Plus fort que la tempête

What sets Potop ('The Deluge') apart from the majority of international films is that it manages to escape the art-house ghetto that so many are resigned to, and stand on its own as an engaging piece of storytelling with memorably-drawn characters.

Director Jerzy Hoffman had nearly all of this handed to him on a silver platter. Based on the massive second volume of Henryk Sienkiewicz's Polish Trilogy, Potop follows the crimes, tribulations, and redemption of the nobleman Andrei Kmicic, set against the backdrop of the Swedish Invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. As a historical epic it is unparalleled, akin more to the works of Tolkien than Dumas, and this all comes down to the strength of the narrative, setting, events, and characterizations, all of which are suitably larger-than-life. Sienkiewicz himself would never really top his work here, and it's no surprise that Hoffman's adaption of the third book in the Trilogy (Pan Wolodyjowski, filmed first though it was the third book) did and does not register much. (It's the weakest book of the three by far).

Though its four-hour runtime will probably repel most American viewers, Potop does contain at least one showstopper sequence that earns its place in film history and cult-movie fandom: this is the sword-fight between the desperate Kmicic and the knight Pan Wolodyjowski. The scene only lasts around 5 minutes, but is such a carefully choreographed, Kurosawan wonder (the actors are visibly using real swords) that it is rightfully considered one of film's all-time greatest sword fights. Throughout the film Hoffman shows a keen aptitude for shooting carnage, but possibly at the expense of everything else; he seems to have little interest in cinematic blocking, and the most effective scene from the book (Radziwill's abrupt betrayal) is rendered strangely flat and unaffecting. With a production this massive, however, perhaps expectations should be a bit tempered.

Potop is a curious contrast to another immensely popular Polish blockbuster, 'Krzyzacy' (Knights of the Teutonic Order, also based on a book by Sienkiewicz), and filmed 14 years earlier in 1960. Krzyzacy was a gorgeously made film with cinematography about on par with Hollywood, but was populated by shallow stock characters and driven by (as per the depiction in a the film) a somewhat vapid youthful romance. The romantic angle in Potop is far superior, with the central relationship between Kmicic and Olenka far more developed and emotionally-wrought than that of Krzyzacy. That being said, the cinematography is uglier and the set-pieces simpler in Potop; maybe because of the extended runtime the budget seems somewhat reduced, the filmmaking less professional. The two films are an interesting microcosm of classic filmmaking versus 70s filmmaking; despite the latter's immovable grasp on the hearts of movie fans, it marked a decided decline in the technical professionalism seen during previous decades. Ultimately, however, Potop remains the better film due to its thematic breadth and narrative complexity.

A highly recommended great patriotic film, 4 hours long but still a real feast for all lovers of novels by Sienkiewicz. This is truly a deep insight into the terrible beast that is war. Bravery, cowardice, romanticism, cruelty, friendship, blood - all is here, and all add to the masterpiece of Mr. Hoffman. Pay attention to the excellent play of the main hero, Adam Kmicic, mastered by the national Polish star Daniel Olbrychski. You feel both empathy and sympathy to him in all his heroic and tragic endeavors, yet he perseveres and wins in the end. This is a film not only for Poles or Russians (this movie was and is a great success in my homeland), but if you are interested in the 17th's century history and the events of the Swedish attack on Poland, this is the story for you.

This movie is an epic tale set in the 17th century Poland

were there is a war between the Swedish and the Polish armies. The turning point of this movie is when a Polish general betrays Poland and kills thousands of olish men. This movie had an academy award nomination but didn't win.

A grand epic based on the writings of Henryk Sienkiewicz, The Deluge presents to its audience a gritty world saturated with betrayal and ruin, heroism and patriotism. Outstanding costume design paired with a brilliant cast led to a greatly rich depiction of Slavic aristocracy. Daniel Olbrychski's larger-than-life portrayal of Andrzej Kmicic aptly accomplishes the solemn bearing of a nobleman combined with hints of mania and barbarity.

The story engrosses with its beautiful cinematography, excellent character development, and cultural and historical insights into the Polish nation. The Deluge falls nothing short of monumental.

The great thing about this movie is the big armies of extras in period gear, and they don't do it just for one big battle but over and over throughout the movie to the point of being gratuitous (in a good way). Way better than CGI of course. Plus the details of weapons, armor, horse riding and locations all look nice. So it's a satisfying exploration of the historical setting.

There are several moments where the development of battles doesn't make sense, and the battles sometimes turn into confused mass melees just like Hollywood depictions. And the cannon practical effects are not very good, but at least they are not as bad as in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

The movie is only average at trying to communicate the brutality of hand to hand warfare. Nor does it communicate the severity of the tragedy that befell Poland at this time. It's supposed to be a nationalist story about one of the most terrible episodes of Polish history yet it mostly depicts it like a PG-13 fantasy adventure. There is a little bit of (rather mild) atrocity/brutality but not enough for a 4.5 hour movie and, bizarrely, it is only ever done by Poles.

The main character starts off fairly unlikeable, and while things improve when the plot gets going the slow development is a problem for such a long movie. The only character who stands out as enjoyable is Colonel Zagloba.

There is a confusing moment where a character, last seen alive and well, suddenly turns up wounded and unconscious being pulled on a sled. It's a colossal screwup that the writers apparently couldn't find time to work such a pivotal event into a 4.5 hour movie. Anyway just know before you watch that when the character turns up wounded, it's from an offscreen event and not some sort of flashback or whatever.