He was referred to as “the Polish James Dean”. Since the start of his career and until his death in 1967, Zbigniew Cybulski appeared on the screen many times. But only Andrzej Wajda’s Ashes And Diamonds helped to see an embodiment of the time in him. The director himself has distinguished the film and Cybulski’s part in it among all his works. Andrzej Wajda told in an interview: “When I think about what my films gave to people, I can tell one thing for sure – Zbygniew Cybulski’s sunglasses.”

Ashes And Diamonds

Poland, 1958, 110 min.

Directed by Andrzej Wajda

Cast:  Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyżewska, Wacław Zastrzeżyński, Adam Pawlikowski, Bogumil Kobiela, Halina Kwiatkowska, Barbara Krafftówna

The events of the film take place during one day, May 8 1945, the last day of the war and the first day of peace. Young Home Army soldier Maciej Chelmicki is given the assignment to assassinate Szczuka, a Communist. A tragic turn of events causes the death of civilians who have nothing to do with the matter.  Maciej understands that he has turned into a common murderer. He does not believe his superiors anymore. The boy dreams about love and tranquility but does not succeed in “coming home from war”. The weapon is like a physical part of him. He carries out his order although the death of the elderly person killed by him has no sense. Maciek cannot find himself during the time of piece. He dies from an almost accidental bullet of patrol soldiers.

Zbigniew Cybulski played the leading part.

Night Train (released as “The Mysterious Passenger”)

Poland, 1959, 94 min.

Directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz

Cast: Lucyna Winnicka, Leon Niemczyk, Teresa Szmigielówna, Zbigniew Cybulski, Helena Dabrowska, Ignacy Machowski, Roland Glowacki, Aleksander Sewruk, Zygmunt Zintel, Tadeusz Gwiazdowski Tadeusz Gwiazdowski 

A strange man rides the train along the Baltic Sea coast. It seems that he flees from somebody.  A pretty blonde pursued by a young guy rides in the same compartment with him.  Soon a rumor spreads in the train that one of passengers is a murderer. Who is he?

Good-bye, See You Tomorrow

Poland, 1960, 80 min.

Directed by Janusz Morgenstern

Screenplay: Zbigniew Cybulski, Bogumil Kobiela, Wilhelm Mach

Cast: Zbigniew Cybulski, Teresa Tuszynska, Grazyna Muszynska, Barbara Baranowska, Wlodzimierz Bielicki    

The first film of the director Janusz Morgenstern. The background of the film’s events shows a period in the life of Zbigniew Cybulski, co-organizer, director and actor of the well-known Gdansk student cabaret Bim-Bom.   The figure of Margarita, a daughter of the French consul who spent only vacations and holidays in Poland, is also authentic. Authors of the film added scenes shot in real Gdansk student clubs to a simple romantic adventure, trying thus to preserve the unique phenomenon that were the cabarets in the late 1950s.   

In 2011 the film was nominated for the “Golden Duck” award as the best film about love and for actor performance of Zbigniew Cybulski and Teresa Tuszynska. 

In Memory of Zbigniew Cybulski

documentary film

Ukraine, 2008, 13 min.

Written and directed by Iryna Romanchenko

A short story about the moments of creative life and the colorful inner world of the actor built on fragments of his diaries, reflections, memories of his friends and colleagues.

Zbyszek

black and white documentary film

Poland, 1969, 70.

Directed by Jan Laskowski

The film is dedicated to the tragically killed famous actor Zbigniew Cybulski. The montage of his film fragments is combined with a kind of biography of the figure created by the actor, which became a real symbol of the “tragic generation” of the war-time youth…

Kyiv city video library

Cultural and Art Center of “Kyiv” Cinema

Cinema House

Kyiv
21 March – 24 March
Cultural and Art Center of “Kyiv” Cinema, Chervonoarmiyska st., 19
Kyiv
29 March – 31 March
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