THE CALL OF THE SEA
The Call of the Sea
(Zew morza) (Leo-Film, Poland, 1927)
dir.: Henryk Szaro; script.: Stefan Kiedrzyński; photog.: Seweryn Steinwurzel; cast: Jerzy Marr (Stach), Maria Malicka (Hanka), Nora Ney (Jola), Stefan Szwarc (Boatswain Minke), Mariusz Maszyński (Karol Skarski), Tadeusz Fijewski (Stach as a child);
DCP, 122’, tinted; intertitles: PL; subtitles: EN, restored 2013; source: FINA - National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute
Fascinated by tales of seafaring adventures throughout his childhood, Stach is now a seaman and ship designer, with plans to marry the daughter of the owner of the ship on which he serves. When he visits his home village, however, his old feelings for his childhood sweetheart Hanka are reawakened. What’s more, his ship designs come to the attention of certain members of the criminal fraternity, who become intent on trying to steal them at all costs.
The Call of the Sea was produced by the fledgling Leo-Film studio. Its director, Maria Hirszbein, contrary to the customs prevailing in the Polish film world at that time, focused on young talents and promoting new artists and creators. Most of the cast and crew for this film were newcomers who would soon go on to gain fame and renown, including the director and the three lead actors. The future great of Polish cinema, theatre and radio, Tadeusz Fijewski, made his debut in the film playing a young child. The film uses authentic ships from the Polish Navy, while real naval officers also appear episodically. This approach was in line with the propaganda at the time concerning the Polish sea and building the maritime power of the newly reborn state.
The film enjoyed great popularity and had a considerable impact among young people. After its premiere, the press reported on a growing number of boys who, following the lead character's example, had run away from home to become sailors. The Call of the Sea is the oldest surviving Polish adventure film. In the post-war years, only excerpts from a Russian version were known to exist, but these were not shown to a wider audience. The restored picture returned to the screens in 2013. (MP)
The restoration and reconstruction work was carried out in 2013 by the then National Film Archive, today FINA, based on an incomplete Polish version and excerpts from the Russian version. The missing intertitles were translated from Russian and given the same design as the original Polish ones that had been preserved. Some scenes are still missing from the movie.
introduction to the movie: Michał Pieńkowski
section: DIRECTION: POLAND
music by: Bartosz Dworak and Mateusz Gawęda
-
THE CALL OF THE SEA, source: National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute
-
THE CALL OF THE SEA, source: National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute
-
THE CALL OF THE SEA, source: National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute
-
THE CALL OF THE SEA, source: National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute