Krzystek, Waldemar

(1953-)

   Director, scriptwriter, and a 1981 graduate of the Katowice Film and Television School.

   His 1987 film about Stalinism, Suspended (W zawieszeniu, 1987), brought him critical recognition. The film told the story of a former Home Army (AK) member who hides for several years in the cellar of the house belonging to his wife, whom he had secretly married during the war. To stress the link between his film and Andrzej Wajda's Man of Marble, Krzystek employed two of Wajda's stars: Krystyna Janda and Jerzy Radziwiłowicz. Krzystek's next two films were also political dramas. The Last Ferry (Ostatniprom, 1989) dealt with the introduction of martial law in 1981, and Dismissed from Life (Zwolnieni z życia, 1991) combined elements of political suspense and melodrama in its depiction of the year of transition (1989). Krzystek also has been directing plays for television as well as television series, such as The Wave of Crime (Fala zbrodni, 2005).

   Other films: The Relation (Powinowactwo, TV, 1984), Polish Death (Polska śmierć, 1994), No Mercy (Nie ma zmiłuj, 2000).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof