Tonight I watched an excellent film called "Cold War"(2018), released on Criterion and directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, a Polish filmmaker who won a Best Foreign Film Oscar for "Ida" in 2013. I saw that one several years ago but don't know whether I reviewed it. It may have been before I began writing about movies, but anyway, "Cold War" is the story of two lovers who keep getting separated by circumstances related to the Iron Curtain policies in their homeland.
Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) is a pianist and musical director for a government sponsored program out of Communist Warsaw. Along with a female talent scout and a tight-lipped administrator, Wiktor is touring the Polish countryside, looking for rural singing talent among the peasants. The idea is to audition the best singers in each village, in order to form a vocal group that can be trained to sing songs of cultural value that will promote Polish tradition, at a time when the country has lost it's independence. In one town Wiktor and his team are impressed with the voice of a young girl named Zula (Joanna Kulig). She has the reputation of an outcast; word is that she murdered her father. This plot device is a red herring and goes nowhere, but it's added to give Zula an edge. Right away we see she's talented but troubled.
In short order Wiktor falls in love with Zula, and the two become soulmates. The singing group is performing to packed halls throughout Poland and even in Russia and Berlin. But there is a new twist. The tight-lipped administrator (mentioned above) has final say over the direction of the group. So, when a regional Commie Boss suggests that "it might be better" if the group sing songs directed at The Proletariat and the ridiculous Communist philosophy, the administrator capitulates. Now the group becomes just another propaganda tool controlled by the government. Wiktor, a genuine artist, is demoralised. He convinces Zula to escape to Paris with him, but when the time comes, she gets cold feet. Wiktor thus finds himself alone in the City of Light. He gets a job at a Parisian recording studio to make ends meet, and also plays piano at a local jazz club. Meanwhile, Zula becomes a minor sensation back in Poland, singing the Communist songs. This is the first separation of Wiktor and Zula. It will last several years.
Nothing can keep these two apart, however, and when Zula's troupe tours France, she seeks out Wiktor in Paris. She informs him she's now married, but in name only. She's still madly in love with Wiktor. He tries to convince her to defect and stay in Paris with him and this time she agrees. He tells her he can make a pop star out of her, and she makes a record in French. But she is unhappy there. Zula, a country girl, feels alienated in the big city. She feels that Wiktor ignores her to concentrate on his own musical interests. This is the only time they fight, and Zula will ultimately return to Poland, where she becomes an even bigger star upon her return. But even back home, she's still being manipulated for Marxist ends, and she's miserable. Wiktor will leave Paris in the end to be with her.
There are a couple of major twists I'm omitting. You can discover those yourself. "Cold War" is told in time-referenced segments, so the story is not continuous. Each sequence is a separate piece of the plot. As the star-crossed romance plays out, some dramatic tension is lost, possibly because with the exception of Joanna Kulig as Zula, the other performances seem deliberately flat. This is not to say the other actors aren't good - all are excellent. I just think the director wanted to focus on Zula, so she stands out while Wiktor is emotionally in the background. She is expressive, he is stoic. This loss of tension is slight, but it causes the film to drag just a smidge. This is a minor complaint in what otherwise is a very good film with some of the best black and white photography I've seen in a while. "Cold War" is the story of true love in a grim society. Can love survive? Watch it and find out.
I give "Cold War" Two Very Big Thumbs Up and recommend it highly. I'll be looking for more from director Pawlikowski. ///
Elizabeth, I was very happy to see your photo the other day with the camera and the microphone. You are visible too, on the LED screen, and I believe I am correct in assuming the imagery was a hint that you are recording new music. Am I right? If so, I am looking forward to hearing it as always. :):)
Keep posting if you can, and give another hint if you feel like it.
And.......have an amazing and wonderful day. :):)
I am gonna head out to Trader Joe's right now, and then back to Pearl's. She is doing well and even went to the hair salon today. I'll see you tonight at the new Usual Time (whatever that is, haha).
Tons and tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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