Ordyński, Ryszard

(1878-1953)

   Respected theater and film director. After graduating from the philosophy department at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Ordyński became a well-traveled theater reviewer. He also worked as Max Reinhardt's assistant in Berlin and directed plays for Deutsches Theater. In 1915 Ordyński moved to America where he worked as a stage director at the Metropolitan Opera. During his American stay, he became interested in cinema and collaborated with major studios as screenwriter, director, and actor. After his return to Poland in 1920, he worked for the theater and, since 1927, for the cinema. Among the several films he directed is the patriotic picture The Grave of the Unknown Soldier (Mogiła nieznanego żołnierza, 1927) about "Józef Piłsudski's road to Poland" and Pan Tadeusz (1928), adapted from Adam Mickiewicz's national book-length poem, which became the focal point of the celebrations of the tenth anniversary of Polish independence. In 1931 Ordyński directed another popular patriotic picture, The Ten from the Pawiak Prison (Dziesięciu z Pawiaka), which told of struggles with the Russian tsarist regime. At the beginning of the 1930s he also participated in the production of multilingual films by Paramount studios near Paris. However, his films, such as The Mystery of a Doctor (Tajemnica lekarza, 1930) and Voice from the Heart (Głos serca, 1931), had little resonance in Poland. After 1937 Ordyński lived in France and wrote theater reviews for Polish papers. During World War II, he worked in Hollywood as an actor (often not credited) and as technical supervisor on Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942). In 1947 he returned to Warsaw where he worked for theater.

   Other films: A Bit of Luck (Uśmiech losu, 1927), The Woman Who Laughs (Kobieta, która się śmieje, 1931), Dangerous Paradise (Niebezpieczny raj, 1931), The World without Borders (Świat bez granic, 1931), The Palace on Wheels (Pałac na kółkach, 1932), An American Quarrel (Amerykańska awantura, 1936).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof