Stuck in the 1970s. The first feature film about Edward Gierek is being made in Poland

 

The 1970s had with no doubt many faces in many various countries, however they should be remembered as sunny, colourful and joyful throughout almost all nations of the Roman and Mauryan civilisation circle. Poland was the most joyful barrack in the Eastern Bloc of States and such a nice picture was common for the Poles, the Germans, the Britons…

(Authors own picture)

Edward Gierek was Polish communist leader during the 1970s, a red dictator you can say, but at the same time he’s fondly remembered for his patriotism and welfare state policies. A fact of equal importance; he wasn’t responsible for any bloodshed in his home country, where every other Commmunist leader (except only for himself and governing very shortly Stanislau Kanya) wasn’t able to avoid a massacre on countrymen.

He introduced some Western-style reforms during his 10 years in power but ...

He wasn’t able to manage serious obstacles, resulting from the marxist regime practice and unability of the Polish working class to work hard and efficiently. Gierek wasn’t toppled in 1980 by a bloodless counter-revolution which produced a lot of chaos and insanity throughout the country but by his disloyal Party comrades, probably on behalf of the Red Kremlin. The downfall of the old regime 9 years later was generally welcomed in Poland only during first 12 months of the new parlamentary democracy.

What followed was also Gierek’s personal tragedy

He died aged 88, so he was able to see how a modest welfare which he secured for the most of working people, was almost completely destroyed and replaced by usury. Persecuted and imprisoned by his old fellows from the government was also victim of an infamous defamation campaign. Stripped of almost all his rights as Polish citizen by other Communists he survived due to moral and financial support from France, Belgium and Germany. As it was announced that he passed away more than half of Poland mourned about him and people admitted in many forms that they were ashamed because they once believed in lies about him and his wife.

What of that all should we expect to be seen in the movie which would be released in the year of his death 20th anniversary?

I’m afraid, not too much, anyway not the most important things. As for now, it’s not the best time to to start with attempts to restore the good name of any Communist leader in Poland. The country has since some years the Communism Condemnation Act in force, which forbids to remember on an affirmative way the People’s Republic of Poland and to praise the symbols and figures of it’s era. The State is unable to change the people’s minds, however, in the case of the film production it could be cancelled by law or at least the marketing of the movie throughout the country could be forbidden.

The anti-communist law in force in Poland is often perceived in the country as an indeed anti-Russian measure. During the People's Republic of Poland, the alliance with the Soviet Union enjoyed measured popular support as a guarantee of Poland's western borders, a steady supply of crude oil and other raw materials, and a way to maintain a significant combat strength of the Polish armed forces. The photo shows the MiG- 21 jet fighter being a symbol of this alliance on a pedestal in a Polish city. (author's photo)

In a newspaper interview about the idea to produce the movie about his father's time at the heights of power his son Adam said something very educative. He asked once an important question to his father, who was then an ordinary pensioner, namely: "Do you was [indeed] a Communist or rather a socialist, perhaps a labourist? " And the answer was, as Adam Gierek recalled: "My son, say always to the people that I was the Polish man."

He was the Polish man and was aware of his Polish responsibilities. A real Gierek, who arrived at the opening of the motorway junction. He was the man who led to the construction of a second Poland. Without it, Polish cities would be twice as small, and Poland would be a country without highways. The general on the left of Gierek will betray him and order him to be imprisoned.

(A screenshot from the You Tube video: PRL 1976 Częstochowa. Gierek otwiera estakadę)

So, he was simply the Polish leader

A leader of the country which was forced to be a part of the Soviet block of States and had to live this way, simply because life continues to move forward. In my personal opinion if the film makers would be interested in making at least this one simple truth evident for the young generation and able to do that, it could be a good stuff and perhaps even not a movie but the movie art.

The shooting of the movie has already started in Upper Silesia, where Gierek was born and spent most of his life. The plans to create the film appeared in May, but due to the pandemic announced by the WHO, the work was stopped. Currently, the release is planned for October next year.

In more general terms — the 1970s were a pivotal decade in the world’s history

There was an almost unlimited optimism to observe worldwide in the early 1970s and social as well as major economical disasters at the end of this decade. Something really grim came to change the game and as a result now there is no real statesmen more, at least in the Western countries. Gierek and his personal friends: the German chancellor Helmut Schmidt and French President Valery Giscard D’Estaign were big political figures, the men who will be long remembered. The breed of men is no more and much to fear instead. I would say the history of 20^th century, who and how made the history in the time is still very important for proper understanding what happens today.