Stawiński, Jerzy Stefan

(1921-)

   Scriptwriter responsible for some of the best films of the Polish School period, director of popular films, and writer. Some of the canonical works by Andrzej Wajda and Andrzej Munk are based on Stawinski's scripts. This coauthor of the Polish School's success drew on his firsthand experiences as a soldier in the September campaign of 1939 against the invading Germans. He spent time in a POW camp, from which he successfully escaped, committed himself to underground political activities, participated in the Warsaw Uprising, and, after its collapse, was interned in another POW camp. Reflecting Stawinski's personal experiences described in his novels and short stories published since 1952, Waj-da's Kanal (1957) and Munk's Eroica (1958) and Bad Luck (1960) bring to light the unrepresented fate of the Home Army (AK) members. Stawiński also scripted several other notable films produced during this period, such as Man on the Track (1957, Munk), Deserter (1958, Witold Lesiewicz), Answer to Violence (1958, Jerzy Passendorfer), and The Teutonic Knights (1960, Aleksander Ford).

   In 1964 Stawiński made his directorial debut, No More Divorces (Rozwodów nie będzie, 1964), followed by a series of psychological comedies, including Penguin (Pingwin, 1965) and Matilda's Birthday (Urodziny Matyldy, 1975). Later in his scripts, for example in The Action near the Arsenal (1978, Jan Łomnicki) and The Birthday (1980, Ewa and Czesław Petelski), he returned to World War II and the Warsaw Uprising, but he also scripted historical films such as the popular television series Balzac's Great Love (Wielka miłość Balzaka, 1973, Wojciech Solarz). Twice he returned to his earlier characters, continuing the stories of Bad Luck in Citizen P. (Obywatel Piszczyk, 1989, Andrzej Kotkowski) and the first part of Eroica in Kazimierz Kutz's The Terrible Dream of Dzidziuś Górkiewicz (1993). He also scripted Kutz's successful Colonel Kwiatkowski (1996). In addition, during his multifaceted career Stawiński acted as a literary director of several film units: Kamera (1957-1965), Panorama (1972-1974), and Iluzjon (1977-1981).

   Other films (as director): Christmas Eve (Wieczórprzedświąteczny, 1966), Who Believes in Storks? (Kto wierzy w bociany, 1971, with Helena Amiradżibi).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof