To local movie fans, Krzysztof Zanussi may not be as well-known as his compatriots Krzysztof Kieslowski or Roman Polanski, but his works express equally powerful artistic qualities and intellectualism.
Zanussi is currently in Taipei for a showcase of eight films covering the 30 years of his filmmaking career that is currently screening as part of the Golden Horse Film Festival. This presents a unique opportunity for local audiences to understand Zanussi's influence on Polish cinema.
Zanussi, who studied physics and philosophy before starting out as a filmmaker, draws deeply on his intellectual background in his films. He is also very sensitive about the effects of politics on human life.
His films show a continuous interest in new things which he wishes to respond to in his own way. He made this clear during a press conference in Taipei yesterday.
"Hollywood is a great factory. But it is also a place where you cannot make films to express personal feelings and personal views, because of its fast-food spirit," Zanussi said in response to questions about how he regarded Hollywood, a question that is directed at almost every visiting European filmmaker.
Zanussi was one of the pioneers of Polish cinema in the 1960s. With Kieslowski as his deputy at Tor, a film production company that he established, Zanussi became known as the creator of the "cinema of moral anxiety" -- a style on which Kieslowski was subsequently to base his international reputation.
Before winning the Golden Lion Award in Venice for The Year of the Quiet Sun in 1984, Zanussi had already won numerous awards starting with his debut film A Death of a Provincial (1966).
Zanussi's moral anxiety, expressed in his films, always take the form of dilemmas between individual freedom and responsibility. His academic background goes some way to explaining his concerns. His skill as a filmmaker is to transform his thinking into intriguing and convincing stories.
Of the films screening in Taipei, Illumination (1973) tells the story of a gifted physics student, who, confounded in love and questioning the value of existence, decides to become a hermit and seek salvation through religion.
The Quarterly Balance (1975) shifts the focus of anxiety onto a middle-aged woman who faces the daily burden of being dutiful to her job, her husband and her sons. But when a new man comes into her life she ponders escaping the shackles on her souls.
Camouflage (1977) is a more political film, using an incident in a student summer camp to present a satire of communism and the hypocritical intellectuality that existed in Poland at the time.
The Year of the Quiet Sun is a love story between an American soldier and a widow in Poland during WWII. Set in the sensitive political atmosphere in post-war Poland, the woman bravely faces the threats of informers, but suffers from the moral condemnation of her mother. The film is perhaps the most dramatic of Zanussi's films.
On his visit to Taiwan, Zanussi intends to promote the spirit of his Tor Film Production company and create opportunities for those interested to join his filmmaking school.
"We want to make relevant films rather than simply best-selling films. If a film sells well, but is forgotten by people tomorrow, we don't call it a success," said the 63-year-old filmmaker.
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