Prawo i pięść

Prawo i pięść ("The Law and the Fist") is a 1964 Polish post-war drama film directed by Jerzy Hoffman and Edward Skórzewski. Based on a 1964 novel of the same name (originally published as Toast) by Józef Hen, the film achieved cult status in the history of Polish cinema.

Prawo i pięść
Directed by
Written byJózef Hen
Screenplay byJózef Hen
Based onPrawo i pięść
by Józef Hen
StarringGustaw Holoubek
CinematographyJerzy Lipman
Edited byLudmila Godziaszwili
Music byKrzysztof Komeda
Production
company
Zespół Filmowy "Kamera"
Distributed byCentrala Wynajmu Filmów
Release date
  • 14 September 1964 (1964-09-14) (Poland)
CountryPoland
LanguagesPolish, German

Synopsis

Set in 1945, immediately after the end of World War II, it tells the story of Andrzej Kenig, a former fighter of the Polish resistance and survivor of a German concentration camp. He is sent with a small group of men as government representatives to the fictional town of Siwowo/Graustadt in the so-called Recovered Territories, the new western territories of Poland. Their task is to secure the property left there by the retreating Germans. The small town is mostly abandoned and the only remaining inhabitants are four women and a drunken waiter at the hotel. Upon reaching the town, Kenig discovers that the other members of the government delegation are not who they claim to be, and that their only task is to loot as much of the property as they can for themselves. Kenig decides to fight against the gang of bandits alone, which leads to a shootout on the rooftops and in the streets of the deserted town.

Background

Sculpture commemorating Prawo i pięść in Toruń, where the film was shot.

The motif of a lone hero fighting against a group of villains resulted in the film being described as a "Polish western".

The film is also remembered for its original score, written by Krzysztof Komeda, and especially the popular song Nim wstanie dzień ("before the day breaks"), with music by Komeda, lyrics by Agnieszka Osiecka, and performed by Edmund Fetting.

Cast


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