Release Date: 10 Nov 2014Adapted from Nobel Laureate Władysław Reymont's classic 1897 novel, The Promised Land is the story of three friends one Polish, one German and one Jewish - united in their ruthless pursuit of fortune. With stunning camerawork and sumptuous design, Wajda depicts the explosive energy of a world being transformed by rampant industrialisation.
Nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar (and also voted 'Best Film in the history of Polish cinema' in the monthly Polish magazine FILM) Wajda's lavish epic is a wry, incisive, shocking and elegantly realized Dickensian tale of greed, human cruelty, exploitation and betrayal. This visceral examination of unbridled capitalism remains morally and politically incisive today. The Promised Land is presented here in its original full-length, uncut cinema version.
The DVD is presented from a new, director-approved HD digital transfer with restored picture and sound, and features a new, exclusive interview with director Andrzej Wajda plus a 16-page booklet with a new essay on the film by author and film historian David Thompson.
• Presented from a new High-Definition restoration of the film, approved by the director.
• Newly filmed, exclusive interview with director Andrzej Wajda.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• 16-page booklet featuring a new essay by author and film historian David Thompson.
Daniel Olbrychski – Karol Borowiecki
Wojciech Pszoniak – Moryc Welt
Andrzej Seweryn – Max Baum
Anna Nehrebecka – Anka
Tadeusz Białoszczyński – Karol's father
Bożena Dykiel – Mada Müller
Directed by Andrzej Wajda
Screenplay – Andrzej Wajda
based on the novel by Władysław Stanisław Reymont
Cinematography – Witold Sobociński, Edward Kłosiński,
Wacław Dybowski
Editor – Halina Prugar
Sound – Krzysztof Wodziński, Leszek Wronko
Music – Wojciech Kilar
Production Design – Tadeusz Kosarewicz
Set Design – Maciej Putowski
Andrzej Wajda's award-winning films Innocent Sorcerers and Man of Marble are also available on Second Run DVD.
Innocent Sorcerers is also available as part of the
Polish Cinema Classics Box Set.
The Promised Land is
available as part of the
Polish Cinema Classics Volume II Box Set.
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1975 Oscar® Nomination / Best Foreign Language Film
1975 Chicago International Film Festival /
Winner: Golden Hugo – Best Film
1975 Moscow International Film Festival /
Winner: Gold Medal – Best Film
1975 Gdansk Polish Film Festival /
Winner: Golden Lion – Best Film
Voted 'Best Film in the history of Polish cinema' in the Polish magazine FILM
"A picture of the uncivilised reality of capitalism at the end of the 19th century, it is one of the greatest films of Polish cinema" Kino
"Overpowering in its realistic reflection of the period... lensing, music and art direction are also outstanding" Variety
"Magnificently staged" Philip French, The Observer
"For many Polish viewers the Wajda film of the greatest relevance became The Promised Land"
Paul Coates, The Cinema of People's Poland
"Wajda's sensitive and differentiated portrayal of a society in turmoil beautifully evokes the drama of this chapter of Polish history, whilst pointing to wider socio-political themes that remain pressing to this day" The Quietus
"A relentlessly detailed and dark vision... This is powerful, inventive filmmaking" Bright Lights Film Journal
"In spirit it is as political as any of Wajda's more pointed films... bears the signature of a director whose every camera move has something to intrigue us" NY Times
"The Promised Land is a tale and a parable. It is a story about the little known genesis of Polish modern civilization, and a parable about a different facets of the Polish condition with its possible incarnations: an aggressive and ruthless descendant of a knightly family, and German and Jewish businessmen, who betray the moral codes of their religions and cultures" Adam Michnik, Polish Solidarity leader
"We are reminded of the descriptions by Dickens, Zola, Gorki, as well as of naturalist paintings of that period (Corot, early Van Gogh, Edvard Munch) and the later German expressionists, Knopf, Meidner, Grosz who gave testimony to social protest" Max Tessier, Écran, Paris, March 1976