THE SHADOW LINE (SMUGA CIENIA) Tribute to Andrzej Wajda: 40 Years of Filmmaking

The Shadow Line marks Wajda’s attempt to tackle one fo the great novels of Joseph Conrad (of Polish descent, real name Korzeniowski). Co-produced with Thames Television, it is Conrad’s semi-autobiographical story of a merchant ship’s young captain. Wajda’s idea was to show the life and adventures of the young Conrad in a wider and more general aspect of the fate of the man in a critical moment of his life. The action of The Shadow Line is set in 1888 when Conrad, as first officer of the ship Vidar, landed in Singapore, wishing to quit his job without thinking of his future. “The main theme of thestory is the transformation of a young boy into a mature man. That is why I chose for the leading character an actor of the young generation,” says Wajda -Elzbieta Smolen Wasilewska