In this pointed black comedy, Jan, a middle-aged, nondescript everyman, desperately wants to remain in prison, though the state says it is time for him to go. The hapless hero launches into his life story of hard luck and misfortune, covering the years from 1930 to 1950, a time of great change in Poland's history. As Jan continues his story, it is clear that he has been so busy trying to please others that he never noticed the enormous changes happening around him. Prison, with its never-varying routine, is indeed the ideal place for Jan. Munk's satire about a little man failing to cope in a rapidly changing world is a Polish classic, one of the most popular comedies from post-war Poland.

Film wykpiwajacy polskie mity odwagi, niezlomnosci i heroizmu wojennego, przeciwstawiajacy im egoizm, tchorzostwo i intryganctwo antybohatera, jest jednym z glownych swiadectw poodwilzowej krytyki wobec narodowej tradycji romantycznej.

Cast: Bogumil Kobiela, Krystyna Karkowska, Barbara Lass, Roman Polanski
Directed by Andrzej Munk
1960, Fullscrren, Black & White, 108 mins.
Features: Director's Biography
NTSC format - ready to use in the USA and Canada - no need for multisystem equipment.
In Polish with optional English Subtitles
Genre: Comedy, World War I-II