LENARTOWICZ, STANISŁAW

(1921-)

Director and scriptwriter, a 1953 graduate of theŁódź Film Schoolwho started his career working for theEducational Film Studio(WFO). In 1957 he released his first feature film, the psychological dramaWinter Twilight(Zimowy żmierżch, 1957), which portrays a small provincial town somewhere in the eastern part of Poland. Its episodic narrative structure (Tadeusz Konwicki's script) relies on stylized, expressionistic flashbacks and the observation of local customs. Lenartowicz's best-known films were made during thePolish Schoolperiod: World War II suspense dramaPills for Aurelia(Pigułki dla Aurelii, 1958), the psychological portrait of social advancementThe Oil(Nafta, 1961), and the almost farcical presentation of the warGiuseppe in Warsaw(Giuseppe w Warszawie, 1964), withElżbieta CzyżewskaandZbigniew Cybulski.Lenartowicz worked within different genres, with different results. He made marital dramas,The Diary of Mrs. Hanka(Pamiętnik pani Hanki, 1963) with Lucyna Winnnicka andObsession(Opętanie, 1972);comedy,Full Ahead(Cała naprzód, 1967); a crime film,I Did Kill(To ja zabiłem, 1975); and a romantic drama consisting of four novellas,Encounters(Spotkania, 1957). Lenartowicz was praised for his series of historicaltelevision filmsset in tsarist Russia, such asThe Postmaster(Pocżmistrż, 1967),The Nose(Nos, 1971), andActress(Aktorka, 1971). Toward the end of his career, he produced a remake of the 1938 classic filmThe Ghosts(Strachy), first as a popular television series in 1979, then as a feature film under the titleTears Won't Help(Sżkoda twoich łeż, 1983).

Other films:See You on Sunday(Zobacżymy się w niedżielę, 1960),The Fatalist(Fatalista, TV, 1967),Monster(Upiór, TV, 1967),The Red and the Gold(Cżerwone i żłote, 1969),Dead Wave(Martwa fala, 1971),In a Year, in a Day, in a Moment. . . (Za rok, ża dżień ża chwilę. . . , 1976).