Knights of the Teutonic Order (film)

Knights of the Teutonic Order (Polish: Krzyżacy), also known as Knights of the Black Cross, is a 1960 Polish historical epic film adapted from a 1900 novel by Nobel laureate, Henryk Sienkiewicz. The film, directed by Aleksander Ford, is one of the most successful movies in the history of Polish cinema.

Knights of the Teutonic Order
Krzyżacy
Theatrical release poster by Polish artist Roman Cieślewicz
Directed byAleksander Ford
Screenplay byAleksander Ford
Jerzy Stefan Stawiński
Based onThe Knights of the Cross
by Henryk Sienkiewicz
Produced byZygmunt Król
StarringGrażyna Staniszewska
Urszula Modrzyńska
Mieczysław Kalenik
Aleksander Fogiel
CinematographyMieczysław Jahoda
Music byKazimierz Serocki
Production
company
Zespół Filmowy
Release date
  • 15 July 1960 (1960-07-15)
Running time
166 minutes
CountryPeople's Republic of Poland
LanguagePolish
Budgetzl 38,000,000 [1]
Box officezl 100,000,000 (by March 1961)[1]

The plot is situated in late-14th century and early-15th century Poland and centers on the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War and the climactic Battle of Grunwaldin 1410. 15,000 extras were employed to create the battle scenes.[2]

The film attracted huge audiences: it sold 14 million tickets in its first four years of release and had more than thirty million viewers as of 2000, making it the most popular film ever screened in Poland.[3][4][5] It was later exported to forty-six foreign countries,[6] selling 29.6 million tickets in the Soviet Union[7] and a further 2.6 million tickets in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic,[8] and was the most successful Polish film internationally.[9] It was a Polish submission to the 33rd Academy Awards.

It was released on 15 July 1960, the 550th anniversary of the battle of Grunwald.

Cast

References

  1. Maria Dąbrowska, Tadeusz Drewnowski. Dzienniki: 1958-1965. Czytelnik (1988). ISBN 9788307009742. p. 217.
  2. Kreuzritter: Kommische Oper. Der Spiegel, 5 July 1961.
  3. Marcin Zaremba. Komunizm, legitymizacja, nacjonalizm: nacjonalistyczna legitymizacja władzy komunistycznej w Polsce. Trio (2001). ISBN 9788388542145. p. 273.
  4. Browarny, Wojciech (2019). Tadeusz Różewicz and Modern Identity in Poland since the Second World War. Translated by Zazula, Piotr. Wrocław. p. 201. ISBN 9788363270179. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  5. Haltof, Marek (2007). Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema. Scarecrow Press, Inc. pp. 184–185. ISBN 978-0-8108-5566-3.
  6. Haltof, Marek. Polish National Cinema. Berghahn Books (2002). ISBN 9781571812766. p. 97.
  7. Крестоносцы. kinopoisk.ru.
  8. Křižáci. Film Culture: Brno 1945-1970.
  9. "Polski's Top O'Seas Takes From 1947 Through 1975". Variety. May 12, 1976. p. 426.


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