From Poland To Hollywood

Here’s a hot Sundance tip: if you’re at Sundance this weekend, be sure to stop by Dolly’s Bookstore, 510 Main Street in Park City on Saturday at 4:30pm. Jacek Laskus, ASC, PSC will be on hand to present and sign copies of his new book, Hollywood.pl. The book is filled with astonishing photographs taken by Jacek, and interviews by Angnieszka Niezgoda. The subjects are 23 Polish filmmakers who emigrated and found success in the film industry. Each subject looks back on the unique path he or she followed from Poland to the silver screen, with great tales of adventure in the movie biz. It’s a fascinating glimpse of Poland’s outsized contribution to Hollywood and world cinema. - See more at: http://www.theasc.com/asc_blog/parallax-view/#sthash.ANodfuB4.dpuf

Hollywood's War with Poland, 1939-1945

During World War II, Hollywood studios supported the war effort by making patriotic movies designed to raise the nation's morale. They often portrayed the combatants in very simple terms: Americans and their allies were heroes, and everyone else was a villain. Norway, France, Czechoslovakia, and England were all good because they had been invaded or victimized by Nazi Germany. Poland, however, was represented in a negative light in numerous movies. In Hollywood's War with Poland, 1939-1945, M. B. B. Biskupski draws on a close study of prewar and wartime films such as To Be or Not to Be (1942), In Our Time (1944), and None Shall Escape (1944). He researched memoirs, letters, diaries, and memoranda written by screenwriters, directors, studio heads, and actors to explore the negative portrayal of Poland during World War II. Biskupski also examines the political climate that influenced Hollywood films.

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