Does a person have a right to happiness? Does everyone have that right? Or is it only some and not others?
– Emilia in A Year of the Quiet Sun
I’ve started watching or re-watching the films in Roger Ebert’s The Great Movies book (Vol. 1). Because I’m a nerd for this sort of thing, I put all of the titles on a spreadsheet and use a random number generator to pick what to watch next. Next up, was the Polish film A Year of the Quiet Sun. (Technically, this is in Vol. 3, but I went with it).
I was not familiar with this movie at all and it was not easy to find. At the time of this writing (and the time of my watching), the film is available on neither Netflix, Amazon, nor Apple TV to stream. I was finally able to get my hands on it by requesting my library to purchase it. It was a surprisingly simple process. They kept me in the loop via emails and within a few weeks, I was able to check it out. So, if you have a card from the Nashville Public Library, there’s a good chance you can check it out too.
The movie, written and directed by Krzystof Zanussi, came out in 1984 and is set in postwar Poland of 1946. Norman, a lonely American GI played by the late Scott Wilson falls for Emilia, a war-widowed Pole played by Maja Komorowska. It’s a love story of two middle-aged adults who have already lived a bunch of life and know both sorrow and loss. The acting is superb. The movie has a feel about it that reminds me of sleepy Sunday afternoons where I’d discover some unknown-to-me movie on television while my parents napped. It has a quiet, slow tone compared to the tentpole blockbusters of today. Not only is this a welcome relief, but it underscores the many challenges for the couple, namely their language barrier, the poverty of wartorn Poland, and the responsibility Emilia feels for her ailing mother.
Krzysztof Zanussi in 2020. Source: wikipedia
Ebert’s book helped me to appreciate cinematographer Slavomir Idziak‘s use of light and I was drawn into composer Wojciech Kilar’s haunting instrumental score. Both site and sound create an atmosphere of hope and beauty in the midst of a cold, stark gloom.
Krzysztof Zanussi studied physics and philosophy before becoming an award-winning film director and was one of the leaders of the “Cinema of Moral Anxiety,” a partnership in the late 1970s of filmmakers that highlighted Poland’s struggles. A Year in the Quiet Sun won the prestigious Golden Lion for Best Picture at the 1984 Venice Film Festival.
Over to you: Have you seen A Year of the Quiet Sun? What are your thoughts on this movie?
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