Underplayed Gems

A Strong Man (1929)

A Strong Man poster
Original title
Mocny człowiek
Directed by
Henryk Szaro
Genre
drama film
Country
Poland
Runtime
1h 17m
Rating
7.4 of 10 from 15 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

An artist struggles with his own conscience and moral decay. The film follows his psychological unraveling as he faces the consequences of his choices.

tensepsychologicalexpressionisticbleakbroodingvisually boldintrospectiveunsettling

What happens

A Strong Man (Polish: Mocny człowiek) is a 1929 Polish psychological thriller directed by Henryk Szaro and produced by Marek Libkow. It is the second adaptation of Stanisław Przybyszewski's 1912 novel of the same name. As one of the last Polish silent films, it presents a study of an artist (played by Grigorij Chmara) who ultimately loses a battle with his own conscience. A Strong Man was inspired by the achievements of German expressionist cinema. Thanks to Giovanni Vitrotti's cinematography and the use of several innovative film techniques – such as double/triple exposure, point-of-view shots, and expressive montage – the film was highly regarded for its technical execution, especially within the context of Polish cinema during the interwar period. After World War II, when all known copies of the film in Poland were destroyed, it was long considered lost. It was only in 1997 that a copy was discovered in Belgium and subsequently returned to Poland. In 2006, a digitally restored version was released. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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