Stara basn. Kiedy slonce bylo bogiem (2003) Reviews

• Michal Zebrowski rocks!

  steven-2222005-06-04

  Forget Brad Pitt as Achilles; Michal Zebrowski as Ziemowit the archer ROCKS! Seriously, the handsome, brooding Zebrowski is about as good as it gets when it comes to a costumed movie hero, and this vehicle is escapist fun from beginning to end. The setting is pre-Christian Poland, where the rustic natives worship the sun god and fend off the depredations of Odin-worshipping Vikings. When the late king's brother, ruling as regent, decides he doesn't want to the hand the throne over to his young nephew, the stage is set for a classic tale of murder, peasant uprising, and heroism (the hero being the loner Viking Ziemowit, who takes up the cause of the local peasants against their scheming ruler). Pagan rituals, including a funeral, a bacchanalian festival, and the casting of a love-spell, are enchantingly portrayed. The forest scenery is gorgeous, and cinematography is excellent throughout. CGI backgrounds and settings are absolutely beautiful (though special action effects are not quite up to Hollywood standards). Pacing is almost too fast. There's a buoyant sense of energy reminiscent of American films I grew up watching in the 1960s about Vikings, King Arthur, Robin Hood, etc. At the film's end, we learn that Ziemowit will found the Piast dynasty that will rule Poland as it emerges into the Christian era. Alongside Zebrowski, the towering Polish actor Daniel Olbrychski does a great turn as the stoic conscience of the peasantry. Olbrychski used to be the male hottie in Polish movies (the slot now occupied by Zebrowski), and he's the one, not Zebrowski, who gets the shirtless scene in this movie. Like Sean Connery, Olbrychski has still got it, and always will! As of this writing (mid-2005), this movie can be found (though not easily!) on DVD with English subtitles, under the title WHEN THE SUN WAS GOD: AN ANCIENT TALE.

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• Jerzy Hoffman is still very strong

  denis8882006-08-14

  Mr. Jerzy Hoffman proved with this film that he has been and still remains to be one of the three greatest Polish film directors, along with Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Kislowski. This film was made with the obvious attempt to repeat the winning formula of Hoffman's super hit Ogniem I Miezcem (1999)- the theme is again about Poland's heroic past, the actors are more or less the same - Polish mega stars Zebrowski, Olbrychski, Zborowski, as well as Ukrainian star Bohdan Stupka and the Russian rising female star Maria Aleksandrova (she is somehow connected with Aleksander Domogarow who played one of the main roles in Ogniem I Mieczem - so, the principle of inviting as many OiM stars as possible worked out). And it worked. The film tells about the pre-Christian history of Poland, where there were many disparate tribes, and one of those was ruled by a bloody and ferocious chief Popel. He didn't hesitate to murderer all his relatives and his nephew only to stay a chief as long as possible. He is the merciless ruler, but there are people who challenge him. Among them is the brave archer Ziemowit, and he is the one who openly fights against Popel. It is not necessary to retell the whole story here, only keep in mind that this is a breathtaking film, with bloody battles, viking raids, pagan rituals, some sweet love story, beautiful nature and excellent sense of humor. Do watch it.

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• A worthy adaptation of 'The Old Tale'

  standish772003-09-21

  Stara Basn means "The Old Tale" in Polish. Indeed this is a mixture of Polish folklore and history brought to the big screen! Set in the 9th Century...the movie depicts an exciting tale of love, betrayal, death...and action...plenty of it! At 1 hr 45 mins long the pace is just right and never tires. The story itself is relatively easy to understand...even for a non Polish speaker like myself! This is mainly thanks to the gorgeous visuals...which really speak for themselves. This movie has anything and is definetly highly recommended. Its the most polished, well crafted and enjoyable Polish film that I have seen in a long time! One note of caution though: this film is highly graphic! You don't get the Hollywood clean cut treatment. So when heads roll, swords thrust into flesh and druids enact an orgy...you see EVERYTHING!!! Still that's what it was like back then!!!

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• Not bad at all!

  PINESKA2005-06-10

  It wasn't the best movie ever, but it was not bad. For non-polish people it could be a little weird. Film by Jerzy Hoffman based on the book "Stara Basn" written by Jozef Ignacy Kraszewski. The story of 'When the Sun was God An Ancient Tale' is happening one hundred years before the christening of Poland in the world of magic and pagan witchcraft, where the gods take active parts in the lives of ordinary men.In this powerful tale, the fates of the characters interlace in an everlasting fight between the good and the evil and in the human passions of love, hatred and the greed for power. In the land of Polan people, the power belongs to the cruel prince Popiel, who according to a legend was finally eaten by mice... He is set to ensure the succession of his son and will do it by all means including plotting, scheming and murdering. Casting was good. You can see all of the popular polish actors. And maybe I liked it because didn't read the book (required in all polish schools).

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• A very sympathetic treatment of pre-Christian Poland

  tony-5872004-04-22

  Stara basn is a movie which has polarised many in the Sydney Polish community because of its sympathetic treatment of paganism in Poland. The solar deity of the Poles and the Viking Odin are portrayed as very real and very powerful. The Polish solar deity is arguably similar to the Old Testament god in terms of expectations placed upon his followers and his vengeful nature. The climax of the movie ties in with a particular biblical episode and one of the Tarot Major Arcana cards - you'll know what I mean when you see it. Divination and sorcery are shown to be effective on a number of occasions. While the modest budget of the movie precluded the dramatic special effects which we have grown used to, it has a rawness and honesty to it which I found absolutely irresistible. I unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone with an interest in alternate spirituality and to those Poles wanting to get a feel for what life was like for their ancestors who followed a simple faith developed by Poles for Poles, before Christianity was forcibly imposed from without. Tony Mierzwicki

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