Directed by:
Andrzej WajdaScreenplay:
Aleksander Ścibor-RylskiCinematography:
Edward KlosinskiComposer:
Andrzej KorzyńskiCast:
Jerzy Radziwilowicz, Krystyna Janda, Marian Opania, Irena Byrska, Wiesława Kosmalska-Maklakiewicz, Boguslaw Linda, Franciszek Trzeciak, Janusz Gajos (more)Plots(1)
MAN OF IRON, Andrzej Wajda's account of the events at the Gdansk shipyard in the summer of 1980, stars Marian Opania as Winkiel, a burned-out, alcoholic journalist who's assigned to look into the activities of Maciek Tomzyk (Jerzy Radziwilowicz), the charismatic and articulate leader of striking shipyard workers. He turns out to be the son of Mateusz Birkut (the tragic hero--also portrayed by Radziwilowicz). The journalist makes use of his own reputation as a youthful radical, implying a solidarity with Tomzyk even as he searches for the dirty laundry the party bosses hope he'll find. But as he interviews the labor leader's associates and his detained wife, Agnieszka (Krystyna Janda), and hears of his travails and of his father's death in the 1970 crackdown against the workers, Opania begins to feel his former idealism returning, forcing him to consider putting his own career at risk to side with the strikers. Wajda incorporates a wide range of archival material--including posters, documentary footage, still photos, audio recordings, and eyewitness testimony--into a compelling narrative of epic history unfolding in real time. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Jerzy Radziwilowicz
Poland
Best movies:
Man of Marble (1977)
Bez znieczulenia (1978)
Man of Iron (1981)
Krystyna Janda
Poland
Best movies:
Man of Marble (1977)
Mephisto (1981)
Interrogation (1982)
Marian Opania
Poland
Best movies:
Man of Iron (1981)
Gods (2014)
Matka królów (1982)
Irena Byrska
Russian Empire
Best movies:
Blind Chance (1981)
Man of Iron (1981)
The Contract (1980) (TV movie)
Wiesława Kosmalska-Maklakiewicz
Poland
Best movies:
Man of Iron (1981)
Boguslaw Linda
Poland
Best movies:
A Lonely Woman (1981)
Sekal Has to Die (1998)
Blind Chance (1981)
Franciszek Trzeciak
Poland
Best movies:
Przeklete oko proroka (1984)
Man of Iron (1981)
Der Aufenthalt (1983)
Janusz Gajos
Poland
Best movies:
The Master and Margarita (1988) (series)
Interrogation (1982)
A Year of the Quiet Sun (1984)
Andrzej Seweryn
Best movies:
Schindler's List (1993)
The French Revolution (1989) (TV movie)
The Promised Land (1974)
Marek Kondrat
Poland
Best movies:
A Year of the Quiet Sun (1984)
Day of the Wacko (2002)
With Fire and Sword (1999)
Jerzy Trela
Poland
Best movies:
A Lonely Woman (1981)
Znachor (1981)
Man of Iron (1981)
Krzysztof Janczar
Poland
Best movies:
Man of Iron (1981)
Rezerwat (2007)
30 Door Key (1991)
Krystyna Zachwatowicz
Poland
Best movies:
Korczak (1990)
Man of Marble (1977)
Man of Iron (1981)
Bogusław Sobczuk
Poland
Best movies:
Camera Buff (1979)
Man of Marble (1977)
Bez znieczulenia (1978)
Wojciech Alaborski
Soviet Union
Best movies:
Man of Iron (1981)
Camouflage (1976)
Spiral (1978)
Leonard Andrzejewski
Poland
Best movies:
A Short Film About Killing (1987)
Wsród nocnej ciszy (1978)
Potop (1974)
Artur Barciś
Poland
Best movies:
The Master and Margarita (1988) (series)
A Short Film About Love (1988)
Europa Europa (1990)
Zbigniew Buczkowski
Poland
Best movies:
The Master and Margarita (1988) (series)
Day of the Wacko (2002)
Man of Iron (1981)
Jacek Domanski
Soviet Union
Best movies:
Korczak (1990)
Man of Marble (1977)
Man of Iron (1981)
Bozena Dykiel
Poland
Best movies:
The Promised Land (1974)
Znachor (1981)
Interrogation (1982)