30-32 The End of Civilization: Three Films by Piotr Szulkin

[swo17]

The End of Civilization: Three Films by Piotr Szulkin



Masqerading as both works of science fiction and horror, Piotr Szulkin's satirical, surrealistic apocalypse trilogy is Polish cinema's best-kept secret. These highly imaginative works of fantasy are bound by a preoccupation with the machinations of power and a distinct visual sensibility.

In a radical reworking of the H.G. Wells classic, The War of the Worlds: Next Century, tells the story of Iron Idem (Roman Wilhelmi), a television host, who finds himself contending with a Martian invasion, whose takeover involves collaborating with the state and manipulating the populace through a media apparatus made up entirely of fake news...

Meanwhile, in O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization, the survivors of a claustrophobic, subterranean world in ruins are pacified by Soft (Jerzy Stuhr), who engineers a mass collective dream of escape through means of a mythical vessel, The Ark...

Finally, in the darkly comic Ga, Ga: Glory to the Heroes, Scope (Daniel Olbrychski) must be tried and convicted of a heinous crime for him to participate in a bloody, televised gladiator contest...

Frequently butting heads with Polish authorities before and after the collapse of Communism, writer and director Piotr Szulkin remains a unique visual stylist whose parables of power transcend easy genre pigeonholing.

LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:

• 2K restorations of each film supervised by Piotr Szulkin, DoP Witold Sobocinski, and sound engineer Nikodem Wolk-Laniewski with additional restoration work by Radiance Films, presented on three discs, on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK
• Uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Audio commentary on Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes by Daniel Bird (2023)
• Retrofuturism - Interview featurette with production designer Andrzej Kowalczyk on creating the world of O-Bi, O-Ba (2023)
• PRL - Polish People's Republic Post-Apocalyptic Parables - a new video essay by Dobrotka Więckiewicz exploring Szulkin's rejection of the science-fiction label (2023)
• Programme of complementary grotesque and absurdist short films: Labyrinth (Jan Lenica, 1963, 15 mins), Banquet (Zofia Oraczewska, 1977, 8 mins), Cages (Miroslaw Kijowicz, 1967, 8 mins)
• New and improved English subtitles
• Reversible sleeves and box art featuring original artworks by celebrated artist Andrzej Pagowski
• Limited edition 80-page booklet featuring new writing by Michal Oleszczyk, Olga Drenda, Ela Bittencourt, Piotr Kletowski and Daniel Bird
• Limited Edition of 2,000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height scanavo cases for each film and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

[DeprongMori]

Color me intrigued! In the brief searches I’ve done to introduce myself to Szulkin’s work, his string of science fiction films tends to get referred to as the “Apocalypse Quartet” or “Apocalypse Tetralogy” (for example). I’m guessing the rights to Golem weren’t available, or the source material wasn’t up to snuff?

In any case, I’m in for this one.

[swo17]

Apparently I've already seen a couple of Szulkin's shorts, The Singing Lesson (co-directed with Lindsay Anderson when Szulkin was only 17 ) and Copyright Film Polski MCMLXXVI from the Anthology of Polish Experimental Animation. Opinions vary on this set. I think it's great, but the top reviewer on Amazon at the moment had this to say:

while not entertaining this anthology is educational as it ably demonstrates why Germany invaded and rolled over Poland in 39

[SeizureMilk]

I'm pretty sure that it's Ga-Ga that's not included because it's called the End of Civilization and even reading the description on the link you sent proves so:

GA-GA: GLORY TO THE HEROES, the comic end to the apocalypse quartet

Doesn't sound like it would truly fit considering how much darker the other films sound compared to Ga-Ga at least per plot descriptions.

[brundlefly]

Since the Polish DVD set had all four films together, and there was talk that Vinegar Syndrome was releasing four Szulkin films in a set, any possibility the last feature is added as a bonus a la Arrow's Jissôji box? If Radiance did think the elements weren't shiny enough to give it a spine number.

[MichaelB]

The three Szulkin features that are missing are Golem, Femina and King Ubu, but the three in the Radiance box - War of the Worlds: Next Century, O-bi O-ba The End of Civilisation and Ga-ga Glory to the Heroes - are the most thematically congruent, so it’s easy to see why they’ve gone down that route.

I wrote them up about fifteen years ago when I first saw them courtesy of a Polish friend lending me her DVDs.

War of the Worlds: Next Century (Wojna światów – następne stulecie, 1981)

The sly opening dedication to H.G.Wells and Orson Welles works on at least two levels: as an acknowledgement of the men who respectively wrote and adapted the original ‘The War of the Worlds’, and as a warning not to take anything in the film at face value. Sure enough, in addition to constructing a memorably sour Orwellian vision of a near-future Poland after a visit by Martians (it’s unlikely the references to invasion and occupation would have been lost on its original audience), Szulkin also examines how the media are complicit in both its presentation and in behind-the-scenes string-pulling, and his view of the population-lulling effect of “reality television” (which is even called that at one point) is worryingly prescient. Fittingly, the protagonist Iron Idem (Roman Wilhelmi) is a television anchorman who first realises that something might be awry is when he’s given an entirely new script to read mere seconds before he goes on air.

O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilisation (O-Bi, O-Ba. Koniec cywilizacji, 1985)

While the previous film was set in a just about recognisable near future, here civilisation has collapsed completely, with a gaggle of survivors of an unspecified catastrophe waiting for their own Godot in the form of a mysterious Ark that will take them to a far better place. Government apparatchik Soft (Jerzy Stuhr) knows that it’s all a propagandist lie concocted to stave off absolute despair – but is startled to find his normally sane colleagues taking it seriously. Szulkin’s film certainly doesn’t lack ideas, and his realisation of a crumbling civilisation is highly convincing (especially given a clearly limited budget), but this did less for me than the other two: the satirical elements of the others are muted in favour of a setting and narrative that’s a little too familiar to Western eyes.

Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes (Ga, Ga – Chwała bohaterom, 1986)

The third Szulkin dystopia seems to begin where its predecessors left off, as its unnamed protagonist (Daniel Olbrychski) is blasted from a prison ship onto a supposedly uncharted planet. Instead, he finds a conveniently Polish-speaking world full of people who worship him as a hero and offer him all manner of blandishments, including sexual ones. But he is rightly sceptical: he’s actually being groomed to play the leading role in a hi-tech variant of the crucifixions on Mount Golgotha. This is much closer to blackly comic farce than its predecessors, laced with generous splashings of gore in set-pieces reminiscent of the early work of Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson. Olbrychski plays it admirably straight, while a grotesque Jerzy Stuhr has a whale of a time as a sinister cultural attaché.

[swo17]

The inclusion of those first two films is implied by the cover art and box title, but has it been officially indicated anywhere that the third film is Ga-ga? Not that I doubt you (for all I know you could be working on the set) but I just haven't seen confirmation otherwise. (Did the newsletter indicate? I haven't seen it)

[MichaelB]

Put it like this: I know which three films are available for UK licensing in restored HD editions!

Doesn't sound like it would truly fit considering how much darker the other films sound compared to Ga-Ga at least per plot descriptions.

It's a perfect fit. All of Szulkin's films are crammed with grotesque black humour, and although Ga-ga is more overtly farcical it's the entirely logical culmination of where he sees civilisation heading.

Although he didn't plan them as a trilogy, these three films go particularly well together, as they start out in the near future (the turn of 1999/2000 in War of the Worlds: Next Century, in which society is just starting to break down from within), continue through the distant future (O-bi, O-ba, also set on Earth, but here civilisation has basically stalled in the expectation of longed-for but poorly-defined "salvation"), and then head further outwards for the overtly interplanetary Ga-ga, where everything's dog-eat-dog bread'n'circuses and despite all the technologically sophisticated trappings we appear to have regressed at least a couple of millennia.

Golem has enough in common for some US marketer to concoct an "Apocalypse Quartet" (which would undoubtedly have been a quintet if King Ubu had been available), but it's more of an outlier.

[MichaelB]

I now have permission to mention that Golem is also coming out in the UK this year.

I've known about this for some time, which is why I was always certain about what would be in the Radiance box - Femina and King Ubu don't really fit the "end of civilisation" tagline (well, King Ubu sort of does, but much more tangentially).

To answer swo17's question above, I'm not involved with the Radiance project, although it's in the extremely capable hands of my friend and occasional colleague Daniel Bird, and I gather he's prioritising Polish voices in the extras, an approach that I wholeheartedly applaud.

[Calvin]

To answer swo17's question above, I'm not involved with the Radiance project, although it's in the extremely capable hands of my friend and occasional colleague Daniel Bird, and I gather he's prioritising Polish voices in the extras, an approach that I wholeheartedly applaud.

That's an approach that I'd been hoping that Radiance would take with their releases and I was glad that they recruited a range of Swedish voices for their release of The Man on the Roof.

[MichaelB]

It's also what Indicator has been doing with their French, Italian and Mexican genre titles, and for exactly the same reasons.

Two out of four commentators in the Mexico Macabre box are actual Mexicans (the other two are American, but bona fide Mexican genre-film experts), and I don't imagine anyone's going to complain about this in the slightest.

[brundlefly]

It's also what Indicator has been doing with their French, Italian and Mexican genre titles, and for exactly the same reasons.

Two out of four commentators in the Mexico Macabre box are actual Mexicans (the other two are American, but bona fide Mexican genre-film experts), and I don't imagine anyone's going to complain about this in the slightest.

In that particular case perhaps not, nor in general as I'm always eager for more cultural context. As fine as it was hearing Kim Newman and Stephen Jones do their usual chummy, knowledgeable exchange on Phantom of the Monastery and La Llorona and relate those to work within Anglo-American traditions (while Jones has some exposure to Mexican film, he seemed less sure talking about that than the rest), it was funny (and refreshingly honest!) to hear them say they were looking forward to seeing Indicator's other supplements for more information on the movies on which they were commenting. And I did get more from the booklets and Abraham Castillo Flores' segments, so it's nice to see him doing one of the tracks here.

(I have worked some long and hard hours in my life, but have never been as busy as any one of Flores' shirts.)

But then Imogen Sara Smith's well-prepared and incisive commentary track on Flicker Alley's Bitter Stems disc was so much better than Argentinian-born Guido Segal's on their Beast Must Die. People who do good work do good work, and sometimes someone closer to your own culture knows exactly what you're not going to understand about others'. (Toward that end: Just saw Wajda's Wesele for the first time and very much enjoyed it, but would like you to fax over a history lesson stat.)

Also of course inevitably someone is going to complain about accents or subtitles on commentary tracks, but those people are also always going to complain about something.

[MichaelB]

In that particular case perhaps not, nor in general as I'm always eager for more cultural context. As fine as it was hearing Kim Newman and Stephen Jones do their usual chummy, knowledgeable exchange on Phantom of the Monastery and La Llorona and relate those to work within Anglo-American traditions (while Jones has some exposure to Mexican film, he seemed less sure talking about that than the rest), it was funny (and refreshingly honest!) to hear them say they were looking forward to seeing Indicator's other supplements for more information on the movies on which they were commenting.

If I remember rightly, The Phantom of the Monastery was commissioned at the last minute after they watched it for the first time (presumably as background for La Llorona) and were absolutely blown away by it.

But then Imogen Sara Smith's well-prepared and incisive commentary track on Flicker Alley's Bitter Stems disc was so much better than Argentinian-born Guido Segal's on their Beast Must Die. People who do good work do good work, and sometimes someone closer to your own culture knows exactly what you're not going to understand about others'. (Toward that end: Just saw Wajda's Wesele for the first time and very much enjoyed it, but would like you to fax over a history lesson stat.)

I'd love to get my teeth into that (that film rather desperately needs a commentary, as Wajda clearly made the film exclusively for his compatriots), and I agree that that's an excellent example of a commentary where a non-Pole might be more illuminating than a Pole, not least because Poles imbibe the Stanisław Wyspiański source play pretty much from birth whereas a non-Pole would have to do some proper literary digging and would have a far better understanding of what to provide.

And it's been fun doing a double act with Michał Oleszczyk across multiple discs now - Arrow's Blind Chance, Second Run's Wajda trilogy, multiple 1960s Skolimowski releases from the BFI and Second Run, with one of us doing the commentary and the other doing a video piece. Although we're old friends of well over a decade's standing (and in fact hope to collaborate more directly on an upcoming project) we work entirely independently and I don't get to see/hear what he's done until my contributor copy arrives. At which point I watch/listen to it with masochistic attention, because I assume that if he and I differ on a point of fact it's a racing certainty that he'll be the one who's correct. (Thus far, surprisingly, this hasn't yet happened.)

Also of course inevitably someone is going to complain about accents or subtitles on commentary tracks, but those people are also always going to complain about something.

When an American reviewer complained about my regular commentary partner's Scottish accent, Johnny Mains cheerfully replied that he'd do the next one in full Rab C. Nesbitt mode.

(But he didn't.)

[Matt]

Not to steal Radiance’s spotlight in their own thread, but Piotr Szulkin's Apocalypse Tetralogy just announced for the Vinegar Syndrome Labs line (and it’s region-free). I’m guessing Radiance’s release might exceed the VSL release in the supplements area (though our Michael B is one of the commentators on the VSL set).

[therewillbeblus]

I’m guessing Radiance’s release might exceed the VSL release in the supplements area

I'm sure they'll draw up their own strong set of extras, but I doubt it'll "exceed" these. The extra film is also clutch, at an incredibly low price point. Though of course the SE is already sold out, it'll be like 20 bucks at the next sale, coincidentally(?) coinciding with the Radiance release, or show up on third party sites for not much more soon. At under $6 a film, that's unbeatable

[yoloswegmaster]

VS have also done their own cleanups of the filmd from the existing masters, so I'm curious to see if Radiance will also be doing their own cleanup.

[MichaelB]

Per Radiance Films on the Twitter:

They are restored and newly cleaned up by us working in close collaboration with Szulkin’s collaborators. They are also region free.

[Soy Cuba]

This looks amazing. 'O-Bi O-Ba The end of Civilization' is a terrific film, and one sorely needed on Blu Ray. I've not seen the others. Think I'll be buying this box set.

[MichaelB]

Well, Daniel Bird's fingerprints are all over this one, and I for one can't wait to see it.

The End of Civilization: Three Films by Piotr Szulkin

Masquerading as both works of science fiction and horror, Piotr Szulkin’s satirical, surrealistic apocalypse trilogy is Polish cinema’s best-kept secret. These highly imaginative works of fantasy are bound by a preoccupation with the machinations of power and a distinct, visual sensibility.

In a radical reworking of the H.G. Wells classic, The War of the Worlds: Next Century, tells the story of Iron Idem (Roman Wilhelmi), a television host, who finds himself contending with a Martian invasion, whose takeover involves collaborating with the state and manipulating the populace through a media apparatus made up entirely of fake news…

Meanwhile, in O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization, the survivors of a claustrophobic, subterranean world in ruins are pacified by Soft (Jerzy Stuhr), who engineers a mass collective dream of escape through means of a mythical vessel, The Ark…

Finally, in the darkly comic Ga, Ga: Glory to the Heroes, Scope (Daniel Olbrychski) must be tried and convicted of a heinous crime for him to participate in a bloody, televised gladiator contest…

Frequently butting heads with Polish authorities both before and after the collapse of Communism, writer and director Piotr Szulkin remains a unique visual stylist whose parables of power transcend easy genre pigeonholing.

LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:

• 2K restorations of each film supervised by Piotr Szulkin, DoP Witold Sobocinski, and sound engineer Nikodem Wolk-Laniewski with additional restoration work by Radiance Films, presented on three discs, on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK
• Uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Audio commentary on Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes by Daniel Bird (2023)
• Retrofuturism - Interview featurette with production designer Andrzej Kowalczyk on creating the world of O-Bi, O-Ba (2023)
• PRL - Polish People's Republic Post-Apocalyptic Parables - a new video essay by Dobrotka Więckiewicz exploring Szulkin's rejection of the science-fiction label (2023)
• Programme of complementary grotesque and absurdist short films: Labyrinth (Jan Lenica, 1963, 15 mins), Banquet (Zofia Oraczewska, 1977, 8 mins), Cages (Miroslaw Kijowicz, 1967, 8 mins)
• New and improved English subtitles
• Reversible sleeves and box art featuring original artworks by celebrated artist Andrzej Pagowski
• Limited edition 80-page booklet featuring new writing by Michal Oleszczyk, Olga Drenda, Ela Bittencourt, Piotr Kletowski and Daniel Bird
• Limited Edition of 2,000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height scanavo cases for each film and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
• All content subject to change

Year: 1979-1986
Cert: TBC
Format: Blu-ray
Region: ABC
RAD030BDLE
EAN: 5060974680580
Release date: 27/11/23

I'm particularly pleased about the short films, but the extras look fascinating as well.

Oh, and they also confirm that Second Run is indeed the label that has Golem, but pretty much everyone guessed that already.

[What A Disgrace]

Any chance of Michael Brooke's commentary from the US release being added to this set?

[rwiggum]

Ok, so I've never seen any of Szulkin's films but everything I've seen makes me think I'd love them. I've been hovering over the Vinegar Syndrome "buy" button for weeks now. Which do you think is better for a blind buy? Is it worth getting Golem, or do the extras here seem to outweigh the inclusion of the fourth feature in the VS set?

[ryannichols7]

Any chance of Michael Brooke's commentary from the US release being added to this set?

for real, the supplements look good but that port would be a valuable addition. there's a clear gap here where that track would be of great use. the Vinegar Syndrome set seems to have sold just fine, so I don't see a reason for them to hang on to it for any sort of exclusivity. here's hoping!

Ok, so I've never seen any of Szulkin's films but everything I've seen makes me think I'd love them. I've been hovering over the Vinegar Syndrome "buy" button for weeks now. Which do you think is better for a blind buy? Is it worth getting Golem, or do the extras here seem to outweigh the inclusion of the fourth feature in the VS set?

I think the extras+design+packaging outweigh the inclusion of the fourth film, which is being released by a label with a very high reputation themselves, likely to include their own extras. I personally pick the UK option myself, but I'll admit my bias against the US label, who I'm not a fan of

[therewillbeblus]

I don’t think there are necessarily more extras here. Unless I’m misreading: They both have two visual essay/interview segments, and then Radiance has one less commentary and one less film, in exchange for a collection of shorts and double the pages in the LE book. If anything, it seems like the VS has “more” but it’s relative

[swo17]

Isn't the VS all packed into two discs, whereas the UK releases will be spread over four?

[DeprongMori]

Correct. The VS has the four films on two discs. So far I’ve only watched Golem, and again with the very informative commentary from Samm Deighan.

The perfect-bound book has an essay on Golem by Samm Deighan, an essay on Ga, Ga: Glory to Heroes by Patrick Dahl, an interview with Piotr Szulkin by Ela Bittencourt reprinted from June 2015’s Film Comment, and color images from the films.