Polish Cinema on Disc

[MichaelB]

I read of an extended version featuring scenes from the tv series, has either that or the tv series been released on disc?

The TV version certainly was out on Polish DVD once upon a time, but I can't remember if it had subtitles (although it probably did, given when I bought it).

But the 169-minute version is the properly-paced one; if I remember rightly, the TV version suffered from the usual issues in that the footage has been somewhat artificially reshaped in order to create four distinct episodes.

As far as I know, there's no continuous version drawn from the TV cut; the only alternative big-screen version is the one that's more than half an hour shorter than the theatrical cut.

(Although I don't think it was ever billed as "the director's cut", since that's true of the theatrical version as well—it was more along the lines of "the revised version". And Wajda clearly had second thoughts about it, because he later signed off on a full-scale restoration of the theatrical cut.)

[MichaelB]

Following a recent poll of 300 industry professionals organised by the Łódź Film Museum and University of Łódź, the thirteen greatest Polish films of all time are allegedly:

1. The Promised Land (Ziemie obiecana, Andrzej Wajda, 1975)
2. The Saragossa Manuscript (Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie, Wojciech Has, 1965)
3. Ashes and Diamonds (Popiół i diament, Wajda, 1958)
4. Day of the Wacko (Dzień świra, Marek Koterski, 2002)
5. Knife in the Water (Nóż w wodzie, Roman Polanski, 1962)
6. The Hourglass Sanatorium (Sanatorium pod Klepsydrą, Has, 1973)
7. Night Train (Pociąg, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, 1959)
8. Ida (Paweł Pawlikowski, 2013)
9. Blind Chance (Przypadek, Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1981)
10. Camera Buff (Amator, Kieślowski, 1979)
11. Camouflage (Barwy ochronne, Krzysztof Zanussi, 1976)
12. Man of Marble (Człowiek z marmuru, Wajda, 1977)
13. Teddy Bear (Miś, Stanisław Bareja, 1981)

No great surprises there: The Promised Land has long been regarded locally as Wajda's supreme masterpiece (this isn't the first such poll that it's topped), the Poles have always preferred Kieślowski's early, political films to his more metaphysical later efforts, and although Day of the Wacko and Teddy Bear may be unknown abroad, they're massive back home (so much so that an art curator of my acquaintance was astonished when I told her that Teddy Bear had never been released in the UK in any form, a revelation that torpedoed her plan to create an exhibit comparing and contrasting its Polish and UK reception—the film's partly set in the UK).

[Lowry_Sam]

Nice to see Wajda & Kieslowski well-represented, but not completely shutting out all others. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my favorite Wajda Popioly (1965) isn't on the list as it doesn't seem to be seen many judging by number of ratings it gets on IMDB & letterboxd. Ashes and Diamonds made it while Kanal didn't, so the list looks to be somewhat dependent on availability on blu-ray.

2. The Saragossa Manuscript (Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie, Wojciech Has, 1965)
6. The Hourglass Sanatorium (Sanatorium pod Klepsydrą, Has, 1973)

Is there a good primer/introduction for these 2? I've tried tackling both multiple times and while I know I'm missing some cultural/historical context, I always feel a bit disengaged while watching them despite being impressed with cinematography, set design, etc.

8. Ida (Paweł Pawlikowski, 2013)

Nice to see this get the nod over Cold War, which I also love (though perhaps not quite as much), but often feel ends up overshadowing Ida.

As far as Kieslowski is concerned, because of French involvement/funding in his later works, I might not include those on a list of Polish films myself.

Day of the Wacko and Teddy Bear may be unknown abroad

I'd like to see these, any source for these with English subs?

[Yakushima]

Day of the Wacko and Teddy Bear may be unknown abroad

I'd like to see these, any source for these with English subs?

Teddy Bear is available on the back channels in decent quality and with English subs.

[andyli]

No great surprises there: The Promised Land has long been regarded locally as Wajda's supreme masterpiece (this isn't the first such poll that it's topped), the Poles have always preferred Kieślowski's early, political films to his more metaphysical later efforts

Michael, I think there is a pattern that a director's later, more metaphysical works are better received by foreign audience who are generally less familiar with the filmmaker's domestic culture and politics. Other than Kieślowski, WKW also comes to mind, whose Days of Being Wild is often hailed as his best by the local community. If a director (say, Huang Jianxin) were to solely concern himself with local, political themes, often fashioned in a very realistic style, occasionally satirical, chances are their works would have been much less marketable and much more misunderstood than other directors who mainly experiment with the form (like Bi Gan), even though in my mind they're equally good directors. The recent forum poll on Chinese cinema also exhibits similar biases (as I imagine a majority of the voters are not Chinese) by electing Exiled as Johnnie To's highest ranking film, a result astonishing to a local cinephile like me, to say the least. Election and PTU (let alone Throw Down) are so much better yet a full understanding of his accomplishments in these films necessitates at least a basic understanding of what's going on in the cultural and political context.

[djvaso]

I would be grateful if anyone who owns the FINA edition of "Biały ślad / Wiosna narciarzy" Blu-ray could confirm whether its packaging is a magnet box like their other releases (which I own). Since FINA closed its online store and Polish postal rates increased, ordering from Poland has become nearly impossible for me.

Yes, it is.
https://filmozercy.com/filmoskop/edition/36770631

[djvaso]

The Polish Film Heritage List (Lista Polskiego Dziedzictwa Filmowego, LPDF) is a project aimed at identifying, protecting, and promoting works of particular importance to the history of Polish cinema and audiovisual creativity. When we launched the project in 2025, we selected 70 titles that were as diverse as possible—groundbreaking and pioneering, worth discovering, remembering, and honoring. From the very beginning, however, we assumed that this would not be a closed catalog but rather a collection that would be expanded periodically. This year, for the first time, the List has been enlarged through a formula combining the choice of the curatorial team with a public vote.

In January 2026, we made a survey available through which films worthy of inclusion on the LPDF could be nominated. We sincerely thank everyone for all the submissions and the willingness to co-create the List! As many as 277 titles were indicated in the vote, with the highest number of votes going respectively to: Nights and Days (Noce i dnie) by Jerzy Antczak, The Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana) by Andrzej Wajda, and Night Train (Pociąg) by Jerzy Kawalerowicz. We are delighted to add these three works—deeply rooted in the cultural memory of several generations of Poles—to the LPDF.

The remaining titles were selected by the curatorial team, guided by the need to present the widest possible spectrum of Polish audiovisual creativity—diverse aesthetics, forms, creative circles, and contexts.

In 2026, the List is expanded to include two television productions. The Elderly Gentlemen's Cabaret (Kabaret Starszych Panów) by Jeremi Przybora and Jerzy Wasowski combines pre-war cabaret traditions with satire on contemporary life. Meanwhile, Bara Bara by Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz and Michał Arabudzki is an incisive analysis of the disco polo phenomenon and the cultural transformations of the 1990s, exemplifying television's openness to auteur documentary cinema. This year's selection also includes an animated film—Red and Black (Czerwone i czarne) by Witold Giersz is one of the most significant achievements of the Polish school of animation, showcasing its formal boldness. We have also included Polish film materials from the Warsaw Uprising—unique archival footage that remains one of the most moving testimonies of those events.

The curatorial selection is rounded out by three titles that recall the rich genre and auteur traditions of Polish cinema. The pre-war Znachor (The Quack) by Michał Waszyński is an example of popular cinema with an immense social impact, still distinctly present in native culture. Furthermore, Kanał (Canal) by Andrzej Wajda and How Far, How Near (Jak daleko stąd, jak blisko) by Tadeusz Konwicki are acclaimed works by outstanding artists whose centenary we are celebrating this year.

This year's expansion of the LPDF confirms that the history of Polish film is neither uniform nor closed—it consists of many parallel and intersecting narratives. We encourage you to learn about the behind-the-scenes process of selecting the new titles in the video material above and to read the short essays accompanying all the films honored this year.

We hope that this will serve as an inspiration to watch films from the LPDF—on the Ninateka service, at FINA cinemas, and through other legal sources—and to rediscover them in new contexts.

The very first Blu-ray in LPDF edition:

[TechnicolorAcid]

For some reason I can’t see the photo of the first title, can anyone tell what it is?

[djvaso]

For some reason I can’t see the photo of the first title, can anyone tell what their it is?

It is Kanał (1957).

[TechnicolorAcid]

For some reason I can’t see the photo of the first title, can anyone tell what their it is?

It is Kanał (1957).

Thanks!

[Calvin]

Is this a new restoration of Kanal?

[andyli]

Is this a new restoration of Kanal?

Kanal had a restoration (4k Scan from the original negatives) that played at Cannes Classics 2019, but it was not used on subsequent physical media release(s).

[TMDaines]

The Polish Film Heritage List (Lista Polskiego Dziedzictwa Filmowego, LPDF) is a project aimed at identifying, protecting, and promoting works of particular importance to the history of Polish cinema and audiovisual creativity. When we launched the project in 2025, we selected 70 titles that were as diverse as possible—groundbreaking and pioneering, worth discovering, remembering, and honoring. From the very beginning, however, we assumed that this would not be a closed catalog but rather a collection that would be expanded periodically. This year, for the first time, the List has been enlarged through a formula combining the choice of the curatorial team with a public vote.

In January 2026, we made a survey available through which films worthy of inclusion on the LPDF could be nominated. We sincerely thank everyone for all the submissions and the willingness to co-create the List! As many as 277 titles were indicated in the vote, with the highest number of votes going respectively to: Nights and Days (Noce i dnie) by Jerzy Antczak, The Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana) by Andrzej Wajda, and Night Train (Pociąg) by Jerzy Kawalerowicz. We are delighted to add these three works—deeply rooted in the cultural memory of several generations of Poles—to the LPDF.

The remaining titles were selected by the curatorial team, guided by the need to present the widest possible spectrum of Polish audiovisual creativity—diverse aesthetics, forms, creative circles, and contexts.

In 2026, the List is expanded to include two television productions. The Elderly Gentlemen's Cabaret (Kabaret Starszych Panów) by Jeremi Przybora and Jerzy Wasowski combines pre-war cabaret traditions with satire on contemporary life. Meanwhile, Bara Bara by Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz and Michał Arabudzki is an incisive analysis of the disco polo phenomenon and the cultural transformations of the 1990s, exemplifying television's openness to auteur documentary cinema. This year's selection also includes an animated film—Red and Black (Czerwone i czarne) by Witold Giersz is one of the most significant achievements of the Polish school of animation, showcasing its formal boldness. We have also included Polish film materials from the Warsaw Uprising—unique archival footage that remains one of the most moving testimonies of those events.

The curatorial selection is rounded out by three titles that recall the rich genre and auteur traditions of Polish cinema. The pre-war Znachor (The Quack) by Michał Waszyński is an example of popular cinema with an immense social impact, still distinctly present in native culture. Furthermore, Kanał (Canal) by Andrzej Wajda and How Far, How Near (Jak daleko stąd, jak blisko) by Tadeusz Konwicki are acclaimed works by outstanding artists whose centenary we are celebrating this year.

This year's expansion of the LPDF confirms that the history of Polish film is neither uniform nor closed—it consists of many parallel and intersecting narratives. We encourage you to learn about the behind-the-scenes process of selecting the new titles in the video material above and to read the short essays accompanying all the films honored this year.

We hope that this will serve as an inspiration to watch films from the LPDF—on the Ninateka service, at FINA cinemas, and through other legal sources—and to rediscover them in new contexts.

The very first Blu-ray in LPDF edition:

Shame it is a film that already has a Polish Blu-ray.

[TMDaines]

Hmm, that Chopin site says the films are available on DVD and Blu-ray. Would that mean, presumably, that the set is also available with Blu-ray Discs instead of DVDs? Because that would be extremely worth the investment (not that a DVD edition would not)...

To the best of my knowledge, there never was an all-DVD edition.

The package that I received a couple of years ago contained:

Disc 1 (Blu-ray)

• The Youth of Chopin (Młodość Chopina, d. Aleksander Ford, 1951, 122 mins)
• The Chopin Recital in Duszniki (Recital Chopinowski w Dusznikach, d. Tadeusz Makarczyński, 1947, 13 mins)

Disc 2 (Blu-ray)

• Chopin, Desire for Love (Chopin, pragnienie miłości, d. Jerzy Antczak, 2002, 116 mins)
• Chopin in Paris (Chopin w Paryżu, d. Stanisław Grabowski, 1969, 10 mins)
• Chopin According to Antczak (Chopin według Antczaka, interview, 2010, 12 mins)

All the above but the last item are in 1080i, with the Antczak interview in SD PAL.
Optional subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish

Disc 3 (DVD)

• Colour Studies of Chopin (Utwory Chopina w kolorze, d. Eugeniusz Cękalski, 1944, 11 mins)
• Chopin's Mazurkas (Mazurki Chopina, d. Tadeusz Makarczyński, 1949, 12 mins)
• Rodem Warszawianin (A Varsovian by Birth, d. Maria Kwiatkowska, 1996, 56 mins)

Everything on Disc 3 is in SD PAL.
Optional subtitles in Polish, English, French, German, Spanish

The Blu-rays are marked as region B, the DVD as region-free.

The booklet looks deceptively huge, but is presented in the five languages cited above, so textual content isn't quite as substantial as it seems when you pick it up. But there's more than enough detailed background.

Nearly 14 years on, I’ve finally opened my set and sat down to watch it this evening to find I was sent a DVD-only set all those years ago. Mine is the set listed here, which is all DVDs and seems to be a lot slimmer:

https://antykwariatwaw.pl/pl/p/Chopin.- ... 010/144214

The Blu-ray version is here:

https://wmfono.com/films/chopin-filmowe-motywy

Like you, I was always under the assumption there was only one set and there’s nothing on the outside that states whether it is DVD or Blu-ray. Of course, if you knew that there were two different versions, it is evident from the appearance.

My e-mail correspondence had them stating they would sent the Blu-ray set, but it is a bit late to complain now! I will likely just list this on eBay and find the films in HD online.

[djvaso]

A new Blu-ray label, Second Hand Video, has appeared in Poland
https://secondhandvideo.pl
and their first disc will be the TV film 'Hydrozagadka' (1971), directed by Andrzej Kondratiuk. There will be two editions: a collector's edition limited to 650 copies, and a standard edition. On a Polish forum, the main discussion revolves around the price of the release.

[djvaso]

Is this a new restoration of Kanal?

Dear Mr Đogović,

Thank you very much for your interest in our Blu-ray release.

The Blu-ray of the film ‘Kanał’ will be the first in the Polish Film Heritage Collection. Yes, it will include the version screened at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as a second disc with bonus features, and a book. The release will be in Polish and English. It is due to be released this year, either before or after the summer holidays.

We are working on relaunching our online shop and other distribution channels. I hope the disc will find its way to you!

Kind regards,

Katarzyna Koła-Bielawska

[Stefan Andersson]

Sorry if this has been posted earlier--
Faraon now as an UHD release in Poland:
https://slow.pics/c/Zb6RiCSK

The release has English subs according to post 23 here, which also discusses grain management:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.ph ... 387&page=2
English subs according to reverse side of UHD case:
https://dvdmax.pl/faraon-blu-ray-4k,art3423840

Post 14 here has tech specs for a 4K release; I guess it is the Polish one
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=358525

[Lowry_Sam]

So blu-ray.com is stating that the Promised Land UHD has 2 x 5.1 tracks, whereas the digibook had a 2.0 & a 5.1. Has anyone been able to verify if that's true? IMDB seems to indicate that original audio is mono & a re-release is "Dolby Digital" (no year mentioned). Anyone know more about audio for this release?