#jan rybkowski

Based on Chłopi (1904-1909) by Władysław Reymont. Each of the four parts represents a season in the life of the peasants – Autumn (published in 1904), Winter (published in 1904), Spring (published in 1906), and Summer (published in 1909). This division underlines the relationship of human life with nature.

The movie shows 10th-century Poland and Mieszko I - the first ruler who ‘united’ the Slavic tribes that later formed Poland, and the first Polish ruler who adopted Christianity (by marrying the Czech princess Doubravka / Dobrawa).

Based on the Nobel-prize winning novel by Władysław Reymont, published between 1904-1909, this is a screen adaptation of the story about the Boryna family and other inhabitants of a village in the region of Mazovia in Poland at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. The Borynas are farmers, and their son is expected to follow the family tradition. But the already touchy relationship of the father and son is strained to the breaking point when both fall in love with the same woman. Their prides and passions are played out against a richly detailed period backdrop, portraying the traditions, customs, superstitions and folklore of the Polish village life at that time, colorful and fascinating, but also exposing its harsh reality and social problems.