PETLA

Poland, 1957
Feature Film

Kuba suffers from alcoholism. From the interior design of the apartment, it can be concluded that he works with art. The empty picture frames and a modern sculpture lacking the inside correspond to its poor condition. Washed out of any feelings other than a strong addiction to vodka, he is obsessively reaching for a glass every morning. In the afternoon, together with his beloved Krystyna, he is to see a doctor. Until then, each shape (eight on the clock), each figure outside the window (a girl with a skipping rope) and a voice on the phone evoke sinister associations with a tightening noose. Kuba, waiting on his own, cannot stand the tension and leaves the house. He wanders around gloomy alleys. He meets his former love, gets into a fight, goes to the police station and finally to the "Pod Orłem" pub, where he gets drunk in the company of Władek, an old alcoholic who goes mad. Kuba returns home drunk, where a worried Krystyna is waiting for him. The man, unable to see the doctor, falls asleep. He wakes up with pain and fear. Decides to commit suicide by hanging. The feature debut of Wojciech Jerzy Has is an artistically mature film work that has entered the canon of the Polish school.

Director: Wojciech Jerzy Has
Screenplay: Marek Hłasko , Wojciech Jerzy Has
DOP: Mieczysław Jahoda
Editing: Zofia Dwornik
Sound: Bohdan Bieńkowski
Music: Tadeusz Baird
Conductor: Witold Rowicki
Production Design: Roman Wołyniec
Costume designer: Andrzej Cybulski
Make up: Zbigniew Dobracki
Main Cast: Gustaw Holoubek – (Kuba Kowalski), Aleksandra Śląska (Krystyna), Teresa Szmigielówna (Kuba’s old love)

World Sales:
Documentary and Feature Film Studios