Movie Review: With Fire and Sword

With Fire and Sword (Ogniem i Mieczem) 

Agencja Produkcji Filmowej, Kredyt Bank PBI S.A., Okocimskie Zaklady Piwowarskie S.A., Telewizja Polska (TVP), Zodiak Jerzy Hoffman Film Production Sp. z o.o., Poland, 1999. 

Let's continue with Jerzy Hoffman's movies depicting history of Poland. "With Fire and Sword" is based on the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz, who also wrote "Quo Vadis." 

It is year 1647 in Polish Commonwealth when the Kingdom has passed its top position and everything is going downhill from now on. The nobles have become corrupt, hedonistic and lazy. Oppressed tribes are rebelling and demanding justice and independency. Mercenaries are roaming the land searching for opportunities for fortune and glory.

Cossack Noble Zenobius Chmielnicki (Bogdan Stupka) is attacked by assassins but he is saved by Polish Hussar Jan Skezetuski (Michal Zebrowski). Jan was just returning from war and did not know that local Lord Czaplinski is hunting Chmielnicki. Czaplinski is not happy about it but Jan throws the pesky Lord out of the tavern. After all it was the actions of Czaplinski that turned Chmielnicki into enemy of Poland. Jan and simple but strong warrior Longinus (Wiktor Zborowski) want to join Prince Jeremi's (Andrzej Seweryn) service. Longinus has sworn celibacy until he can behead three enemies with one swordstroke. Hey, a man has to have his goals!

Chmielnicki

Jan Skezetuski

Longinus

On the road they help Old Princess (Ewa Wisniewska) and her young niece Helena Kurcewiczówna (Izabella Scorupco). Unluckily for Jan Helena already has an unpleasant suitor Cossack Colonel Jurko Bohun (Aleksandr Domogarov). There is still hope as Helena does not like hot-tempered Bohun. Bohun notices the chemistry between the two so Jan gets a dangerous enemy. After proposing her, Jan joins the service of the Prince. He meets also his old friend swordmaster Michal (Zbigniew Zamachowski). 

Helena

Bohun

Party!

The Tatars and Cossacks are restless and joining their forces. Jan and servant Rzedzian (Wojciech Malajkat) go to find out what Chmielnicki and the Tatars are planning. Jan is captured but Chmielnicki buys him free as he owes him his live. Chmielnicki plans a rebellion against nobles to detach Ukraine from the Polish Empire and Bohun has joined their ranks. The rebels win the first battles against Polish Hussars and the Kingdom is threatened.

Cossack army

Prince Jeremi

Polish Winged Hussars

Bohun finds out that Helena is betrothed to Jan so he kills Helena's family. Helena escapes with jovial former bar-keeper Zagloba (Krzysztof Kowalewski). Jan goes into desperation as he doesn't know if Helena is killed or captured. The land is in turmoil and from the humble origins mighty warlords rise. The allegiances shift and the outcome of the battles is always uncertain. 

Zagloba, Michal and Bohun picking a fight

Rzedzian

Cossack siege engine

This is a fine historical adventure, with story comparable to "War and Peace." The story has something for everybody, romance, passionate drama, huge battles, political intrigue, Rabelaisian vulgarity and cruel and unusual punishments. The characters are multi-dimensional. Jan is the hero who goes through extreme emotions during the story. Bohun is a tragic devil, anti-hero with heavy dose of Slavic melancholy. Drunkard Zagloba is better fighter than he seems and survives most battles just with his sheer luck. Rzedzian navigates easily between different factions bringing valuable information to the heroes obtaining some treasures on the way, that rascal. Chmielnicki is a freedom fighter whose actions bring death for thousands of innocents. There designers have not been thrifty, the costumes, sets and places look realistic and amazing.

There is also a role playing/strategy game "Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword" where you can select your favourite faction and try to lead them to victory. Despite the interesting setting the game is not my cup of tea, I always get captured by bandits and lose my hard-earned equipment.

Rating: Very good

Starring: Izabella Scorupco, Michal Zebrowski, Aleksandr Domogarov, Krzysztof Kowalewski, Bogdan Stupka, Andrzej Seweryn, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Wiktor Zborowski, Wojciech Malajkat, Ewa Wisniewska, Ruslana Pysanka, Daniel Olbrychski, Marek Kondrat, Gustaw Holoubek, Andrzej Kopiczynski, Maciej Kozlowski, Adam Ferency, Gustaw Lutkiewicz, Dmitri Mirgorodsky, Jerzy Bonczak, Wlodzimierz Brodecki, Joanna Brodzik, Marek Cichucki, Rafal Cieszynski, Jerzy Cnota, Maciej Czapski, Lech Dyblik, Marek Frackowiak, Tadeusz Gloskowski, Krzysztof Gosztyla, Andrzej Graziewicz, Jerzy Karaszkiewicz, Pawel Kleszcz, Szymon Kobylinski, Krzysztof Kolbasiuk, Bernard Ladysz, Anna Majcher, Andrzej Pieczynski, Eugeniusz Priwieziencew, Stefan Szmidt, Przemyslaw Tejkowski, Leszek Teleszynski, Aleksander Wysocki, Janusz Zerbst, Andrzej Zólkiewski, Marek Marcinkowski, Aleksander Pociej, Tomasz Konieczny, Janusz Sieniawski, Michal Chorosinski, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Tomasz Abramski, Piotr Bala, Wladyslaw Baranski, T. Bat, Wlodzimierz Bednarski, Wlodzimierz Borysiak, Jerzy Braszka, T. Ciecierski, Jerzy Dukay, Jerzy Frykowski, Krystyna Gierlowska, Dariusz Gnatowski, L. Gurpienko, Andrzej Grabowski, Tomasz Grochoczynski, Andrzej Halinski, Krzysztof Artur Janczar, Ryszard Jablonski, Ryszard Janiak, Mieczyslaw Janowski, Józef Jarosz, Jan Jurewicz, Przemyslaw Kapsa, Adam Karaszewski, Marek Karpowicz, Piotr Komorowski, Michal Konarski, A, Kazimierz Krzaczkowski, Czeslaw Lasota, Karolina Lukaszewicz, K. Luksza, Tadeusz Mieluch, T. Mir, Jerzy Moniak, A. Nowak, Bartosz Obuchowicz, Jacek Radzinski, Radoslaw Rosinski, Przemyslaw Szajewski, Tomasz Szajewski, W. Szczecinski, Andrzej Szczytko, Zdzislaw Szymborski, Budsuren Tumen-Ulzyj, Adam Warchol, Juliusz Krzysztof Warunek, Magdalena Warzecha, Robert Wieckiewicz, P. Zbierski, Jacek Rozenek, Tomasz Bednarek, Wojciech Jakubowski, Olga Milaszewska, Ben Talar 
Director: Jerzy Hoffman