Essential Killing (Jerzy Skolimowski, 2010)

[MichaelB]

He does seem very direct both as a personality and in his filmmaking - and I do think there is more intention behind the details than some may assume.

Oh, I'm sure there is - it's just that some filmmakers don't like picking apart what they do. Sometimes this is consistent across the board, and at other times it's more selective: for instance, the Quay Brothers are delighted to discuss Street of Crocodiles and In Absentia at inordinate length but clam up over Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies and The Comb. Which is fair enough: their films, their rules.

[davidprice]

Will be interesting what rules he plays by in your Q&A around this film as I wonder if he might be reticent given the political readings people naturally want to apply to it (though that is clearly not his focus) given the personal hardships he endured as a consequence of his earlier 'political' work, Ręce do góry.

I do hope someone records the Q&A as I'd love to see/hear it.

[MichaelB]

Will be interesting what rules he plays by in your Q&A around this film as I wonder if he might be reticent given the political readings people naturally want to apply to it (though that is clearly not his focus) given the personal hardships he endured as a consequence of his earlier 'political' work, Ręce do góry.

I'm planning to bring the subject of political interpretations up at a relatively early stage to defuse potential Q&A clashes later, though I suspect tonight's audience won't be as militant as the New York one - a fair proportion will be Polish, for starters, and therefore presumably less inclined to focus exclusively on the War on Terror aspects. We talked about Ręce do góry in some detail the last time we met.

[Nothing]

I think reactionary may have been the word you were looking for, rather than militant.

[davidprice]

I'm planning to bring the subject of political interpretations up at a relatively early stage to defuse potential Q&A clashes later...

Makes sense.

...though I suspect tonight's audience won't be as militant as the New York one - a fair proportion will be Polish, for starters, and therefore presumably less inclined to focus exclusively on the War on Terror aspects.

The reception of the film in Poland has been mixed but less on the War on Terror aspect. The more controversial aspect being the depiction of Poland and Poles rather than the seemingly more obvious political ramifications (though those have been an issue as well especially as the movie draws attention to such sites in Poland) and there have been accusations by some of it being "anti-Polish". I really don't see that intention in it and believe some of the cruder human nature aspects depicted are meant to transcend any specific nationality and reflect people much more generally - sadly, one can find wife beaters and vulgar drunks anywhere in the world.

[MichaelB]

I really don't see that intention in it and believe some of the cruder human nature aspects depicted are meant to transcend any specific nationality and reflect people much more generally - sadly, one can find wife beaters and vulgar drunks anywhere in the world.

And indeed in other contemporary Polish films - I've just reviewed Wojciech Smarzowski's The Dark House, whose jaundiced vision makes Skolimowski's Poland look like Teletubbyland. And the skinhead protagonist of Przemysław Wojcieszek's Made in Poland goes one stage further than the swastika-tattooed role model played by Tim Roth in Made in Britain by branding his forehead with a large FUCK OFF (in English). So if anyone's specifically singling out films for being "anti-Polish", Essential Killing would be a fair way down the list.

[davidprice]

Perhaps it's a backlash given the international attention EK has received. Dom Zły/Dark House is certainly cruder (and I like it very much, too, along with Smarzowski's Wesele - Made in Poland didn't really come together for me) and has detractors but I've not heard people complain about them nearly as loudly. For good or bad, EK has been very noisy here and has raised concern over the image it projects abroad both of complicity in black sites and about the country and people more generally. There are clearly some that would like to drown it in a bathtub....

[MichaelB]

Yes, that's a fair point - it's vanishingly rare for Polish films to get proper international distribution, and I think this is the first one to open in Britain since Andrzej Jakimowski's almost totally different Tricks three years or so ago. The other two are making their festival debuts at Kinoteka in London and elsewhere, but I suspect that'll be it for big-screen outings in Britain. Even Four Nights With Anna never graduated from Kinoteka.

I agree with you about Made in Poland - it had its moments, but it was too scrappy and confused and I was never entirely sure what it was trying to say. Ten years ago, it would have been revolutionary enough in a Polish context to forgive its shortcomings, but I saw it a year after Xawery Żuławski's far more inventive Snow White and Russian Red, and it badly suffered from the comparison. Oh, and Żuławski's film is hardly a jolly upbeat vision of Poland either, though that's also been untroubled by international exposure - I hosted a Q&A with him last year, and someone in the audience wanted to know when it was coming out in Britain and Żuławski said "Never!". He sounded quite proud of the fact.

[davidprice]

Have you seen Erratum yet? I found it worthwhile. I'm surprised Rewers didn't make more of a dent internationally as it seems a very accessible film.

PS:

I hosted a Q&A with him last year, and someone in the audience wanted to know when it was coming out in Britain and Żuławski said "Never!". He sounded quite proud of the fact.

Love this.

[MichaelB]

Have you seen Erratum yet? I found it worthwhile.

Next month, hopefully.

[Yojimbo]

He does seem very direct both as a personality and in his filmmaking - and I do think there is more intention behind the details than some may assume.

Oh, I'm sure there is - it's just that some filmmakers don't like picking apart what they do. Sometimes this is consistent across the board, and at other times it's more selective: for instance, the Quay Brothers are delighted to discuss Street of Crocodiles and In Absentia at inordinate length but clam up over Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies and The Comb. Which is fair enough: their films, their rules.

I don't have a problem with film directors not 'explaining' what their films are about - I have often laughed at people 'interpreting' Bob Dylan's lyrics, because I'm just happy with the rhythm of the words intertwined with the music; for the most part I don't scrutinise his lyrics other than the occasional phrase that jumps out at me when I'm listening to his songs, - but EK just didn't do anything for me.
(and I'm speaking as a confirmed Tarr, Tarkovsky, and Paradjanov fan, to name but three)

[MichaelB]

The Guardian has published a short clip, which is in stark contrast to the slambang action trailer.

[posto]

Blu-ray edition of EK available in Poland is not region coded - plays fine on my PS3.
Disc has polish, english and italian subtitles, but this movie may as well be silent. Gallo does not say a single word.
I watched this movie shortly after I saw Tetro. Vincent Gallo gives terrific performance in both, but he really does a great job in EK, imho.
I liked Essential Killing a lot.
Can't wait to see it on a big screen, when it finally arrives in the US.

[knives]

Does it even have a US carrier?

[davidprice]

Does it even have a US carrier?

Tribeca.

[MichaelB]

I watched this movie shortly after I saw Tetro. Vincent Gallo gives terrific performance in both, but he really does a great job in EK, imho.

He got the job after Skolimowski bumped into him after seeing Tetro at Cannes in 2009. They'd worked together about ten years earlier when they both played supporting roles in Mika Kaurismäki's L.A. Without A Map, and apparently Gallo agreed to do it pretty much immediately.

Oh, and trivia buffs may like to know that the script was apparently only 35 pages long.

[posto]

They'd worked together about ten years earlier when they both played supporting roles in Mika Kaurismäki's L.A. Without A Map, and apparently Gallo agreed to do it pretty much immediately.

I haven't seen L.A. Without A Map, and neither Netflix or Blockbuster carry it. I'll try to catch it somehow. Thanks for the info.

[multivitamin]

i'm about to see EK today, can't wait. meanwhile just spotted this and a short clip, which looks absolutely stunning comparing to kino polska box. so they've done it in france, still they can not pull that off in uk.

[MichaelB]

so they've done it in france, still they can not pull that off in uk.

Second Run has every intention of "pulling that off" in the UK, but they want Skolimowski to be directly involved - especially on the English subtitles, which need a wholesale retranslation. By contrast, Skolimowski has always been happy with the French ones.

Unfortunately, Skolimowski is a bit busy right now, so there's no timescale.

[multivitamin]

fingers crossed! definitely i'm going to buy second run releases (just for extras), meanwhile i'm about to purchase "walkover" and "bariera" through malavida website. what is more, just emailed them and "le depart" will be available in september and that is a fantastic news for all new wave ultras i suppose
(btw they got great catalogue i must admit. 4 films by bo widerberg = <wow>...)

[MichaelB]

I picked up the Polish DVD last week - the Blu-ray cost about twice as much so I thought I'd wait to see if Artificial Eye did anything more ambitious with it first, as their Blu-rays are often excellent.

But I'm happy to confirm that even though the film is probably completely comprehensible without any subtitles at all, the DVD is nonetheless 100% English-friendly - even to the extent of offering an English menu option besides Polish. Language options are 'English' (i.e. the multilingual mixture that you'd have heard in cinemas) or 'Polish' (the same but with a Polish voiceover for all non-Polish material) plus optional subtitles in Polish, English or Italian. The English subtitles are only for translation where necessary, not HOH.

Extras are a bit skimpy, which is another reason that it might be worth waiting to see if Artificial Eye improves on them - you just get the trailer, a small stills gallery and a brief before-and-after special effects demo. The transfer itself looks absolutely fine from a quick spin.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

For those in Los Angeles, the Cinefamily will be playing Essential Killing, Deep End and The Shout with director Jerzy Skolimowski in person in June.

[davidprice]

For those in Los Angeles, the Cinefamily will be playing Essential Killing, Deep End and The Shout with director Jerzy Skolimowski in person in June.

Yes, also screening (with the director present) on June 10 in New York at the Museum of the Moving Image, and June 11 in Boston/Cambridge at the Harvard Film Archive.

[multivitamin]

saw "ek" few weeks ago (4 people in the screening room incl me!) and apart from the first sort-of-atrocious 20 minutes was very satisfied. 2 visually eerie scenes in particular sent shivers down my spine ("the magic berries" & "the dogs"). of course its not half as rewarding as his first polish masterpieces (btw just received 'barrier' & "walkover" from malavida) but i guess it just certifies skolimowski is one of the greatest and a true poet of cinema.

[MichaelB]

Beaver on the Artificial Eye Blu-ray, which appears to be region-free.