Andrzej Żuławski

Andrzej Żuławski (; 22 November 1940 in Lwów – 17 February 2016 in Warsaw) was a Polish film director and writer best known for his 1981 psychological horror film Possession. Żuławski often went against mainstream commercialism in his films, and enjoyed success mostly with European art-house audiences.

In the late 1950s, he studied cinema in France. His second feature, The Devil (1972), was banned in communist Poland, and Żuławski went to France. After the success of That Most Important Thing: Love in 1975, he returned to Poland where he spent two years making On the Silver Globe (not released until 1988). The work on this film was interrupted and destroyed by the authorities. After that, Żuławski moved to France where he became known for controversial and violent art-house films such as Possession (1981). Żuławski is also known for his work with actresses including Romy Schneider, Isabelle Adjani and Sophie Marceau.

His films have received awards at various international film festivals. Żuławski also wrote several novels, including Il était Un Verger, Lity Bór (a.k.a. La Forêt Forteresse), W Oczach Tygrysa, and Ogród Miłości.

Biography Żuławski was born in Lviv. His father, Mirosław Żuławski, was a Polish civil servant (and later diplomat) who had studied and worked in that city while it was part of the Second Polish Republic and prior to its annexation by the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1939.

Żuławski was an assistant of the filmmaker Andrzej Wajda. He studied at the prestigious Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) in Paris and in the Department of Philosophy at the Sorbonne.

When his second film The Devil was banned in Poland, he decided to move to France, where he made That Most Important Thing: Love (1975) with Romy Schneider.

After returning to Poland he worked for two years on a film which the authorities did not allow him to finish (On the Silver Globe), based on a book by his great-uncle Jerzy Żuławski. Since then he lived and worked mostly in France, making art films.

Being described as a maverick who always defied mainstream commercialism, Żuławski enjoyed success mostly with the European art-house audiences. His wild, imaginative, and controversial pictures have received awards at various international film festivals. He also wrote the novels Il était Un Verger, Lity Bór (a.k.a. La Forêt Forteresse), W Oczach Tygrysa, and Ogród Miłości.

Żuławski worked many times with composer Andrzej Korzyński, beginning in The Third Part of the Night (1971). Their last collaboration was for Cosmos (2015), which was also Żuławski's last film.

On 17 February 2016, Żuławski died at a hospital in Warsaw from cancer.

Personal life

Żuławski's first wife was Barbara Baranowska, a member of the Polish School of Posters. She created the French poster for Żuławski's Possession. Her first husband, Adolf Rudnicki, inspired the character Abe in the film.

He was in a relationship with French actress Sophie Marceau for sixteen years, with whom he made four films over a 15-year period (L'Amour braque, My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days, La Note bleue, Fidelity). They had a son named Vincent together. They broke up in 2001.

From 2007 to 2008, Żuławski dated Weronika Rosati, daughter of Polish politician Dariusz Rosati. In 2010, Żuławski released a book titled Nocnik, which included a character allegedly based on Rosati named Esther. Rosati sued Żuławski and the book's publisher for violating her right to privacy and dignity as a woman as the book included intimate details about her. Żuławski lost the case in 2015.

Filmography

Feature films Year Title Original title Director Writer Notes 1971 The Third Part of the Night Trzecia część nocy 1972 The Devil Diabel 1975 That Most Important Thing: Love L'Important C'est D'Aimer 1981 Possession Nominated—Palme d'Or 1984 The Public Woman La femme publique Nominated—César Award for Best Adaptation 1985 Mad Love L'Amour braque 1987 Malady of Love Maladie d'amour 1988 On the Silver Globe Na srebrnym globie 1989 My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days Mes nuits sont plus belles que vos jours 1989 Boris Godunov 1991 The Blue Note La note bleue 1996 Szamanka 2000 Fidelity La Fidélité 2015 Cosmos 2019 Bird Talk

Short films and television Year Title Director Writer Notes 1958 La sorcière Short film1969 The Song of Triumphant Love TV movie Pavoncello TV Short 1972 Theatre Macabre TV series; 2 episodes