''Knights of the Teutonic Order'' (), also known as ''Knights of the Black Cross'', is a 1960 Polish

historical epic Epic films have large scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The term is slightly ambiguous, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply big-budget films. Like epics in the classical literary sense, it is often focused on a hero ...

film adapted from a 1900 novel by

Nobel laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish epic writer. He is remembered for his historical novels, such as The Trilogy, the Trilogy series and especially ...

. Directed by

Aleksander Ford Aleksander Ford (born Mosze Lifszyc; 24 November 1908 in Kiev, Russian Empire – 4 April 1980 in Naples, Florida, United States, U.S.) was a Polish film director and head of the Polish People's Army of Poland, People's Army Film Crew in the Sov ...

, it is one of the most successful movies in the

cinema of Poland The history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as the history of cinematography, and it has universally recognized achievements, even though Polish films tend to be less commercially available than films from several other European nations. A ...

. The plot is situated in late-14th century and early-15th century Poland and centers on the

Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War The Polish–Lithuanian — Teutonic War, also known as the Great Teutonic War, occurred between 1409 and 1411 between the Teutonic Knights and the allied History of Poland (1385–1569), Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Inspired ...

and the climactic

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), a ...

in 1410. For the battle scenes, 15,000 extras were hired. The release date of 15 July 1960 was also the battle's 550th anniversary. The film attracted huge audiences: it sold 14 million tickets in its first four years of release and had more than thirty million viewers as of 2000, making it the most popular film ever screened in Poland. It was later exported to 46 foreign countries, selling 29.6 million tickets in the Soviet Union and a further 2.6 million tickets in the

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak: ''Československá socialistická republika'', ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (''Československá republika)'', Fourth Czecho ...

. It was the most successful Polish film internationally and a Polish submission to the

33rd Academy Awards The 33rd Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1960, were held on April 17, 1961, hosted by Bob Hope at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. This was the first ceremony to be aired on ABC television, which ha ...

Cast

* Grażyna Staniszewska as Danusia Jurandówna *

Urszula Modrzyńska Urszula Modrzyńska (; 23 February 1928 – 11 December 2010) was a Polish stage and film actress. Modrzyńska began her career on stage in 1949 in Wilam Horzyca Theater in Toruń. In the 1950s and 1960 she played several memorable parts in movie ...

as Jagienka ze Zgorzelic * Mieczysław Kalenik as Zbyszko z Bogdańca * Aleksander Fogiel as Maćko z Bogdańca * Andrzej Szalawski as Jurand ze Spychowa *

Leon Niemczyk Leon Stanisław Niemczyk (15 December 1923 – 29 November 2006) was a Polish actor. Niemczyk developed into a leading box-office star throughout the 1960s, known for serious dramas, including historical dramas and war films. He appeared in over ...

as Fulko de Lorche *

Henryk Borowski Henryk Borowski (14 February 1910 in Płock – 13 November 1991 in Warsaw) was a Polish theater, radio and film actor.

as Zygfryd de Löwe * Tadeusz Białoszczyński as Duke

Janusz I of Warsaw Janusz I of Warsaw (pl: ''Janusz I warszawski''), also known as Janusz I the Old (pl: ''Janusz I Starszy'') (c. 1347/52 – 8 December 1429), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast in the Dukes of Masovia, Masovian branch, from 1373/74 D ...

Emil Karewicz Emil Karewicz (13 March 1923 – 18 March 2020) was a Polish actor. Early life His acting career began in Wilno, at the local theatre, where he played the role of a monkey in the "Quartet" by Ivan Krylov. During World War II he served in the Pol ...

as King

Władysław Jagiełło Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: People Mononym * Włodzis ...

* Józef Kostecki as Lithuanian Grand Duke

Vytautas the Great Vytautas the Great (; 27 October 1430) was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno (1370–1382), prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites. In modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revere ...

Lucyna Winnicka Lucyna Winnicka (14 July 1928 – 22 January 2013) was a Polish actress. She appeared in 21 films between 1954 and 1978. She played the lead role in the film '' Mother Joan of the Angels'', which won the Special Jury Prize at the 1961 Can ...

as Duchess

Danutė of Lithuania Danutė of Lithuania (baptized ''Anna''; – 26 November 1424), was a Lithuanian princess of the Gediminids, Gediminid dynasty and by marriage Duchess of Warsaw. She was a daughter of Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his second wife, Biru ...

, wife of Janusz I of Warsaw * Cezary Julski as

Zawisza Czarny }), he was revered as a brave knight. A monument to Zawisza at Golubac Fortress bears the inscription: "In Golubac, his life was taken by the Turks in 1428, the famous Polish knight, the symbol of courage and honor, Zawisza the Black. Glory to the ...

* Jerzy Kozakiewicz as Cztan z Rogowa *

Janusz Paluszkiewicz Janusz Paluszkiewicz (20 March 1912 – 19 February 1990) was a Polish actor. He appeared in more than 50 films and television shows between 1952 and 1988. Filmography References External links * 1912 births 1990 deaths Polish ma ...

as royal marshal * Jerzy Pichelski as Powala of Taczew *

Stanisław Jasiukiewicz Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, Kherson Oblast, a coastal village in Ukraine * Stanislaus County, ...

Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights The grand master of the Teutonic Order (; ) is the supreme head of the Teutonic Order. It is equivalent to the Grand master (order), grand master of other Military order (religious society), military orders and the superior general in non-milit ...

Ulrich von Jungingen Ulrich von Jungingen (1360 – 15 July 1410) was the 26th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1407 to 1410. His policy of confrontation with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland would spark the Polish–Lithuan ...

* Mieczysław Voit as Kuno von Lichtenstein * Janusz Strachocki as Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights

Konrad von Jungingen Konrad von Jungingen (c. 1355 – 30 March 1407) was a Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1393 to 1407. Under his administration, the Teutonic Order would reach its greatest extent. Konrad von Jungingen came from the Swabian League and jo ...

References

External links

* * *
Krzyżacy
at FilmPolski.pl 1960 films 1960s historical films Polish historical films 1960s Polish-language films Films based on works by Henryk Sienkiewicz Films directed by Aleksander Ford Films set in the 1400s Films set in the 1410s Films set in the 14th century Films set in Poland War epic films Films based on actual events Films based on Polish novels Cultural depictions of Jan Žižka Polish epic films Films set in Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship {{historic-film-stub