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Interrogation [1982] [DVD] [1990]

Krystyna Janda , Adam Ferency , Ryszard Bugajski    Suitable for 18 years and over   DVD
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Krystyna Janda, Adam Ferency, Janusz Gajos, Agnieszka Holland, Anna Romantowska
  • Directors: Ryszard Bugajski
  • Writers: Ryszard Bugajski, Janusz Dymek
  • Producers: Andrzej Wajda, Tadeusz Drewno
  • Format: PAL
  • Language: Polish
  • Subtitles: English
  • Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 18
  • Studio: Second Run
  • DVD Release Date: 3 Oct 2005
  • Run Time: 118 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000AWKSPU
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 71,314 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

Product Description

Based on a true story reflecting the Stalinist terror of the early 1950s, Ryszard Bugajski’s harrowing film was banned under martial law in Poland and only became available after the director smuggled a copy of Interrogation out of the country. Tonia (Krystyna Janda), a singer in a sleazy cabaret, is imprisoned without explanation. Days become weeks become months, varied only by the persuasion, intimidation and torture of interrogation. Janda’s outstanding depiction of a woman who becomes heroic in the face of torture and imprisonment, takes you to places few films are willing to explore.

In the early 1980s, film director Rsyzard Bugajski worked under Andrzej Wajda at the Polish film studio Film Unit X. Bugajski had been developing a script about repression and brutality in Poland in the 1950s under Stalinist rule. As the studio was run by the Communist state, all film scripts had to be approved by the Culture Committee before a film could go into production. A script such as Interrogation, that was openly critical of the State, stood little chance of approval. However, at the time Interrogation went through the system in 1982, the authorities were preoccupied with preparations for the forthcoming imposition of martial law and it somehow slipped through the net. Interrogation was passed for production.

Review

" ... its impact is as current as it ever was, and its allegorical implications have proved prophetic" -- Time Out

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the faint of heart 26 Feb 2006
Format:DVD
Tonia's story is a harrowing one. Real or imaginary doesn't matter: the story has sufficient power to make the viewer cringe several times during the performance.

Tonia is a bubble-headed actress when we first meet her; little more than a self-obsessed good-time girl. She falls into a nightmarish prison landscape worthy of Kafka by way of a simple night out to spite her husband for an imagined slight and things get worse from there.

Initially her defiance of the system seems to stem from her inability to understand her predicament; later it becomes apparent that she is made of sterner stuff than almost all around her -- including her sadistic interrrogators.

It is this core of steel which makes her such an interesting character; and the film's exploration of her simple defiance is well-handled: punchy camera shots, harsh lighting; gradual physical deterioration of Tonia's appearance.

The subtitles are well done -- not intrusive or gratingly translated. The denouement is heart-wrenching without being sentimental.

The astonishing thing is how this film slipped through the censor's net in 1982 -- even if they were preoccupied with Solidarnosc and martial law. The bonus material gives some insight into this.

Worth a couple of hours of anyone's time.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing drama about the Stalinist terror 23 Jun 2009
Format:DVD
Interrogation (Przesluchanie) is an amazing drama about the Stalinist terror imposed in Poland in the 1950s. Tonia (Krystyna Janda) is a cabaret singer who becomes the target of the secret police. I like how the film doesn't waste any time; Tonia is quickly abducted and imprisoned within minutes from the start of the movie. Tonia isn't sure why she is imprisoned and we are left in just as much suspense as a clear answer to this question doesn't come quickly.

Tonia is asked personal question but they are particularly interested in her past lovers. She is a bit stubborn and a free spirit, which doesn't help her as their goal is to break her. The interrogators try to wear her out but she still remains strong despite their many efforts to break her spirit. I got the sense that the prison was a place where time stands still. The inmates there have no idea what time it is or how much time has passed. This sense of timelessness only increases their awareness of their pains.

Several scenes of the movie are brutal and we are not spared a good and close look at it. The prison guards treat the inmates like animals. Unquestionably, Przesluchanie could be considered a very emotional film as it shows a lot of screaming and raw violence. One cannot escape the comparison of the treatment Tonia received to the harsh treatment that made the Nazis infamous as it is mentioned several times. Although not stated, we quickly see that her prison interrogators are probably no better.

In my opinion, Interrogation holds a very special and important place in Polish cinema. The story is terrifying yet realistic. The acting is flawless and the story is captivating. It exposes oppression from over half a century ago but the same thing could (and perhaps does) happen today.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark but necessary watching for the purists 9 Dec 2007
By Chimpg
Format:DVD
This film changed Polish thoughts and perceptions and the very law itself after it's release. It caused such a deep reaction for the people that the real secret police had to fundamentally change their ways.

Based on 'true' events for the soviet era - the story centres around the abduction and torture, to obtain a confession, of the wife of an army major the police were trying to 'disappear'.

This is a haunting and dark comment on the power of the establishment and relates very well to what the U.S. government is doing with extraordinary rendition, that it is must for people who want to understand how we aren't far from this type of conduct - in secret - now.

Strongly recommend this for the cinematic techniques and the fantastic acting. Polish film at its very best.
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