Different Meanings of 'Freedom' in 'Escape from the "Liberty" Cinema'

• In Event: Different Faces of Liberation in Polish Cinema: Between Politics, Religion, and Patriarchy

Abstract

“Escape from ‘Liberty’ cinema” directed by Wojciech Marczewski and released in 1990 is one of the most important cinematic representation of early phase of Polish transformation. The close reading of the movie after decades allows to present less obvious dimensions of this cultural text situated beyond the peculiarities of specific time in history. The story of the middle range official of communist censorship opens the perspective to examine the various levels of freedom in art and cultural representation. First of them is the role of censorship in the field of cultural production. The second deals with the Zeitgeist of late communism/early transformation phase and the note of freedom feeling recorded in pieces of art and having more universal significance. The third show how Western world as the point of reference influences both the textual aspect of the film and the wider socio-cultural movement towards Western institutions. The aim of the paper is to show complexities of overlapping angles of critically acclaimed movie.

Author

• Marcin Adamczak, Polish National Film School / Adam Mickiewicz U (Poland)