Man of Marble

Andrzej Wajda’s *Man of Marble* is a politically charged 1977 drama about Agnieszka, a student filmmaker investigating the disappearance and suppressed legacy of Mateusz Birkut, a celebrated shock worker from 1950s Nowa Huta. Through newsreel footage, reenactments, and deliberately absurd fictional sequences, the film examines how propaganda, media, and national myths are constructed and manipulated.

The film’s production was delayed for more than a decade before Polish authorities approved it in 1976. Its 1977 release became a major cultural event in Poland, and the film later proved influential in anticipating the trade-union movements that would reshape the country three years afterward. Krystyna Janda stars as Agnieszka in her first of four appearances in a Wajda film.

When: Saturday, November 28, 2026

Showtime: 7:00 pm

Venue: Harvard Film Archive

Director: Andrzej Wajda

Cast: Krystyna Janda, Jerzy Radziwiłowicz, and Tadeusz Łomnicki

Country and year: Poland, 1977

Run time: 165 minutes

Format: DCP, presented in both color and black and white

Language: Polish with English subtitles

DCP source: Jessica Rosner

Series: Part of *Once There Was History ... Andrzej Wajda at 100*

Tickets: Price not available