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The War of the Worlds: Next Century
Polish authorities exploit an alien invasion to increase their power, manipulate the media and provide populist entertainment in this philosophical sci-fi that draws on the themes of H G Wells’ novel.
Director: Piotr Szulkin
Overview
Described by the Lincoln Centre in 2019 as “a disturbingly prescient allegory of power, control, and media manipulation in a post-truth world” Piotr Szulkin’s sci-fi drama opens just before the dawn of 21st century. Based on H G Wells’ novel (1898) it was completed just before General Jaruzelski imposed martial law on Poland. Whilst enjoying success on the international fantasy film festival circuit in subsequent months, it was released in Poland only after the state of emergency ended. Taking the themes, rather than the details, of Wells’ work it explores how the authorities use the invasion of Martians to increase their power, manipulating the media and providing populist entertainment.
This was Szulkin’s second feature, preceded by his debut Golem (1979), considered a Polish Sci-Fi classic and extensive work on shorts, documentaries, in theatre and on television. The acclaimed Krystyna Janda (known for her work with Andrzej Wajda) was cast as the wife of central character Iron Idem, a news presenter played by Roman Wilhelmi, himself a hugely popular TV series actor at the time.
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