Gliński, Robert

(1952-)

   Writer-director who began his career with Sunday Pranks (Niedzielne igraszki, 1983, released in 1988), a highly praised medium-length film about Stalinist indoctrination, set immediately after Joseph Stalin's death. Gliński returned to Polish history with All That Really Matters (Wszystko, co najważniejsze, 1992), the winner of the 1992 Festival of Polish Films. This film examines the fate of Polish citizens deported by Stalin to Kazakhstan after the outbreak of World War II. In 1989 Gliński directed The Swan's Song (Łabędzi śpiew) about a scriptwriter who produces some desperate "postmodern" versions of Polish history by cannibalizing American models. Glinski's modest black-and-white 2001 film, Hi, Tereska (Cześć Tereska), is among the best Polish films made in recent years. This tragic coming-of-age story, featuring nonprofes-sional actresses in the leading roles, became the winner of the Festival of Polish Films and was also awarded at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Glinski's most recent film, The Call of the Toad (Wrózby kumaka, aka Unkenrufe, 2005), based on Gunter Grass's novel set in Gdańsk, tells a story of a mature love between a Polish woman (Krystyna Janda) and a German man (Matthias Habich) who create the Polish-German Cemetery Society. This Polish-German copro-duction deals with reconciliation between the two nations.

   Other films: Poisonous Plants (Rośliny trujące, TV, 1985), Supervision (Superwizja, 1991), Mother of Her Own Mother (Matka swojej matki, 1996), Love Me and Do Whatever You Want (Kochaj i rób co chcesz, 1998), Long Weekend (Długi weekend, TV, 2004).

   See also Stalinism-Representation.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof