DZIEJE GRZECHU (THE STORY OF A SIN)

Poland, 1975, 130 minutes, Colour.
Grazyna Dlugolecka.
Directed by Walerian Borowczyk.

The Story of a Sin is one of the earlier films of famous director Walerian Borowczyk. He had made Gotto Island of Love as well as Blanche (1971) and established himself as a serious director. He made this film in his native Poland before moving to France – and to much more explicit erotic themes in film films (Behind Convent Walls, Three Immoral Women, The Beast …)

This film is based on a well-known Polish novel by Stefan Zeromski.

The film opens with a young girl, Ewa, confessing and worried about impure thoughts and feelings. What follows is more than one sin. She becomes involved with a young man, becomes pregnant, kills the child when she is abandoned, moves into prostitution, travels abroad and becomes involved with confidence tricksters.

Borowczyk is much more reserved in his presentation of this story of sins. It does not have the overtness of his later films but relies rather on suggestion – perhaps because he was working in the Poland of the 1970s with the Communist Party in control and with the influence of the church. This leads to one of Borowczyk’s more reticent but most successful films.

1. The overall impact of this film? A Polish film? The atmosphere of the turn of the century?

2. Comment on the visual style, the recreation of period, the Polish atmosphere of city and country, the international flavour? A social film, a psychological film? How contrived, yet how authentic?

3. The significance of the title, what meaning of sin? The initial Catholic emphasis and the happiness and guilt? The downfall frame work and structure of the film, the conventions of the fall of a woman, her responsibility towards others and her harming them? How sinful was this?

4. How much initial empathy for Eva? The meaning of her name as ‘sinner' or as the person who lives? What was she like at the beginning? How did she change and why? Was she a hopeless case? The possibility of redemption and forgiveness of her sin?

5. The importance of the initial Catholic atmosphere, Catholic Poland, the Sacraments, the emphasis on purity and Innocence? Eva and her Innocence, her infatuation, her not going to Communion? The beginning of her downfall? How much was she a victim of circumstances? The irony of Lucas' divorce, his being in the city and meeting hero, their mutual infatuation? Forgotten influences and accidents shaping Eva’s whole life and downfall? The irony of life and environment? How much was the film blaming individuals, free will, circumstances?

6. Eva’s mother and her influence on her, her propriety, the fight that she had to prevent her leaving? Her mother's late hostility and wanting her out of the house? Comment on the mother-daughter relationship? Contrast the father-daughter relationship, the father as a genial and loving old man, proud but out of work, a drinker? His regret at Eva’s leaving, his welcoming her back? The importance of her parents on Eva and her subsequent career?

7. The irony of Eva’s seeing Horst wake the prostitute in and her innocent reactions? The contrast with her later life, Horst's following her and wanting to marry her? His seeing her when she was at her depths?

8. The impact of Lucas? How admirable and likable a character? The detail of his arrival and Eva’s awareness of it, the audience gauging the effect of his impact on Eva? A man who loved but told the truth, who didn't want to harm Eva, who wanted the divorce and the annulment and went to great lengths for it? Comment on the film's building up their relationship by showing their mutual letters and reading, Eva reading them at work, the roses and her discovery of sensuality?

9. How profound was the impact of Lucas's presence and then his absence on Eva? How did she change, the deal with her sister, the long vigorous fight sequence with her mother? Her leaving?

10. The intensity of her tracing Lucas, the story she told, the reconciliation in the rain? How irrevocable was her commitment to him by this time?

11. The impulsive decision to leave her work? Her going to the hospital and what it meant to Lucas? The story of the Count and the duel? Her living as his wife, yet separate and the comments of the Jewish landlord? His spying and our spying with him? Her pregnancy, the importance of the sequence of the birth of the baby, her doing everything herself, her killing her child? How much audience sympathy for her at this stage? (The consequence of the sensual experience between the two?) The irony of Lucas' being absent and not knowing any of this?

12. The introduction of the Count, his liking of Eva, his loyalty towards Lucas, keeping her informed, supplying her with money? His pursuing her to the city, making good her robbery? The irony insofar as what was to come? Her seeing him at home, his proposition to her at the art gallery? His enabling her to make a new start In searching for Lucas? Why did she accept? Her dislike of the Count?

13. The irony of Lucas' having been freed from the Roman prison, the irony of the sequence at the Riviera and discovering that he had been back to Poland and had been disillusioned with her? Eva’s immediate sexual response? Eva then becoming a victim of the men, yet also a victim of herself?

14. The presence of the Count and of Stephen? Their earlier presence giving hints of what was to come? Stephen's spying out the Count and Eva? His hold over Eva because of the death of the baby, pursuing her from the train, his scheme and her evil consent? The importance of her luring the Count to the city? The pressure of her writing the letter and the subjective effect of her voice on the Count making him come to the city? The irony of his sensual experience and Eva’s destroying him? The victimization of the Count?

15. The impact of seeing Eva, now as a prostitute, her whole way of life and learning the tricks of the trade? To what had sin led her?

16. The irony of the possibility of her redemption, the eccentric Count and his interview with her in her room, the establishment that he ran, the discussion amongst the girls themselves of their own happiness, the possibility of a Utopia of redemption? And yet Eva could leave this. (The significance of her grief at the Count's death and the failure of his experiment?)

17. The final irony when she was at her depth of prostitution again, dependent on Stephen and the Count, their petty thieving, their decision that Lucas be the victim? The importance of her warning him against being killed, the fact that in prison when she died the was still loved? The possibility of some kind of redemption?

18. How moral a film was this? Its exploration of individuals and environment, circumstances? Sin? The woman as the virgin and the whore? The achievement of this kind of film?