At the movies in Wroclaw

While I was in Wroclaw last month, I headed over to the movies. It has been a while since I have been to the cinema and in Poland it has been even longer since I have seen a feature length film. Last year’s Och Karol 2 (which incidentally I saw in Wroclaw) was a fantastic film, so this year’s choice was a bit of a surprise, in fact a complete about turn. From Comedy to a film set in WWII.

In January, I saw the Polish nomination for this year’s foreign language Oscar, W ciemności – In Darkness. A brilliant film set in Polish Lwow (today’s Lviv) during WWII when this part (of then) Poland was occupied by Germany. It told the true story of a local man who hid some of the Lwow’s Jew’s in the city’s sewage system during the German occupation. I have not seen the other nominations for this year’s foreign language award, but if they are anything up to the standard of In Darkness, then it will be a tough fight!

The film is brilliant. And I did not watch it with any English subtitles. In fact, the film had dialogues in Polish, Lithuanian, German, Russian and Hebrew. No English, and yet, I understood the bulk of the film. And yes, the film was horrific at times. The subject mater, dealing with WWII, made the film brutal. For a Polish audience, this is normal, for me, someone who is new to Poland, it was horrific. But fascinating at the same time. You see, the was no glamourisation in the film nor was there any sugar coating of the facts that occurred. In the sewer, the entrapped people lived out their lives. Laughing, crying, arguing, making love, giving birth. It was a small village under the city. And it was life, recorded.

Compared to last year’s choice, W ciemności is a very different story to watch, but like Och Karol, I enjoyed it immensely. Fro very different reasons, but seeing these two films have shown me the contradiction and the depth in Poland’s film output. For starters, it is shot beautifully, as slick as any Hollywood production. And to think this portrayed a sewer system, so with all the water around, the set must have been a nightmare to shoot in. This film had a budget, but it was used well. The acting is brilliant (remember, I understood the film without the subtitles) and the portrayal of the characters on screen is so vivid.

So what next when I head off to Poland in February? Another film or something different? Erm, I’m not sure. These plans are exactly that, plans, that often go awry. The best thing however is to let me follow the wind and to see what happens on the day itself. I will keep you all informed about my next trip.

But back to the subject at hand. If you get the chance to see this film, do! It is brilliant! Epic, tragic, and a story about human courage and warmth in the face of adversity. Well worth the trip to the flicks! Just see it, my first (and very hearty) recommendation for 2012!

A nice cup of tea…

…helps your sex life. Apparently…

Tea and Sex – yes the link is worksafe.

An interesting article…/

The UK…

…is a complex country. Growing up in the UK, the differences between Britain, Great Britain, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are simple for me to figure out. However, for a lot of people out there, it is complex enough. For those Anglophiles in the blogging realm, here is a video (with the fastest narration I have ever heard):

And it is correct. Mostly. The whole Church of England thing is just that, the Church of England, while in Scotland, there is the Church of Scotland, not headed by the monarch, and no one touches Northern Ireland’s theocracy with a barge pole (thank goodness). Enjoy the vid!

Oh and those Dependent Territories are effectively ruled by themselves except for foreign and defence affairs which are taken over by the UK Parliament. Simple…

De ja vous Poland – Back in Wroclaw 1

(Yes. I am convinced that ice cream is a good thing at -5C. And for those with rudimentary Polish, Lody does have two meanings in that language.)

I have just returned from an excellent trip to Wroclaw. I was there last weekend, and despite the cold weather, it was good to be back in one of my favourite places in all of Poland. Home to cute bronze gnomes, cute trams and cute hotel receptionists, this is far more than just a cute little city. It is to be the European Capital of Culture in 2016, and it has a long history of over one thousand years. Oh, you want me to tell it…okay.

Founded by the Czechs (1000 AD is the founding of the diocese), before being taken over by the Germanic Luxembourg Dynasty in 1335. Wroclaw kept on growing under the rule of the (Austrian) Habsburg’s in 1526. Unfortunately this was at a time when the whole Reformation shindigs was happening and it was not until Frederick V of Rhine decided to challenge this. However, the leader of Palatine of the Rhine Defeated by the Austrians, the city lay in a kind of limbo. Ruled by Catholics, but strongly Protestant, the Dresden Accord was signed which spared Wroclaw and Silesia from the worse of the Christian turmoil spreading through Europe during the 17th Century.

But the invasions were not to end there. The genius King of Prussia, Frederick II (or The Great)decided that he wanted a piece of Silesia and Wroclaw was the prize he scalped from the Austrians. Until Napoleon, the city was rather pleasant and thrived. And then the French arrived before going back to Prussia.

Then you had the last one hundred years. During World War I, Wroclaw, or Breslau as it was known was a patriotic German city. And after Germany’s defeat, it recovered well. And then World War II arrived. To be blunt, this was a nasty time in the city’s history. The first concentration camps were built here, and the city’s population of Jews and Polish (around 7% at the start of the 20th Century) was decimated. It also was one of the fiercest theaters of the Eastern Front that left the city in ruins.

After WWII it became a part of Poland, and what was left of the indigenous population was shipped off to what was fast becoming East and West Germany. In their place, many Polish refugees from what is today Belarus and Ukraine arrived and made the city their home.

Count the number of times the city changed hands. Nine times (not including the Russian invasion at the end of WWII). There is probably no other city, nay region in the whole of Europe that has been so hotly contested in the past 1000 years. As a result, the city was a melting pot or trade and people until the brutality of the Second World War put a stop to that. Today it is a thriving Polish City and thanks to the EU it is fast becoming a bit of a hot spot for visitors from around the continent with a steady supply of tourists flying in on budget airlines for weekends or more of fun. And those cheap flights to Stansted and Luton. Yeah, that’s why I was there…again…

(The Rynek or Market Place of Wroclaw. Yes, it is cute! And for some reason, the Polish Christmas lasts until the end of January…makes the British penchant for shopping look tame…)

I must admit after the rush at Christmas, it was fantastic to be on the road again, even if it was for a few days. After all the hustle, hassle and bustle of the past year, it felt good to take some time out, to be happy, not have to please anyone. Just me enjoying myself in one of Poland’s most picturesque towns…

(Rebuilding work around Wroclaw’s main railway station. Not so picturesque. Yet.)

Well, Euro 2012 is coming, and this is going to be one of those destination points as the Group stages will be played here. If you care about football. I do not.

In reality, I just love the city. So much so, that I will be here again…next month…what is it about Poland that keeps dragging me back here? Maybe I should broaden my horizons. Ahem…

January Business

New Year, Resolutions broken, but very busy. I have started working on a feature length project which means for the next few days I am busy with paperwork. So apologies if the blog posts are sporadic, as I am currently in the middle of bureaucratic hell.

Kisses to all concerned! Will get back to blogging and reading blogs in the coming week.

Blackout…

Wikipedia is the most prolific of the websites protesting at the latest attempt to protect big business.

Meanwhile, good old wordpress, is less shouty about it, but still does a fine job of protesting too…

The interesting thing is whether or not this law is enforceable as it makes virtually every person a criminal…

I have four games…

Just downloading Kid Icarus onto my 3DS.

Sorry about the lack of blogs. I am currently going to the Sacred Meadow in Zelda. If you know what I am talking about, then you know that Saria is Link’s babe. And she does not like to wait for him…

(I told you I have lost my life…)