Korczak

Country of production and year: Poland, Germany, United Kingdom 1990 Genre: biographical drama Screenplay: Agnieszka Holland Director: Andrzej Wajda Music: Wojciech Kilar Cinematography: Robby Müller Cast: Wojciech Pszoniak, Ewa Dałkowska, Teresa Budzisz-Krzyżanowska Medical theme: doctor - hero Description: I am writing this review at the beginning of 2012, which has been declared the Year of Janusz Korczak. It marks two significant anniversaries: 70 years since the heroic death of the outstanding educator and 100 years since he and Stefania Wilczyńska founded the famous “Orphanage” at 92 Krochmalna Street. In 1990, Andrzej Wajda directed the biographical film "The Old Doctor." The film portrays the extraordinary social activist and altruistic physician that Henryk Goldszmit was. The film rightly emphasizes Dr. Korczak’s most important mission, which was the care and upbringing of orphaned children. For them, he gave up his private life, founded and ran care and educational centers, devoted his groundbreaking articles in the field of pedagogy to them, as well as popular radio talks and books such as "King Maciuś the First," and ultimately chose to stay with them when the orphanage was moved to the Warsaw Ghetto and when his charges were sent to their deaths in the gas chambers at Treblinka. The film focuses on the final years of "Pandoktor," as he was popularly known. During the war, the protagonist, played by Wojciech Pszoniak, is not afraid to courageously stand up for his children’s rights and strives to help them at all costs in the tragic situation of the ghetto. "Korczak" ends with a famous symbolic scene that sparked a great deal of (in my opinion, unjustified) controversy after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. What did that scene show? I won’t give it away. I encourage you to watch it and celebrate the Year of Korczak.