsky got lost in the spoiled world of art patrons.

And in search of love, Vera strayed with Lieutenant Michael.

As an audience, we wandered along with our characters.

We also traveled with them through Lower Silesia. A land initially dangerous and hostile to Polish people.

However, over time..., after many adventures..., it became our home.

Because there's nothing like finally coming home after a long journey.

- What brings you to Auvergne? - I want to do something for Vincent?