Young Polish nobleman Jakub is saved from imprisonment by a stranger. In return, the stranger wants to obtain a list of Jakub’s fellow conspirators. As he follows his mysterious savior across the country, Jakub is affected by the overall chaos and moral corruption; he goes insane and becomes a mass murderer.
Direction
Żuławski's camera behaves like a trapped animal. You will feel hunted.
Acting
Pszoniak's Devil grins like he knows your secrets. He probably does.
Production
Chaos so authentic you'll check if Poland 1793 actually looked this deranged.
Director
Andrzej Żuławski
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Banned by Polish authorities who called it 'psychologically harmful to the nation'—they weren't wrong, just terrified.
Żuławski smuggled a workprint to France; what we have is reconstructed from that surviving copy. The original negative was literally destroyed by communist censors.
PL
