Eroica (1958)

Original title

Eroica. Symfonia bohaterska w dwóch częściach

Directed by

Andrzej Munk

Genre

drama film, war film

Country

Poland

Runtime

1h 18m

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 29 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Two stories critique Polish attitudes toward heroism and self-interest. The first follows a man who exploits a wartime situation for personal gain. The second shows a prisoner of war who becomes trapped by his own romantic ideas of martyrdom.

satiricalironicbittersweetwrythoughtfulwryly humorouscontemplativeprovocative

What happens

Eroica (released in some territories as Heroism) is a 1958 Polish film by Andrzej Munk, and his second feature film after Man on the Tracks (1956). Eroica is composed of two separate stories, presenting satirical critiques of two aspects of the Polish character: acquisitive opportunism, and a romantic fascination for heroic martyrs. The film’s title is an ironic reference to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Third Symphony, which the composer initially dedicated to then French head Consulate Napoleon Bonaparte. When Napoleon declared himself Emperor, Beethoven, a devout republican, withdrew the dedication in disgust and titled the work simply “Eroica.” Eroica premiered on Polish Television in 1972 and depicts wartime couriers crossing the Tatra Mountains. Eroica won the FIPRESCI Award at the 1959 Mar del Plata Film Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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• Milczące ślady (1961)
• Rok pierwszy (1960)