LEJTES, JÓZEF

(1901-1983)

Arguably the best Polish director before 1939, Lejtes established his name in 1928 with the patriotic pictureHurricane(Huragan, 1928, Polish-Austrian production), the love story of a young insurgent and a proud noblewoman, set against the backdrop of the 1863 January Uprising. At the beginning of the 1930s, Lejtes quickly gained recognition for his cinematic treatment of recent Polish history. InThe Wild Fields(Dzikie pola, 1932), he dealt with the fate of Polish soldiers trying to return to their country from Russia after the end of World War I. Another critically acclaimed film,General Pankratov's Daughter(Córka generała Pankratowa, 1934), focused on the political unrest in 1905. With its superb cast (Nora Ney, Franciszek Brodniewicz, andKazimierz Junosza-Stępowski),Seweryn Steinwurzel's camera.Henryk Wars's musical score, and Lejtes's adroit use of the conventions of melodrama applied to the events of 1905, the film became one of the best-known examples of mid-1930s Polish cinema. The events of 1905 also provided the setting for two other well-received films by Lejtes:The Young Forest(Młody las, 1934) andThe Rose(Róża, 1936). The former, voted the best film of 1934 by the readers of the weekly magazineKino, deals with a conflict between Polish students and their Russian teachers. The latter, anadaptationof Stefan Zeromski's novel, focuses on the story of the Polish Socialist Party members and their fight against the tsarist regime. Some of Lejtes's other films referred to more distant and mythologized events in Polish history. HisBarbara Radziwiłłówna(1936), withJadwiga Smosarskain the leading role, portrays a love story between the king of Poland, Zygmunt August, and Barbara from the noble family of Radziwiłł. Another historical epic,Kościuszko at Racławice(Kościuszko pod Racławicami, 1938), deals with the 1794 national insurrection led by Tadeusz Kościuszko.

Lejtes is also known for his skillful adaptations of celebrated contemporary literature:The Girls from Nowolipki(Dziewczęta z Nowolipek, 1937) andThe Line(Granica, 1938), based on the novels by Pola Gojawiczyńska and Zofia Nałkowska, respectively.The Girls from Nowolipkidepicts the dramatic stories of four youngwomenwho live in the same working-class Warsaw building, andThe Lineoffers a fatalistic story of a man torn between two women with whom he has had an ongoing affair. Lejtes is also responsible for one of the greatest successes of Polish cinema in the 1930s,Under Your Protection(Pod twoją obronę, 1933), starringMaria BogdaandAdam Brodzisz. Because of Lejtes's Jewish origins, his name was removed from the credits (the experiencedEdward Puchalskiis listed as the director) in order to please the Catholic Church, the patron of this "Christian film."

Lejtes, who also scripted several of his films, worked closely with the best prewar cinematographers, chiefly with Steinwurzel andAlbert Wywerka. After 1945 Lejtes remained in Israel where he directed several films, includingMy Father's House(1947). From 1955 to 1958, he directed severaltelevision filmsin the United States, including an episode ofAlfred Hitchcock Presents(1955) andBonanza(1959) and a full-length television film,Valley of Mystery(1967).

Other films:From Day to Day(Z dnia na dżień, 1929),The Day of a Great Adventure(Dżień wielkiej przygody, 1935),The Signals(Sygnały, 1938).