Zdort, Wiesław

(1931-)

   Cinematographer, who is known chiefly for his work with Kazimierz Kutz and Barbara Sass (his wife). Zdort graduated in 1956 from the Łódź Film School, and he worked as an assistant to the camera operator on Andrzej Wajda's Ashes and Diamonds (1958) and Andrzej Munk's Eroica (1958) and as camera operator on Jerzy Kawalerowicz's Night Train (1959) and Wajda's Samson (1961). His career as a cinematographer began with Kutz's Wild Horses (1962); later he photographed some of Kutz's finest films, including Salt of the Black Earth (1970), Beads of One Rosary (1980), The Turned Back (1994), and Death as a Slice of Bread (1994). Also, he photographed all the films directed by Sass, including her Without Love (1980), The Shout (1982), and Temptation (1995). Zdort's filmography also consists of works directed by Henryk Kluba (Skinny and Others, 1967), Janusz Majewski (Jealousy and Medicine, 1973), Wojciech Marczewski (Nightmares, 1979), and Krzysztof Kieślowski (Decalogue 1, 1988). Since 1987 Zdort has been teaching cinematography at the Łódź Film School.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof