DEATH OF THE PRESIDENT (SMIERC PREZYDENTA)

Poland, 1978, 144 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz.

The Death of a President is a Polish film highlighting the background of the first President of the Republic of Poland who remained in office only a week before his assassination. The film fills in his background as well as that of his assassin. The events take place over the week from his nomination and the opening of Parliament to the ballots, his election, his decisions and his sudden assassination. It throws some light on the atmosphere of fascism and Right-wing activity in the face of the Left after World War One. The film is sombre in tone and fairly ponderous in style. Nevertheless the personality of the President comes through very strongly as does the fanaticism of the assassin and these symbolise the political issues in Poland of the time. It is interesting for putting forward a Polish view of this part of their history from the seventies.

1. Good political cinema? Of local Polish interest, universal interest? of reflection on Europe in the 20s? The quality of Polish film-making?

2. The difficulty of translating politics into cinema? How well was this done in terms of drama, singing, national feeling, personal feeling, sense of history? The documentary style of the film?

3. How important was the recreation of the period, colour photography, the atmosphere of Warsaw in the 1920s?

4. How important dramatically was the structure of the film? The introduction to the President? The atmosphere of' the trial? The introduction to the assassin? The division of the week into particular days? The political situation developing along with the drama, seen with the hindsight of the assassination?

5. The personality of the president, seeing him in the Swiss situation, the non-religious situation with the burial? His behaviour at the burial ceremonies at the beginning of the political year? People observing him, commenting on his potential for politics? The significance of his being in Switzerland, his engineering career, his return to Poland, his citizenship, his integrity?

6. The contrast with the presentation of the assassin and his background, his answering the questions, indication of national themes? Fascist background, Catholic background?

7. The assassin and his views and commenting on his own behaviour? The nature of his paranoia? The point being made by such nationalists? The growing influence of rebellion against the President and the inflammatory remarks and demonstrations and their repercussions on the assassin?

8. The presentation of the Polish parliament, meetings, the domination of the Speaker, the role of the Chief of Staff? his handing over of rule to the President? The petitions about political prisoners?

9. The issue of the Presidency? Various parties with the parliament and their attitudes, the importance of such detail at the party meetings, the politicking and the estimating of the views of the opposition and their tactics, the various candidates and their reasons for these, the various pressures within the political parties and against each other? The importance of class, religion, Right and Left? Nationalism?

10. The dignity of the President elect in himself, his attitudes towards the State and his work, his relationship with his family? His decision and indecision about accepting, nomination? The visit to the various politicians to dissuade him?

11. The drama of the ballots and the various reactions?

12. The reaction to the election, the Right and their inflammatory attitude, the fanatical priest? The atmosphere of the pre-planned riots? General Haller and his rabble rousing?

13. The atmosphere of the day of oath taking, violence and deaths, in the demonstration, the courage of' the President? In the taking of the oath?

14. His exercise of power, the cooling of the atmosphere? The politicking accompanying the resumption of parliament?

15. The build-up to the visit to the Gallery? the presence of the President and his looking at the art, the presence of the assassin and the sudden shooting?

16. The uniting of people at the funeral, the length of the film given to the funeral and its atmosphere?

17. The importance of the postscript about consequences in Poland and the nature of government in Poland during the 20s? What comment on politics, human nature, the state, nationalism, Right and Left, classes?