The Hexer(film)
The Hexer | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Polish | Wiedźmin |
Directed by | Marek Brodzki |
Screenplay by | Michał Szczerbic |
Based on | The Witcher byAndrzej Sapkowski |
Produced by | Paweł Poppe Lew Rywin |
Starring | Michał Żebrowski Zbigniew Zamachowski Maciej Kozłowski |
Cinematography | Bogdan Stachurski |
Edited by | Wanda Zeman |
Music by | Grzegorz Ciechowski |
Production company | Heritage Films |
Distributed by | Vision Film Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 130 minutes |
Country | Poland |
Language | Polish |
Budget | zł18,820,000 (USD$4.6 million[1]) |
The Hexer[a]orThe Witcher[b](Polish:Wiedźmin) is a 2001 Polishfantasy filmdirected byMarek Brodzkiand written by Michał Szczerbic. It starsMichał ŻebrowskiasGeralt of Rivia.The story is based on the books and stories ofThe Witcherwritten by Polish authorAndrzej Sapkowski.
The13-episode television seriescame out the following year. The film has been described as essentially the then-unreleased television series condensed into a two-hour film, and received very poor reviews from both fans and critics.[2][3]The film was the first attempt to adaptThe Witcheruniverse to cinema.[2]
Premise
[edit]The television series and the film were loosely based on Andrzej Sapkowski'sThe Witcher(Wiedźmin) book series.
Cast
[edit]- Michał ŻebrowskiasGeralt of Rivia
- Zbigniew Zamachowskias Dandelion
- Maciej Kozłowskias Falwick
- Tomasz Saprykas Dermot Marranga
- Kinga Ilgner as Renfri
- Grażyna Wolszczakas Yennefer
- Ewa Wiśniewskaas Calanthe
- Andrzej Chyraas Borch Three Jackdaws
- Anna Dymnaas Nenneke
- Agata Buzekas Pavetta
- Jarosław Boberekas Yarpen Zigrin
- Dorota Kamińska as Eithne
- Wojciech Duryasz as Old Witcher
- Józef Para as Druid of Kaer Morhen
- Daniel Olbrychskias Filavandrel
Production
[edit]The film had a budget of 19 million Polish zlotys,[4]which was very high for contemporary Polish movies.[5]Similarly, the film's marketing campaign had several times the budget of other Polish films of that time, in an attempt to imitateHollywood's super-production.[5]The film was aimed not just at science fiction and fantasy fans, but also at a general audience. To that end, its cast included many stars of Polish cinema, the music was composed by a well-known Polish composer, and the film was tied to a number of other promotional campaigns and related products inspired by the Witcher universe, such as toys and games, as well as the first official English translation ofThe Witcher.[3][5]
The Hexerwas the first film directed byMarek Brodzki.[4]The final release was described as the third version of the film, rearranged and shortened.[6]Some fans initially objected to the casting of several major roles.[7]Their protests, reported in the press, led to a meeting between the producers and the cast and fans, which eventually appeased most of the protesters.[5]Citing two major departures from his original script, screenwriterMichał Szczerbic demanded that his name not appear in the closing credits.[4][8]
Reception
[edit]The film received generally negative reviews after its release and since, with reviewers being generally positive in regard to actors and music, but critical of the plot and special effects.
Marcin Kamiński ofFilmwebconcluded that "it is not a good movie", noting that the plot was chaotic, mixing various adventures and scenes from the book series in a mostly random manner. Kamiński speculated that the film was intended as a glorified trailer forthe subsequent television series.The montage of the scenes was considered so bad that it was said to evoke laughter in the audience, and the special effects were described as low-quality and obsolete. Kamiński did note that the film's saving grace was its actors, praisingMichał Żebrowski,Zbigniew Zamachowski,Grażyna Wolszczak,and others.[6]
Piotr Stasiak of gry-online praised the actors, scenography, costumes, and music, but criticized the fragmentary, incoherent plot, which was apparently due to the producers being unable to agree on the main plot and structure, and trying to summarize all of the key plot elements of the planned TV series episodes into one 2-hour movie.[7]
Bartosz Kotarba of esensja criticized the plot, which "tries to tell too much and ends up telling too little", and the special effects, noting that the plastic dragon used for special effects was so lackluster that it resulted in salvos of laughter in the film audience. The reviewer was also critical of the unnecessary nudity and poor dialogue, though praised the actors for their efforts, as well as the music.[9]
Sapkowski himself in several interviewslaconicallyexpressed his negative opinion about the film: "I can answer only with a single word, an obscene, albeit a short one".[10]"I am a Polish Catholic, it isLentnow; I cannot utter swear words ".[11]
In a 2016 review, Barnaba Siegel of Gazeta.pl referred to the film as "the film we all want to forget".[12]Siegel noted that while some actors were good, others acted as if in a story directed at children. Siegel also criticized some casting decisions, which portrayed then-popular comedy actors in serious roles, making it more difficult for audiences to treat the production as aimed at adults. Siegel was also critical of the plot, special effects, and costuming. He attributed the failures of the production to an inexperienced production crew, in particular director Marek Brodzki.[12]
In a 2018Gazeta Wyborczaretrospective, Maciej Grzenkowicz noted that the film has been "crushed by the reviewers and laughed out by fans".[8]
Filmwebprovides a score of 3.9/10.[13]
The film has been subject to several analyses in academic research. In his 2015 article onThe Hexerfilm and series, Robert Dudziński noted that both became in Poland "widely recognized examples of the weak level ofPolish cinema's entertainment releases and a common butt of jokes of Polish science fiction and fantasy fans ".[5]
Awards
[edit]Despite its poor critical reception, the film received several award nominations in Poland related to its music score byGrzegorz Ciechowski.Ciechowski's music forThe Hexerwon the 2002Polish Film Awardsfor the Best Film Music in 2001, as well as theFryderykaward for the Best 2001 Original Soundtrack.[14]
See also
[edit]- Wiedźmin(album)– the film's soundtrack
- The Witcher– the fantasy series
- List of characters inThe Witcherseries
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Wiedźmin"(in Polish). 8 July 2011.
- ^abCopeland, Wesley (4 September 2018)."There Was a Witcher Movie and Series in 2001".IGN.Retrieved2 October2018.
- ^ab"The Witcher: The Road from Rivia to Hollywood".Culture.pl.Retrieved8 October2018.
- ^abcOMI, Telewizja Polska SA -."Wiedźmin – Telewizja Polska SA".tvp.pl(in Polish).Retrieved2 October2018.
- ^abcdeRobert Dudziński (2015). "Zrozumieć Wiedźmina. Film i serial Marka Brodzkiego a polska kinematografia przełomu wieków".Wiedźmin – bohater masowej wyobraźni(PDF)(in Polish). Stowarzyszenie Badaczy Popkultury i Edukacji Popkulturowej "Trickster". pp. 83–98.
- ^abKamiński, Marcin."Polepione wątki – Recenzja filmu Wiedźmin (2001)".Filmweb(in Polish).Retrieved2 October2018.
- ^abStasiak, Piotr (2001)."Wiedźmin – recenzja filmu".GRY-Online.pl(in Polish).Retrieved2 October2018.
- ^abGrzenkowicz, Maciej (22 August 2018)."Wiedźmin Geralt z Rivii w serialu Netflixa. Początek zdjęć w listopadzie".wyborcza.pl.Retrieved2 October2018.
- ^Kotarba, Bartosz."Esensja:" ONI mogą wszystko "".Esensja.pl(in Polish).Retrieved2 October2018.
- ^"Анджей Сапковский:" Мне пришлось искать свое русло. И я его нашел... "".
- ^"Анджей Сапковский, писатель – Владимир Пузий – МИР ФАНТАСТИКИ И ФЭНТЕЗИ".mirf.ru.
- ^abSiegel, Barnaba."15 lat od premiery Wiedźmina. Filmu, o którym wszyscy chcielibyśmy zapomnieć".gazetapl(in Polish).Retrieved2 October2018.
- ^"Wiedźmin"(in Polish).Retrieved2 October2018.
- ^"WIEDŹMIN".FilmPolski(in Polish).Retrieved2 October2018.