Diabel (Pl)
[V655]

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 01 August, 2006.

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Price: $14.95

Item Description

16 stycznia 1793 roku.Na mocy ukladow rozbiorowych do Wielkopolski wkraczaja wojska pruskie. Do klasztoru zamienionego w wiezienie przybywa Nieznajomy z glejtem pozwalajacym mu uwolnic skazanego na smierc niedoszlego krolobojce Jakuba. Wywozi go wraz z mloda zakonnica i nakazuje powrot do rodzinnego dworu. Po drodze, w magnackim zamku, Jakub bierze udzial w zaslubinach swej bylej narzeczonej z hrabia. Jest swiadkiem balu mlodziezy tanczacej na "mogile ojczyzny", co powoduje u niego atak epilepsji. Polprzytomnemu Jakubowi Nieznajomy wciska brzytwe, by oczyszczal swiat ze zla i wystepku. W rodzinnym dworze Jakub zastaje zwloki ojca w stanie rozkladu, przy ktorych czuwa szyderczy karzel. Jego siostra uczestniczy w erotycznych orgiach organizowanych przez matke Jakuba w pobliskim zamku. Tam tez prowadzi mlodzienca Nieznajomy. Nie rozpoznany przez matke omal nie staje sie partnerem w kazirodczym zwiazku. Uciekajac w obledzie z jaskini rozpusty tnie brzytwa dziewczyne ofiarowujaca mu swe wdzieki. W zamku hrabiego mlodziez zawiazuje patriotyczne sprzysiezenie, ktorego czlonkowie widza w Jakubie zdrajce w podejrzany sposob ocalonego od stryczka. Od smierci ponownie ratuje go Nieznajomy pokazujacy sie pod postacia Diabla.

W osniezonych ruinach zamczyska, miejscu ich romantycznych spotkan, Jakub zabija swa wiarolomna narzeczona podczas porodu. Nastepnymi ofiarami opetanego sa jego matka, brat Ezechiel i siostra. Dzielo zniszczenia konczy podpaleniem dworu. W pojedynku Jakub zabija hrabiego; ucieka z zakonnica do lasu, gdzie Nieznajomy zada podania nazwisk spiskowcow, ktorych nie wydal na sledztwie. Po podpisaniu dokumentow Nieznajomy-Diabel zabija Jakuba i odjezdza z zakonnica. Za swoje informacje od oficera wojsk pruskich dostaje garsc monet. Gwalci dziewczyne, ktora tnie go brzytwa. Nad brzegiem strumienia trup Nieznajomego zamienia sie w wilcze scierwo.

Niezwykly, ale i bardzo kontrowersyjny film grozy ewokujacy strach romantyczny, bedacy jednoczesnie proba filmowego traktatu historiozoficznego, wizja sprochnialego swiata, ktory rozsypuje sie od jednego uderzenia obcej potegi.

Cast: Wojciech Pszoniak, Leszek Teleszynski, Malgorzata Braunek.
Directed by Andrzej Zulawski.
1972, Color, 119 mins.
Polish Language Version.

Product Reviews

Richard Brzostek - 04/21/2008

Andrzej Zulawski's The Devil (Diabel) is a portrait of insanity. It is a horror movie that not everyone will appreciate. The reason for that would mostly be due to it not being sensible. Many of the people in the film act like they are drugged out, there is a theatrical feeling to the way they talk and unquestionably many of them act insane. To say the movie is surrealistic would be an understatement. The Devil is like stepping into a world of insanity. The story starts out with a crafty beaded man dressed in black entering an asylum run by nuns in 1793, when the Prussians took over part of Poland. He frees a political prisoner, Jakub, moments before the Prussian army goes in and murders everyone there. His liberator becomes a sort of strange guide and tries to influence his morals. Jakub's guide is very animated and shows him various places as they travel together in the countryside. His impish guide seems all knowing. The people Jakub meets are deeply affected by the war and appear insane. The moral decay Jakub observes influences him. At the urging of his guide, he is transformed into a murderer. Although The Devil may appear senseless at first, there is meaning in it. At first, my impression was that we are seeing insanity caused by war. But I also thought it suggests the real cause of war and insanity is sin. Of course, just as with great literature, there are many possible messages one could reveal from this film. Furthermore, there are also political comments weaved throughout the entire movie dealing with patriotism and invaders. The Devil is unquestionably different. The fact that it is a horror, which is relatively rare in Polish cinema, makes it stand out compared to other Polish films. Perhaps the closest film to The Devil (1972) is Instability (Nienasycenie; 2003), which is also Polish. Both films have that surrealistic feeling and nearly everyone in them is crazy; both have atypical sex and nudity interspersed thought the story; both are for viewers that want something very different. I have to add that even if you didn't care for Instability that you still may enjoy the Devil because it very unique.

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Diabel (Pl)[V655]

Diabel (Pl)
[V655]