director Jerzy Hoffman
screenplay (based on the novel of the same title by Henryk Sienkiewicz) Jerzy Hoffman, Adam Kersten, Wojciech Żukrowski
director of photography Jerzy Wójcik
music Kazimierz Serocki
with Daniel Olbrychski, Małgorzata Braunek, Tadeusz Łomnicki, Kazimierz Wichniarz, Leszek Teleszyński, Franciszek Pieczka
awards (selection) Oscar Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, 1975
award for Daniel Olbrychski at Film Festival in Gottwaldov, 1975
Grand Prix, Gdańsk Lions, Best Male Performance and Audience Prize at the 1st Polish Film Festival in Gdańsk, 1974
1st Class Award of the Ministry of Culture and Art for Jerzy Hoffman, 1975
Golden Camera, ‘Film’ magazine Readers Awards for Best Polish film and Best Actor or Best Debut Part (Daniel Olbrychski), 1975
Golden Duck on the 50th anniversary of ‘Film’ magazine – Best Duel for the fight of Kmiecic against Wołodyjowski, 2007
JERZY HOFFMAN, THE DELUGE – A NATIONAL BIBLE; CONVERSATION WITH KRYSTYNA STARCZAK [‘POTOP’ – BIBLIA NARODOWA. ROZMOWA Z KRYSTYNĄ STARCZAK], ‘FAKTY’, 1974, NO. 39
I wanted to make a film for both those who had read ‘The Deluge’ and those who had never heard of it. I realized that four generations of Poles had been raised on this book; today, however, it is not as widely read. (…) It is estimated that less than 3 million Poles have read Sienkiewicz’s ‘Trilogy’ since the war.
KRZYSZTOF T. TOEPLITZ, ‘THE DELUGE’, OR ABOUT RELIABILITY [‘POTOP’, CZYLI O RZETELNOŚCI], ‘MIESIĘCZNIK LITERACKI’, 1974, NO. 11
In ‘The Deluge’, the audience has found – because it wanted to – a partial fulfilment of our need for national success. In fact, the film is not about success but about a country bleeding hard to finally die in the next century. It is (…) a film more true and wise than it appears to be. It is also more genuine than other similar films before (e. g. ‘Pan Wołodyjowski’) in its picture of Polish society of the 17th century. (…) The Butrym family and the poor gentry represent a kind of patriotic democracy here. Sienkiewicz took their side and Hoffman has followed him, not only in the colourful swaggering description but also in his reflections on history.
history periods
