Szczęsny Mysłowicz – a documentary film-maker of interwar Cracow

The article presents the work of the engineer Szczęsny Mysłowicz (1890–1946), a little-known and forgotten film-maker active in interwar Cracow, the owner of the ‘Lumen’ Film Institute, who documented the city’s cultural, social, and political life. Mysłowicz’s films are shown against the background of the burgeoning Polish cinematography in that period, with particular consideration of the Cracow themes in the then still few documentaries. The author also used the film literature which has recorded the no longer existing productions of Mysłowicz and of other film companies functioning in Cracow at that time. Presented here are the documentaries relating to Cracow, earlier unknown but recently found in the archives, and also profiles of their makers. Furthermore, the style, character, and significance of the surviving films are discussed.

The article presents the work of the engineer Szczęsny Mysłowicz (1890–1946), a little-known and forgotten film-maker active in interwar Cracow, the owner of the ‘Lumen’ Film Institute, who documented the city’s cultural, social, and political life. Mysłowicz’s films are shown against the background of the burgeoning Polish cinematography in that period, with particular consideration of the Cracow themes in the then still few documentaries. The author also used the film literature which has recorded the no longer existing productions of Mysłowicz and of other film companies functioning in Cracow at that time. Presented here are the documentaries relating to Cracow, earlier unknown but recently found in the archives, and also profiles of their makers. Furthermore, the style, character, and significance of the surviving films are discussed.