Szofer Wałęsy

Abstract

WAŁĘSA’S CHAUFFEUR

The article refers to relation between Andrzej Wajda and Lech Wałęsa, especially tells about the image of Wałęsa in Wajda’s movies. It puts forward the story of their direct contact, and then it shows the way of presenting Lech Wałęsa in three films of Wajda. In Man of Iron Wałęsa is shown in archival materials and in two scenes, where he plays himself. We could say that both of two main characters — Maciej Tomczyk and editor Winkiel — were inspired by Wałęsa’s life. In movie etude called Man of Hope the part of Solidarity, solidarity we can observe Wałęsa in a conversation with Wajda, Krystyna Janda and Jerzy Radziwiłowicz. The artists are cheerful, optimistic, content, but Wałęsa is embittered and glum. He knows better, that the myth of “Solidarity” is already dead. The movie Wałęsa. Man of Hope is like a big speech, which in Wajda defends his hero from charges about cooperation with SB. In addition, Wajda’s attitude to Wałęsa can illustrate relation between polish intelligentsia and the “simple people”, including its special variant, which is the alliance between intelligentsia and workers formed in 1980 in Gdańsk Shipyard, where both of them met.