The Devil

Deemed unreleasable by the communist authorities in Poland upon its completion in 1972, The Devil remains one of the great films maudits of Polish cinema — even though it didn’t see the light of a projector before 1988.

A uniquely Polish spin on the Ken Russell-like frenzy, The Devil is set at a pivotal moment of 18th century history: the loss of Poland’s statehood and independence to neighbouring empires. Just as the state is failing and anarchy begins to reign supreme, the otherworldly Jakub traverses Polish woods and manors, playing a trickster to everyone he meets. He may be the titular demon, or perhaps simply a figure of a subversive artist bringing change and upheaval. Widely read as a metaphor of the 1968 anti-semitic purge of Poland, the film was deemed too hot to handle by the state and resulted in Żuławski’s emigration to Paris. Today, The Devil stands as one of Żuławski’s strongest achievements.