Biegański, Wiktor

(1892-1974)

   Actor, writer, director, and producer and the founder of the film cooperative Kinostudia in 1921 and the Warsaw Film Institute (Instytut Filmowy) in 1924, which produced a number of prominent prewar Polish stars such as Nora Ney, Adam Brodzisz, and Maria Bogda. Biegański was also responsible for launching the career of his assistants, future leading Polish directors including Michał Waszyński and Leonard Buczkowski. He started his career in 1913 with The Drama of St. Mary's Church Tower (Dramat wieży Mariackiej) and The Adventures of Mr. Antoni (Przygody pana Antoniego), both films never released. Biegański is primarily known for a series of melodramas that usually deal with the themes of betrayed love, rape, and, eventually, the revenge of the deceived. He is also known for the innovative use of locations that perform an important dramatic role in some of his films, for example, in his works set in the Tatra Mountains, such as The Abyss of Repentance (Otchłań pokuty, 1922) and The Idol (Bożyszcze, 1923). In 1925 he produced his most popular film, The Vampires of Warsaw (Wampiry Warszawy). Unlike other filmmakers, Biegański tried to pursue personal, independent projects. His films were well received by the critics but ignored by audiences and attacked by the government for their lack of patriotic and nationalistic themes. His later films, made before the advent of sound, for instance A Woman Desiring Sin (Kobieta, która grzechu pragnie, 1929), were less popular with the critics. From 1931 to 1935, Biegański appeared in a number of films directed by Ryszard Ordyński, Józef Lejtes, and Michał Waszyński. After the war, he acted in several Polish theaters, and he appeared in three films directed by Leonard Buczkowski.

   Other films (as director): Mr. Twardowski (Pan Twardowski, 1921), Jealousy (Zazdrość, 1922), The Little Eagle (Orlę, 1926), The Polish Marathon (Maraton polski, 1927).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof