"Ida" wins Oscar for best foreign language film.

[JustJohn or JJ]

"Ida" wins Oscar for best foreign language film.




Pawel Pawlikowski accepts the award for best foreign language film for “Ida” at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

[pieter]

Congratulations Poland. I stil have to watch the movie. We have had quite an intensive discussion about the movie based on Jaga's view of the movie and the different critics we read and posted.

I wonder how I will judge the movie after I have the chance to watch it! I would prefer to watch it in the cinema as the movie fanatic I am. The best way to see a movie is on the big screen.

Unfortunately lately I mostly saw movies via DVD on my Aplle Laptop at home. I hope to go some more movies in the cinema soon with some girlfriends of mine.

Have you seen the movie John?

[pieter]

Polish Oscar winner "Ida" draws online criticism for Jewish theme

23.02.2015 13:58

Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna distanced himself from criticism that Poland’s first-ever Oscar for the best foreign-language film proves the country’s filmmakers will only win international acclaim if they take up Jewish issues.


Paweł Pawlikowski: life is full of surprises, foto: PAP/EPA/PAUL BUCK

“That may have helped,” Schetyna said in a radio interview, when asked about the Holocaust-themed “Ida”, last night’s Oscar winner. “But it is a universal film, its significance goes beyond the story it tells.” “Ida” tells the story of a Polish nun who finds out she is a Jewish Shoah survivor. The film’s Oscar triumph generated a lively debate on the internet with many arguing it reflected Hollywood’s pro-Jewish bias. An online petition that drew 20,000 signatures prior to the Oscar decision demanded the film’s screenings in the US be prefaced by an historical introduction, stating that many Poles risked their lives to save Jews during the WW2. (an)

Source: PAP, Gazeta Wyborcza, Rzeczpospolita

[Jaga]

I saw the parts of the Oscars when they announced the winner of foreign film. Ida was not even very popular movie in Poland because it does not really have a national theme. It is done by a guy who lives in Britain. His speech on the scene was nice, he thank Poland and his Polish friends.

I agree that having Jewish theme and Holocaust theme helps win Oscars just like having anti-racist theme. I wish, this was not a case.

By the way, two Polish movie were among short documentary top 5!

[Jaga]

from Robert Strybel:

Exploring “paradoxes of the human soul”
Film alleged to be both anti-Polish or anti-Semitic
Controversy is attracting Polish audiences

“Ida” – Poland's first best-foreign-film Oscar

By Robert Strybel, Our Warsaw Correspondent

WARSAW–Countless Poles stayed up late into the night to watch this year's Academy Awards on TV, and they weren't disappointed. As widely expected, Paweł Pawlikowski's multi-prize-winning Ida became the first Polish-language feature film to capture Hollywood's highest honors. At the 87th awards gala it received an Oscar for the best foreign film of 2014.

Set in Poland's drab communist-era early 1960s, it tells the story of Anna, a girl raised in a convent school and soon due take her vows. But on the threshold of becoming a nun she is suddenly confronted with a series of shocking revelations. The novice is visited by Wanda Gruz, an aunt she never knew she had. What's more – she was a former Jewish Stalinist prosecutor. known as “Bloody Wanda” for sending Poles to their death for the crime of opposing Poland's Sovietization.

Anna, played by 23-year-old amateur actress Agata Trzebuchowska, first learns from Aunt Wanda that she was a Jewish child named Ida who had been saved from the Holocaust by Polish nuns. Finally, she is confronted with the fact that her parents were killed not by Germans but by Polish peasant Feliks Skiba whom she actually confronts. Troubled by her Stalinist past, now alcoholic Wanda adds to Ida's traumas by committing suicide.

The plot of this road movie revolves around Ida's journey with her Aunt Wanda at the wheel of her East German Wartburg sedan across a bleak, wintry, unpopulated Polish landscape. They hope to find the grave of the girl's parents and uncover the full truth about their tragedy. Pawlikowski's minimalist approach has created an austere black-and-white movie deliberately shot on antiquated 16 mm film. Ida is definitely closer to the convention of 1960s/70s European art cinema and very far from Hollywood's dazzling colors, breath-taking camerawork and special effects.

Prior to winning the Oscar, Ida had collected over 80 awards at international film festivals where it was praised as a though-provoking psychological analysis of personal tragedy, the quest for self-identity and coming to terms with individual guilt. In Poland, good box-office results have been assured by the controversy the movie has provoked.
The patriotic right has criticized it as anti-Polish. According to European Parliament Member Janusz Wojciechowski, “this is probably the first film of such stature that includes the holocaust without any Germans.” “The message going out to moviegoers in France and the US is that it was Poles that did the killing,” commented political scientist Michał Szułdrzyński. On the other hand, Jews and leftists have criticized Ida for entrenching anti-Semitic “good nun – bad Jew” stereotypes.

Pawlikowski said he did not want to make a film explaining Polish history but one that “explored paradoxes of the human soul.” Its convoluted plot to some extent the filmmaker's own confused childhood. Only as an adult did the now 57-year-old filmmaker learn his father was Jewish and had to leave Poland during the communist regime's 1968 anti-Semitic purge. His mother later moved with 14-year-old Paweł to England. It was at Oxford that he met Stalinist prosecutor Helena Wolińska, whom Poland has been unsuccessfully trying to extradite for years. Wanda Gruz was largely patterned on Wolińska, whereas Ida's story was inspired by a Polish priest who late in life learned he was Jewish.

Artists of Polish extraction have been honored with over a dozen Oscars over the years but never before in the prestigious best-foreign-film category. They have included composer Leopold Stokowski who received the best music award in 1941 for the animated Disney film Fantasia, as did Bronisław Kaper for his music in the 1953 American musical Lili. Janusz Kamiński received two separate Oscars for his photography of Schindler's List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).
ln 2000, a life achievement Oscar was awarded to Poland's best-known film director Andrzej Wajda, and two years later Roman Polański was honored for directing The Pianist. Well over two dozen Polish movies have been nominated for Oscars as the year's best foreign film. Among them have been Polański's Knife in the Water (1963) and Wajda's Katyń (2007).
*******

[pieter]

Good reply Jaga. I have seen many movies and documentries and I have to admid that I am a little bit fed up with the political correct anti-racists and anti-semitic theme as well. To often the black and white image of the anti-semitic Polish peasents, Ukrainian kapo's, and the bad evil German and Austrian Nazi's was shown. For some reason the bad and evil role (equal evil to the Nazi side) of the Sovjet NKVD and Red army is less often shown in movies, documentries, series and books. I think that is partly due to the power of the European left, and also some American leftists. Socialists and Communists had a signficant power in Post-War Europe (both in Sovjet Controlled Central- and Eastern-Europe) and in Western-Europe. The anti-fascist (read socialist/communist) message was dominant.

Secondly fierce anti-Polonism of American and Israeli jews played a role. They had influence and power in the media, press, literary world, movie industry, entertainment, and on the intellectual level in the education, communiciation, marketing, merchandize and thus academic world. Europe and the USA were more vulnerable for anti-semitism and racism than anti-slavic, anti-Polish sentiments and isightment. Why? Because Poland weas behind the Iron Curtain, it was ruled by the 'communist enemy', and Poles due to their isolation had no say in the West. The Polish diaspora was also less well organised than the Jewish diaspora and especially American Judaism and Israeli judaism. I am not sending a Polish anti-semitic consperacy theory here. It is what I see as the truth. There has been a fierce jewish anti-Polonism, which in some cases was as fierce as some of the Polish-, Lithuanian-, Ukrainian- and Russian anti-semitism which did and does exists.

The role of Jews in Polish, Sovjet, and other countries Stalinist regimes is never very good portrayed in books or movies. Polish jews played a bad role in the regime of Bolesław Bierut from 1947 until 1956 (his year of death). I think about Jakub Berman, Roman Romkowski (born Natan Grünspan [Grinszpan]-Kikiel), Anatol Fejgin, Józef Różański, Julia Brystiger and yes Helena Wolińska.

The Polish-Jewish Julia Brystiger (1902, 1975,Warsaw) was a Polish Communist activist and member of the secret police Urząd Bezpieczeństwa in Stalinist Poland. She was also known as Julia Brystygier, Bristiger, Brustiger, Briestiger, Brystygierowa, Bristigierowa, and by her nicknames – given by the victims of torture: Luna, Bloody Luna, Daria, Ksenia, and Maria. The nickname Bloody Luna was a direct reference of her Gestapo-like methods during interrogations.

Between 1944 and 1956 the Polish jew Jakub Berman (1901 – 1984) was a member of Politbiuro of the totalitarian Polish United Workers' Party (PUWP). He was responsible for propaganda, and ideology; put in charge of State Security Services (Urząd Bezpieczeństwa, UB), the largest and the most notorious secret police force in the history of the People's Republic of Poland, employing 33,200 permanent security officers, one for every 800 Polish citizens.

The Polish-Jewish Józef Różański (Josek Goldberg; Warsaw, 13 July 1907 – 21 August 1981, Warsaw) was personally involved in torturing and maiming dozens of opponents of the Polish People's Republic; including anti-communist activists, as well as other, more moderate communists, and Cursed soldiers. He gained notoriety as one of the most brutal secret police interrogators in Warsaw. Różański personally administered torture to Witold Pilecki, one of the Righteous Among Nations. Pilecki revealed no sensitive information and was executed on May 25, 1948 at Mokotów Prison by Sergeant Smietanski, the "Butcher".

I write this down because Helena Wolińska was just one of the many Poles with a jewish and non-jewish background who played a bad role as an agent of the Urząd Bezpieczeństwa in Stalinist Poland.

Cheers,
Pieter

P.S.- I posted before about this. Maybe a few years back about the Stalinist era in Poland and the Stalinist crimes commited there.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakub_Berman / pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakub_Berman / da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakub_Berman / de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakub_Berman
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Romkowski / pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Romkowski
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatol_Fejgin / pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatol_Fejgin
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_R%C3%B3%C5%BCa%C5%84ski / pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_R%C3%B3%C5%BCa%C5%84ski
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Brystiger / pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Brystiger
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Woli%C5%84ska-Brus / pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Woli%C5%84ska
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_%C5%9Awiat%C5%82o / pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_%C5%9Awiat%C5%82o

[Jaga]

Pieter,

I agree that the lack of anti=soviet movies comes probably from the dominance of socialistic themes. I wish, there was a place for new messages and new movies. I think the movie "Forest Gump" and "Rainman" really changed the way how people look at disabilities. Forest Gump had an extra twist to show American modern history from a different perspective.
I see that teachers in schools try to make students think instead of accumulating information. So, there is a hope.

Frankly, the world is so complex nowadays that i do not know how to read it, but we are learning. The newest match between pres. Obama and the senate/congress shows that everybody is learning how to fight.

You may watch this video by Jon Stewart, it is especially interesting at the end, when people (like wealthy Trump) criticizes Obama for not doing enough on Obama but does not talk about any specifics:

Stewart Mocks Conservatives For Wanting 'Military Porn Talk' From Obama On ISIS

crooksandliars.com/cltv/2015/02/stewart-mocks-conservatives-wanting

+++I have to admid that I am a little bit fed up with the political correct anti-racists and anti-semitic theme as well. To often the black and white image of the anti-semitic Polish peasents, Ukrainian kapo's, and the bad evil German and Austrian Nazi's was shown. For some reason the bad and evil role (equal evil to the Nazi side) of the Sovjet NKVD and Red army is less often shown in movies, documentries, series and books. I think that is partly due to the power of the European left, and also some American leftists. Socialists and Communists had a signficant power in Post-War Europe (both in Sovjet Controlled Central- and Eastern-Europe) and in Western-Europe. The anti-fascist (read socialist/communist) message was dominant. ++++

[karl]

Feb 24, 2015 15:05:13 GMT -7 Jaga said:

Pieter,

I agree that the lack of anti=soviet movies comes probably from the dominance of socialistic themes. I wish, there was a place for new messages and new movies. I think the movie "Forest Gump" and "Rainman" really changed the way how people look at disabilities. Forest Gump had an extra twist to show American modern history from a different perspective.
I see that teachers in schools try to make students think instead of accumulating information. So, there is a hope.

Frankly, the world is so complex nowadays that i do not know how to read it, but we are learning. The newest match between pres. Obama and the senate/congress shows that everybody is learning how to fight.

You may watch this video by Jon Stewart, it is especially interesting at the end, when people (like wealthy Trump) criticizes Obama for not doing enough on Obama but does not talk about any specifics:

Stewart Mocks Conservatives For Wanting 'Military Porn Talk' From Obama On ISIS

crooksandliars.com/cltv/2015/02/stewart-mocks-conservatives-wanting

+++I have to admid that I am a little bit fed up with the political correct anti-racists and anti-semitic theme as well. To often the black and white image of the anti-semitic Polish peasents, Ukrainian kapo's, and the bad evil German and Austrian Nazi's was shown. For some reason the bad and evil role (equal evil to the Nazi side) of the Sovjet NKVD and Red army is less often shown in movies, documentries, series and books. I think that is partly due to the power of the European left, and also some American leftists. Socialists and Communists had a signf in Post-War Europe (both in Sovjet Controlled Central- and Eastern-Europe) and in Western-Europe. The anti-fascist (read socialist/communist) message was dominant. ++++

Dear Jaga

Was my self to read of your reply with much interest. This that is personal I must refrain of comment. We though must deferentienate from what is on film for entertainment to what is reality of the here and now. My self as what I am, do not replace what is real to that of what is named as being: political correct. For this is a lie to say of least. The truth being hidden out of fear. And then what is fear? A feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the nearness of endangerness. This as expressed by the American wordbook Websters.

Post war Europe is the past, we do not deal with the past, we must deal with the now and present, which is our reality now. In short, myself do not deal or care of post war Europe, I must deal with present Europe. Would not this be the answer for those of responsibility?

Karl

[pieter]

Dear Jaga and Karl,

Each of your replies was good, constructive and told the truth. We live in 'the now', in the present, and move towards the future. But I will try to defend the past and history. I am partly a historian, due to my study, interest and my own background, heritage and existance.

A piece of self criticism is the fact that I am to often focussed on the past, or link present events to historical events. The present generation (the post-communist, post-cold-war generation) is 'the now' generation, living very in the moment, and focussed on today and tomorrow. Sometimes I personally (inside, in my mind and thought) consider them to be a little bit shallow, sterile, artificial and superficial. Very self focussed, self aware, social media experts ( and addicted), materialistic and trend, hype and fashion aware.

We, the elder generation see them as people with a lack of 'idealism', indifferent, egocentric, totally digitalized ( merged with their smart phones, I-pads/tablets, lap tops and desktop pc's), commercial, restless (ADHD kids), without patience, etiquette ( lack of politeness). spoiled and with a lack of endurance. Very short term based and with a lack of intrrest and knowledge of the world. 'The youth of today' (De jeugd van tegenwoordig) spoken with a worrysome sound in a voice is a Dutch expression, of 'a lost youth', a youth who is wasted and has gone totally loose.

Are these remarks of mine true, important and worrysome? I don't think so. They are just the observation of this individual (me), who probably is stuck to much in the past, who is melancholic and nostalgic. This romantic fool, and ideological, philosophical and human cold war era being is trying to understand this time with new realities: Yes, the first 20 years of my life were during the cold war and during the end of it (1989, 1990 and a little bit 1991 too with the failed coup in Russia). I was raised and educated in the time of the Cold War, with the Cold War mindset, challanges and dualism.

Maybe this new generation or new generations are more positive, realistic and optimistic than I am. I was raised by parents of the war generation, had grandparents who experienced two world wars, and the crisisyears between them (1929, black tuesday, the bourse crash, and the unemployment, poverty and misery of the masses during the thirties. The Germans and Austrians already experienced that during the twenties due to the criminal war repayments forced on them by the Western allies).

The present day generation has parents of my age or parents born in the late fifties or sixties. Post Baby boomers, parents who weren't part of the New Left. Neo-Marxist and/or Hippy generation. But parents who were born in times of anti-authoritarian thinking, the sexual revolution, the emancipation of women and thus feminism, the era of decolonalization and the emergense of selfawareness and self exploration of non-Western people. Independece struggle, city guerrilla, existentialism (Sartre), protest songs, the anti -war movement (peace movement, and anti-nuclear actions), the leftwing democratisation movement on European universities ( post-war class struggle, calls for more equality, levelling, the long dominant force of Social-democracy in the North-West European political reality) and amfetamine (drugs) that entered the West-European and North-American markets and societies. Our societies became tougher and more complex due to the increased technological advancement and growing mobility (more cars, more motor bikes, more mopeds and scooters).

There are fantastic, marvellous, smart, bright, creative, practical and succesful people of the new generation. They have parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts that have the age of us, or our older cousins, uncles, aunts or parents. I am very positive about todays children, teenagers and adolescents. I work with and sometimes give advice to people in their early and late twenties, and sometimes 18 of 19 years old.

They think like you Karl. The post war period is over. It is the past. News, computers, programs and possible even ideas of that time are outdated. We are living in the time of Quantum mechanics, virtual reality, 3D printing, nano technology, gen technology, robotica, interactive people, internet trade and markets (e-bay and Amazone), reality tv, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, online dating and watching downloaded movies and Mpeg3 music via I-tunes, Spotify and other programs. This is a totally different world and reality than we used to live in. But we are part of it now too. That modern world entered also the conflict zones we discussed here. The present day battlefields are not the battlefields of the First-, Second-, or Cold War (Korea, Vietnam, Biafra/ Nigeria) battlefields. History merges with the present in those wars and conflicts. Interests and geopolitical and regional power structures and interests play a role in it. Political, financial and economical interests are even stronger and more complex than in the past. We often confuse religious and cultural interests with these three main interests of both governments and rebel forces and terrorists in the present day conflicts in Europe (Ukraine), the Middle-East and Africa.(Somalia, Sudan, South-Sudan, Congo, the Central-African Republic, Mali, Nigeria and Libya)

Cheers,
Pieter

[karl]

Pieter

It was good of you to give your views as you have, and I do thank you. For you have given that what I lacked in my post with such disregard of our history and you are correct.

My mistake is such, the future of our world is what we make of it, we may be faulted and as such, our future will be faulted. It is then we must be very careful of what we wish for, for it may come true.

It is some times to my wonderment, of the past faulted judgement of our fathers, to create a world that was faulted and then for us as the new generation they our fathers created to then face their failures and make it over into the new world which is the present to enjoy.

Each new generation has a new start, but yet, the remenances of the old still linger. It then is to them {new generation} to take this blue print of progress, and make it better. For all things change in time, but stays the same.

Even as I compose this for transmission, I wonder. For with our new employees that have come on line here, still ask to see the old man when an issue comes to light they are not sure of. What,,,me an old man...I am not the director, they needs be to see him if available.. My office is open for any to observe and if the occasion is present, to simply knock and come in with what ever. It needs be to knock for many files are usually on the desk and are only to eyes only for access.

These new employees are smart,, they have graduated from studies I as a person have little concept of. They then have graduated out of the academy of training as most many of us have been so with out washing out. Yet, they ask me for instructions to their assignments. My instructions to them is very simple: What do you wish to accomplish? And how are you going to do it? What are the instructions and what do you see as an obstruction to absolute success?

The ball is then placed back into their court to run with it. For each, is the sweet taste of success, failure is not an option to entertain.

Life has rewards to the conqurier, but little to say for the conquered.

Karl

[pieter]

Dear Karl,

You have a very fine way of dealing with your younger colleages of the new generation. They cherish, respect and need your experience. They may come fresh and educated from their colllege, but they lack the experience of fieldwork, office work and the decades of work experience you have.

Real life, work experience and professionalism and skills connected to a profession do not come from text books, theory and listening to teachers and/or professors. Real experience comes from doing the job, encountering real problems and generating solutions to them.

You can provide to these younger colleages what they don't have, experience in their job. You actually tell them to do it themselves, to take risks in making decisions and learning from their mistakes. Because that is the only way they can do their job propperly.

If they are smart they learn from their seniors (older colleages) and ad that practical knoeledge to their theoretic base.

The new generation is very pragmatic and less ideologic than the previous generations. They are focussed on their task, duty and job and next to that dedicated to their home and friends. Politics, foreign affaires, and new politicians are a fact or life of these people and for their job, but maybe less important for them than their previous colleagues.

These new generations learned equality, democratic values in their parents views, in their teachers teaching and human rights by heart, because they come from a democratic society in a democratic Federal state. They will defend the very existence, constitution and thus fabric and legal fundament and system of that state . They are servants of the state, and loyal to their family and nation.

You teach them responsibility, self judgement, the boundaries of their profession, how your organization works, their duties and the risks their job carries. I wish you luck and persuasion in that dear friend.

Cheers,
Pieter