THE PROMISED LAND (ZIEMIA OBIECANA) Tribute to Andrzej Wajda: 40 Years of Filmmaking

One of Wadja’s greatest films, now beginning to be more widely recognized, “The Promised Land is adapted from a novel by Wladyslaw Reymont, written at the turn of the century, treating the drama of nature and the philosophy of peasant life. A prophetic vision of the industrial revolution impinging on the pastoral life of Poland, it depicts the town of Lodz hit by wild speculation that involves underpaid textile-factory workers, bankrupt Iand, nobility, and a new class of rich businessmen. Karol (Daniel Olbrychski) is the central figure, who rejects everything rather than be another man’s lackey. The Promised Land is overpowering in its realistic reflection of the period. Wajda has fashioned a scathing portrait of industrialization, but reaches beyond to strike unforgettable images of distortions of the human condition.” -Ron Holloway, Variety