32. Gierek; movie review

GIEREK

Cert 12A

140 mins

BBFC advice: TBA

Anyone who has seen the Blair/Brown documentary series will have had their eyes open to backstabbing, betrayal and jostling for power.

But behind the scenes of the British government seems very gentlemanly compared with the more brutal approach of the Eastern Block in the 1970s.

Nowadays, as Russia flexes its muscles on the border of Ukraine, it seems almost impossible to think of a time when it controlled seven states outside of its borders as well as those which have since claimed independence.

Its power over Poland is clear in this dramatisation of the premiership of Edward Gierek, the country's leader from 1970-81.

History has painted Gierek more favourably than some of the contemporaneous reports of his time as First Secretary of the ruling Polish United Workers' Party.

Michal Wegrzyn's film sees his rise and fall from his point of view - from reluctant leader to unjustifiable fall guy.

It stars Michal Koterski in the title role alongside Malgorzata Kozuchowska as his devoted wife.

The movie begins with Gierek being taken from her by the Polish security forces having being ousted from office.

It then flashes back to 1970 when he was approached to take over the reigns from Władysław Gomułka who is deemed to have gone too far when ordering shootings of strikers at a shipyard.

Gierek's first move in office is to collaborate with the workers rather than turn guns on them.

However, he pretty soon becomes too liberal for his initial confidant (Sebastian Stankiewicz) and the ambitious army chief (Antoni Pawlicki).

Curiously, their characters are obviously real-life Polish leaders Stanisław Kania and Wojciech Jaruzelski but they are different names.

True, neither are painted in a favourable light and are even rather comic in certain scenes but, as the players are now dead, why confuse the viewers?

I don't have a keen enough grasp of Polish history to comment on Gierek's accuracy but with just a modicum of background knowledge, I found myself being drawn in.

It provided an interesting insight into the backstabbing and betrayal of high-office politics.

And the key parts are played with gusto.

 

Reasons to watch: Insight into betrayal in high office

Reasons to avoid:  Some background knowledge is essential

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? During World War II, Gierek reportedly became a leader of Polish partisans fighting in the anti-Nazi underground in Belgium.

The final word. Janusz Rolicki, a communist-era journalist who wrote a book on Gierek: "It was under Gierek that the end of the Stalin style of governing really took place." CNN

 

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