Benita, Ina

(Janina Ferow-Bułhak, 1912-1944)

   The blond femme fatale of prewar Polish cinema who gained popularity appearing in two films: The Vagabond (1933), directed by Jan Nowina-Przybylski, and Dark Eyes (Hanka, aka Oczy czarne, 1934), directed by her husband, Jerzy Dal-Atan. Benita is, however, better known for her films made in the late 1930s, such as Mother's Heart (1938, Michał Waszyński), Dr. Murek (1939, Juliusz Gardan), and What We Don't Talk About (1939, Mieczysław Krawicz). Her best screen performance is arguably the role as a river barge captain's daughter in The People of the Vistula (1938), directed by Aleksander Ford and Jerzy Zarzycki. The war interrupted her burgeoning career. She died during the Warsaw Uprising in the city's underground canals while trying to escape the fighting with her baby son.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof