Interrogation



Based on a true story reflecting the Stalinist terror of the early 1950s, Ryszard Bugajski's harrowing film was banned under martial law in Poland and only became available on underground VHS through a copy smuggled out by the director at great risk. Tonia (Krystyna Janda), a singer in a sleazy cabaret, is imprisoned without explanation. Days become weeks become months, varied only by the persuasion, intimidation and torture of interrogation. Janda's outstanding depiction, of a woman who becomes heroic in the face of torture and imprisonment, takes you to places few films are willing to explore.

Special Features

• A newly commissioned half-hour documentary on the making and contextual history of Interrogation, presented by director Ryszard Bugajski.
• New digital transfer with fully restored image and sound, approved by the Director.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• Optimal quality dual-layer disc.
• Booklet featuring original story boards, contextual document, essay + more.

Full specs posted here:

And a wealth of background information here.

DVD Beaver review:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview ... review.htm

Review at DVD Times

This is a film I'd like to see, but Gary Couzens' review comment makes me think it won't have much replay value. It's hard for me to watch torture, either physical or psychological.

Curious to hear how others have reacted.

It's a very intense film, but the reviewer's comments make it seem like it's in the sledgehammer style of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM or something, which is most definitely is not.

It's an incredibly rewarding film. Maybe not something you're going to throw on the DVD player every poker night, but I saw it close to a decade ago and can't wait to see again.

Interrogation is the DVD Of The Month in the latest issue (December 2005) of Sight & Sound magazine. No link I'm afraid.

The review:

Film:

A damning indictment of the oppressive policies of Stalin era Poland, Bugjaski's film features a superb performance by Krystyna Janda as a young nightclub singer who is arrested and repeatedly tortured psychologically and physically by secret police hoping to extract a confession for a non-existent crime. The politically explosive film was shot during the Solidarity era, a brief spell of Polish artistic and social freedom lasting from 1980 - 81. Bugjaski was then forced to smuggle it out of the country when martial law was declared in December 1981 and the film was banned outright by the Communist authorities. Despite the ban, the film was widely circulated in Poland via samizdat video and was named best film at the Rotterdam Film Festival. Polish audiences were finally allowed to see it legally following the restoration of democracy in 1989. A year later Janda won the best actress award at Cannes. The film remains gripping and powerfully shocking. As a statement of defiance against the babarism of Soviet totalitarianism it compares with the books of Victor Serge and Arthur Koestler.

Disc: A fine transfer. The set features an informative, newly commissioned documentary in which the director reflects on the making and the history of the film. The accompanying booklet includes two essays discussing the film's troubled history as well as two original storyboards.

Seconded. It's a much subtler film than Gary made out. And Krystyna Janda's performance is so astounding - she's said on many occasions (example) that she rates it the best thing she's ever done - that that's worth repeat viewing on its own.


I saw it on its British release in 1990 and caught up again with it last night, and found it hadn't lost a jot of its power. Despite Bugajski's relative inexperience (though you'd never know) it more than stands up to anything else being made in Poland at the time - and the early 1980s weren't exactly short of great films.

Should anything be read into Amazon.uk currently having this listed only through marketplace sellers? Or is this just a short term stocking issue?

PillowRock, it's just a short-term restocking issue. Bear with us till we can get it back into stock.

...and then order it, post-haste.

Thanks!

I scratched this film off my kevyip last night. Krystyna Janda's performance is indeed astounding, as is the filmmaking in general. There's an element of strangeness to the film that keeps it well above the line of mere torture and darkness. Like The Ear, it amazes me that this got made at all. Great release that deserves a thread bump, at least.

Ryszard Bugajski was pretty astonished himself - and he finished shooting just before martial law was declared in December 1981. Had it overrun, or had a different schedule, production would have undoubtedly been shut down, and the film probably scrapped outright once the rushes had been scrutinised.

As it was, it was merely banned for nearly a decade - and for once, it's not at all hard to see why.

By the way I've noticed that another film starring Krystyna Janda, an adaptation of Günter Grass's Call of the Toad from 2005 has just been released by H & B Films in the UK. Can I ask what your thoughts are on this film Michael?

I have the Polish DVD, but it's slap bang in the middle of my kevyip.

Okey dokey - I'm unfortunately now in the same situation with that HB edition!

Mind you, since I'm about to watch The Tin Drum for the first time in years (a Blu-ray checkdisc arrived this morning), this could be a perfect excuse!

Is this title out of stock again or out of print this time - excluding the 3rd party sellers, neither the usual retailers nor even Second Run's shop appears to stock it anymore.

Yes, and it's a great pity it's oop, because it's one of my favourite Second Run releases, and one I finally managed to pick up second hand last week. It still manages to astound, several years after I first saw it, and as others have pointed out, has an incredible lead performance by Krystyna Janda. In fact, I think it's among the best performances I have ever seen on film.

I lent this to a friend who then spiraled her way through a divorce. I'm considering putting her ex through an interrogation to find out where he put it. Sadly, if it were still available from SR I'd simply buy it again.

I had exactly the same situation with a very covetable box set about five years ago, but not only did my friend divorce, but she embarked on an extended series of personal calamities that would make Douglas Sirk roll his eyes in disbelief. So I don't think the time will ever be right to say, "hey, you remember back before your life turned to custard. . .?"