L'évasion du cinéma liberté

Polish film 'Ucieczka z Kina 'Wolnosc' is better known to a handful of erudite cinema viewers as 'Escape from liberty cinema'. It remains a veiled assault against the ills of censorship. Made in 1990, a time when most communist regimes collapsed in Eastern Europe, by Polish director Wojciech Marczewski, this film describes the damages which censorship can do in order to destroy a film as well as people associated with it and how these damages can be countered ? There is no biased stance in the film as even the hidden human side of a much hated censor official is depicted. However, it turns out to be ineffective as it comes at a wrong time when a lot of damage had already been done. 'Escape from liberty cinema' is a brave effort by acclaimed Polish director Wojciech Marczewski which needs to be applauded at all costs as during its actual shooting, there was always a hidden possibility to receiving plausible threats from Communist party as well as censors. In many ways, it reflects the dilemma in which many national cinemas of East Europe had put themselves after the collapse of communist regimes. Part comedy, part tragedy and part drama this film is a work of a genius as no easy answers are given in the film. The viewer is required to delve deeper into a character to find out more about the overall meaning of the film. Lastly cinema is a universal language is highlighted as it pays homage to American cinema especially to Woody Allen. It is nice to learn that even during communist times, some award winning American films were accessible to Polish people. Lastly, actors walking out of screens have become regular attractions in cinema. It was for the first time in the history of cinema that an actor walked on to the screen to solve artistic problems.

This is an excellent example of a mid-european comedy, the genre that Croatian filmmakers are hopelessly trying to achieve, but Checz and Polish directors manage to do so. It's a film about Communist-censor that is haunted by the movie characters who speak to him from the silver screen (reference to Woody Allen's Purple rose of Cairo, which also appears as 'a film in a film')

"Ucieczka z kina 'Wolnosc'" is a very blatant critic to the 'parent' system that decides to control everything, from freedom of speech, to art, through a story that plays with breaking the fourth wall... inside the movie.

"Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema" (in its translated English title) goes around a censor that is a little bit tired of everything. Suddenly he finds himself in a little bit of a hole when the characters of a movie that had been approved by the censors and allowed to be shown on cinemas take a life of their own and rebel, just chatting around instead of continuing with the plot. Our censor goes to the cinema, and suddenly, the characters seem to take a special interest in him.

Cue not very subtle critic of censorship, control, the lack of freedom in some societies (in this case the 80s Poland) and the need for art and creativity to be free, critical and a thorn in the side of any system.

It all does for an interesting movie, with good acting, gloomy atmosphere and not very original but good ideas. However the pace is a little bit slow, and the movie, even if it lasts less than one hour and a half, feels a little bit longer than that. Close to the end, things get more rhythm and the psychological part gains weight, which gives more gravitas to the film.

If you like your film with some tongue-in-cheek, wink-wink moments, and a critique of the status quo, you will enjoy this one.