Westerplatte
Westerplatte Resists
1967 · Poland · 92 min
- Director
- Stanisław Różewicz
- Screenplay
- Jan Józef Szczepański
- Music
- Wojciech Kilar
- Cinematography
- Jerzy Wójcik
- Production company
- Zespół Filmowy „Rytm”
Cast
What it is about
In September 1939, a small Polish garrison of a few hundred men dug in on the Westerplatte peninsula, beside the port of Danzig, preparing to hold off an attack by German forces. The film follows the soldiers and their officers, led by Major Henryk Sucharski, during the days when the garrison must defend a position that carries both military and symbolic weight against an enemy with far greater resources.
How it was made
Stanisław Różewicz directed the film from a screenplay by Jan Józef Szczepański, based on the Battle of Westerplatte, one of the first engagements of the September 1939 campaign. Zygmunt Hübner plays Sucharski, alongside Arkadiusz Bazak, Tadeusz Schmidt and Józef Nowak, among others. The production was handled by Zespół Filmowy Rytm, with music by Wojciech Kilar and cinematography by Jerzy Wójcik. The narrative concentrates on the daily life of the garrison and the tension of waiting rather than on spectacular combat, an approach common in Polish war cinema of the period.
Reception and legacy
The film was shown at the 5th Moscow International Film Festival, where it won a Silver Prize. Its main historical value lies in bringing to the screen one of the most remembered episodes of the Polish defence against the German invasion, which has become a symbol of resistance. Because of its sober tone and its attention to discipline and the sacrifice of the soldiers, it is usually counted among the historical Polish films about the Second World War.
Stills
Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.