Koniński versus Różewiczowie. Przypadek filmu "Samotność we dwoje"

Abstrakt

KONIŃSKI VERSUS THE RÓŻEWICZ BROTHERS. A CASE OF THE MOVIE SAMOTNOŚĆ WE DWOJE LONELINESS FOR TWO

In 1968 Stanisław Różewicz together with his brother Tadeusz, a famous poet made a film called Samotność we dwoje Loneliness for Two. It is an adaptation of two short stories Straszny czwartek w domu pastora Horrible Thursday at Pastor’s House and Dalsze losy pastora Hubiny Further Fortunes of Pastor Hubina written by a prewar writer Karol Ludwik Koniński, connected with Catholicism, but at the same time an intelectually independent and uncompromising author. The stories are devoted to the fortunes of the title character living in Cieszyn Silesia in the beginning of the 20th century. Because of a tragic coincidence his daughter and son perish and he experiences a crisis of faith; additionally he is abandoned by his wife. First of the stories mentioned above is a philosophical parable concerning theodicy. The parable effect was achieved through the commentary of the narrator, who generalizes the plot and philosophizes the reasons of evil. The story arc contained in the lierary archetype was atractive for the Różewicz brothers due to the character’s contestation of the stability of life, which resulted in his isolation a similar scheme may be found in other Stanisław Różewicz’s films. The passion of Koniński’s contest of the religious world’s order was close to the authors’ views, too. Nevertheless, the Różewicz brothers abandoned a philosophical discourse for psychological introspection. Therefore, instead of a philosophical parable, a psychological drama came into existence. This reduction was caused by both the world view the authors’ aversion to religion and political foresight — fear of an accusation of religious involvement in the period of a sharp dispute between the Government and the Church.

Translated by Krzysztof Kornacki