Women in Polish Cinema

an important contribution to film studies not only in Poland, but in Eastern and Central Europe in general. The authors demonstrate that women are both revered and despised in Polish culture, a phenomenon Mazierska and Ostrowska attribute to the persistence of overt patriarchy in both social relations and culture. This system of thought, they aver, has shaped and policed the lives of Polish women for generations. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television well researched and elegantly written. It should be of great interest to scholars interested in both Polish cinema criticism and feminist studies. Slavic Review This important book utilizes temporary feminist discourse on womens cinema with debates specific for the Polish cinematic, cultural, and socio-political contextCarefully researched and lucidly written, the book offers a new perspective on Polish cinema and will no doubt be the primary source for any scholar interested in gender issues in the Polish context. Marek Haltof in Canadian Slavonic Papers Combining freshness of focus with close, penetrating analysis, Women in Polish Cinema is a contribution to East European film studies at once innovative and exemplary. Kinema

Ewa Mazierska is Professor of Contemporary Cinema, Department of Humanities, University of Central Lancashire. Her publications include numerous articles in Polish and English and several books, such as Dreams and Diaries: The Cinema of Nanni Moretti (Wallflower Press, London, 2004) and From Moscow to Madrid: Postmodern Cities, European Cinema (IB Tauris, 2003, London) (both co-authored with Laura Rascaroli). She also co-edited Relocating Britishness (MUP, 2004).

List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction Ewa Mazierska and Elzbieta Ostrowska PART I: THE POLISH MOTHER Chapter 1. The Myth of the Polish Mother Joanna Szwajcowska PART II: WOMEN ACCORDING TO MEN Chapter 2. Filmic Representations of the Myth of the Polish Mother Elzbieta Ostrowska Chapter 3. Polish Superwoman: a Liberation or Victimisation? Elzbieta Ostrowska Chapter 4. Caught between Activity and Passivity: Women in the Polish School Elzbieta Ostrowska Chapter 5. Agnieszka and Other Solidarity Heroines of Polish Cinema Ewa Mazierska Chapter 6. Witches, Bitches and Other Victims of the Crisis of Masculinity: Women in Polish Postcommunist Cinema Ewa Mazierska Chapter 7. Between Fear and Attraction: Images of Other Women Elzbieta Ostrowska PART III: WOMEN BEHIND THE CAMERA Chapter 8. Wanda Jakubowska: the Communist Fighter Ewa Mazierska Chapter 9. Barbara Sass: the Author of Womens Films Ewa Mazierska Chapter 10. Agnieszka Holland: a Sceptic Elzbieta Ostrowska Chapter 11. Dorota Kdzierzawska: Ambivalent Feminist Ewa Mazierska Filmography Bibliography Index