THE LAST DAY OF SUMMER [1958]
year:
- 1958
release date:
- 4 VIII 1958
runtime:
- 66 min
directed by:
- Tadeusz Konwicki, Jan Laskowski
written by:
- Tadeusz Konwicki
director of photography:
- Jan Laskowski
cast:
- Irena Laskowska [Her], Jan Machulski [Him]
edited by:
- Wiesława Otocka
produced by:
- Studio Filmowe „Kadr”
executive producer:
- Jerzy Laskowski
awards:
-
• EXPO '58 in Brussels (Belgium) 1958: Grand Prix for experimental film
• International Documentary and Short Film Festival in Venice (Italy) 1958: Grand Prix
• Cinema Enthusiasts Award Samovar 1974
About the film
A poetic drama about unrequited love between two weary people, tired with their lives. A study of loneliness and the helplessness of a man and woman, unable to attempt to build a life together.
The first film d'auteur in Poland, and the first serious attempt to find a new film language.
On a deserted beach, on their last day at the seaside, a mature woman and a young man meet. He has been watching her for several days, but has not approached her until now. He urges her to stay.
She is burnt out internally, fraught with the experiences of war, the loss of a loved one − a pilot, full of bitterness and distrust of people. Despite their mutual attraction, they are psychologically stuck, with the shadow of war looming over them − a mysterious past (the young man cannot find any anchor in life, he takes up various jobs), and an uncertain future. There are often jets flying over the beach, leaving behind trails of smoke − like a reminder of the war, destruction and disaster. At dusk, the woman falls asleep, he leaves unnoticed. After waking up, the woman desperately looks for him. The storm intensifies. Traces of their footsteps lead to the sea.
Donata Zielińska, Leksykon polskich filmów fabularnych, Warszawa 1996
