Weekend Stories 4VHS
[V568]

Krzysztof Zanussi, a major figure in modern European cinema both as a writer / director and as a studio head, wrote, directed, and co-produced these eight piercing short films. As in The Decalogue, which Zanussi also co-produced, some sets overlap between different hour-long episodes, and the individual stories deal incisively with moral issues.

Weekend Stories: Volume 1

A Woman`s Business

A young woman who spent much of the 80s and 90s abroad returns to Poland with her dapper foreign husband, reminding Sophie, one of her hosts, about how her own life might have turned out had her passport not been revoked during the Solidarity era. Suddenly the Party member who had been responsible for revoking Sophie`s passport turns up, prompting Sophie and her friends to seek revenge.

Deceptive Charm

At his wife`s urging, an idealistic young scientist named Karol reluctantly agrees to cash in on his good looks by modeling. An impossibly wealthy man catches a glimpse of some photos of Karol, and hires him as a personal secretary on weekends. But Karol quickly realizes that his employer wants something more from him, and, gradually, that he is willing to go to nefarious ends to get it.

A Woman`s Business, from the series Weekend Stories. A Polart and Facets Video presentation of a Telewizja Polska / TOR Film Studios production.

Screenplay and direction by Krzysztof Zanussi.
Cast: Joanna Szczepkowska, Magdalena Zawadzka, Marta Lipinska, and Anna Nehrebecka.
1996, Color, 50 mins.
In Polish with English Subtitles.

Deceptive Charm, from the series Weekend Stories. A Polart and Facets Video presentation of a Telewizja Polska / TOR Film Studios production.

Screenplay and direction by Krzysztof Zanussi.
Cast: Maciej Robakiewicz, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, and Katarzyna Herman.
1996, Color, 56 mins.
In Polish with English Subtitles.

Weekend Stories: Volume 2

Little Faith

A rational young man and his devoutly Catholic wife begin to suspect that their son is suffering from Leukemia. They are unwilling to wait for the clinic to open on Monday, and talk the nurses there into conducting tests over the weekend. As the son is tested and retested, the parents enter into a crisis of faith in both science and Catholicism.

The Dilatory Line

Pavel, the director of a popular live-broadcast talk show, is unable to secure a commitment from his girlfriend. He begins to suspect that she is having an affair with the show`s producer. Meanwhile, Pavel develops a friendship with a strange scientist who is hanging around the set, hoping for a place in the studio during the shooting of the next episode. During that shooting, several strange events take place, forcing Pavel to make instantaneous decisions that will affect both his personal and professional future.

Little Faith, from the series Weekend Stories. A Polart and Facets Video presentation of a Telewizja Polska / TOR Film Studios production.

Screenplay and direction by Krzysztof Zanussi.
Cast: Dorota Segda, Maciej Orlos, and Marek Kondrat.
1996, Color, 50 mins.
In Polish with English Subtitles.

Deceptive Charm, from the series Weekend Stories. A Polart and Facets Video presentation of a Telewizja Polska / TOR Film Studios production.

Screenplay and direction by Krzysztof Zanussi.
Cast: Bartosz Opania, Tadeusz Bradecki, Krzysztof Luft, Monika Kwiatowska, Henryk Boukolowski, and Karol Strasburger.
1996, Color, 56 mins.
In Polish with English Subtitles.

Weekend Stories: Volume 3

The Soul Sings

Adam, a singer living in rural Poland, is suddenly hired by a leading philharmonic theater to perform in their New Year`s Eve concert. Finally, it looks as if he might achieve what he has been trained for and what he loves. But both his disorganization and an accident that takes place due to his kindness threaten to quash what may be his last chance.

Unwritten Law

A handsome, and married, young chauffeur takes a job working for a beautiful and powerful businesswoman. She plans for them to take a trip west, ostensibly to secure a contract for one of her neighbors. But gradually the chauffeur realizes that she has other plans, some of which he is willing to go along with, and some of which he is not.

The Soul Sings, from the series Weekend Stories. A Polart and Facets Video presentation of a Telewizja Polska / TOR Film Studios production.

Screenplay and direction by Krzysztof Zanussi.
Cast: Jacek Laszczkowski, Kazimierz Kord, Maria Koscialkowska, and Dominika Ostalowska.
1996, Color, 56 mins.
In Polish with English Subtitles.

Unwritten Law, from the series Weekend Stories. A Polart and Facets Video presentation of a Telewizja Polska / TOR Film Studios production.

Screenplay and direction by Krzysztof Zanussi.
Cast: Krystyna Janda, Piotr Szwedes, Maciej Wierzbicki, and Kinga Pres.
1996, Color, 54 mins.
In Polish with English Subtitles.

Weekend Stories: Volume 4

The Last Circle

An ageing ballet master returns to Poland for a charity performance, crossing paths with his former partner and wife. When his partner suddenly has an injury, the possibility of the couple re-uniting for the performance, and perhaps something more, suddenly appears on the horizon. But she has several conditions, and, if they are not met, she threatens to sabotage both the performance and his career.

The Hidden Treasure

An aging woman who grew up in an aristocratic family in pre-Communist Poland, then fled west to France during the Communist take-over, returns to her family estate to see what she might be able to reclaim. She particularly seeks a treasure that her family had buried before they fled, but the poor boy whose family had helped her bury it, now the successful owner of a greenhouse business, is uncooperative. Nonetheless she develops a friendship with the man`s daughter, even inviting her to spend some time in France. Together they return to Poland, in search of the truth about Poland yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The Last Circle, from the series Weekend Stories. A Polart and Facets Video presentation of a Telewizja Polska / TOR Film Studios production.

Screenplay and direction by Krzysztof Zanussi.
Cast: Daniel Olbrychski, Olga Sawicka, and Romuald Szejd.
1997, Color, 57 mins.
In Polish with English Subtitles.

The Hidden Treasure, from the series Weekend Stories. A Polart and Facets Video presentation of a Telewizja Polska / TOR Film Studios production.

Screenplay and direction by Krzysztof Zanussi.
Cast: Maja Komorowska, Agata Buzek, Malgorzata Pritulak, and Wojciech Siemion.
2000, Color, 55 mins.
In Polish with English Subtitles.