BATORY, JAN

(1921-1981)

Versatile film director and scriptwriter Batory started his career with a historical drama about the seventeenth-century peasant rebellion,Mountains in Flames(Podhale w ogniu, 1955). During thePolish Schoolperiod, he made a subtle psychological drama about a marital breakup seen from a child's perspective,President's Visit(Odwiedzinyprezydenta, 1961). His children's filmThe Two Who Stole the Moon(O dwóch takich, co ukradli księżyc), made in 1962 with twin brothers Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński as a town's troublemakers, enjoys popularity in contemporary Poland due to the twins' thriving political careers. Batory also directed in the genres of crime film,The Last Ride(Ostatni kurs, 1963);comedy,A Cure for Love(Lekarstwo na miłość, 1966); and suspense drama starringStanisław Mikulski,The Last Witness(Ostatni świadek, 1970). His melodramaCon amore(1976) enjoyed both critical and popular success in Poland and abroad. In 1981 Batory directed his last film, a crime comedy entitledThe Smell of Dog's Fur(Zapach psiej sierści, 1981), featuringRoman Wilhelmi.

Other films:Meeting with a Spy(Spotkanie ze szpiegiem, 1964),Dancing Party in Hitler's Headquarters(Dancing w kwaterze Hitlera, 1968/1971),The Lake of Mysteries(Jezioro osobliwości, 1973),Karino(1976, also TV series in 1974),Stolen Collection(Skradziona kolekcja, 1979).