''Szamanka'' () is a 1996 erotic

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film directed by

Andrzej Żuławski Andrzej Żuławski (; 22 November 1940 – 17 February 2016) was a Polish film director and writer. Żuławski often went against mainstream commercialism in his films, and enjoyed success mostly with European art-house audiences. In the late 1 ...

and adapted from a screenplay by

Manuela Gretkowska Manuela Gretkowska (6 October 1964) is a Polish writer, screenwriter, feminist and politician. She is the foundress of the Feminist Initiative. Biography Manuela Gretkowska was born in Łódź and studied philosophy at Jagiellonian Universit ...

. The film, which was controversial upon its release in Poland, follows the obsessive relationship between an anthropology professor and a strange young woman only known as the "Italian". The title is the feminine form of the word "

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spir ...

" in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

Plot

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, a student only known as "the Italian" (Polish: ''Włoszka''), played by :pl:Iwona Petry, is on the search for an apartment. The Italian, a beautiful and free spirit, is originally from the countryside. During her search, she meets

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

professor Michał ( Bogusław Linda), who agrees to rent to her an apartment that was occupied by his brother. The business is concluded by a violent sex scene between the two in the empty apartment. Michał is engaged with Anna ( Agnieszka Wagner), an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and the daughter of his boss. During excavations with his students and his younger colleague Juliuz (

Paweł Deląg Paweł Maciej Deląg (born 29 April 1970 in Kraków) is a Polish actor. Filmography * ''Schindler's List'' (''Lista Schindlera'', 1993, USA) - Dolek Horowitz * ''Death In Shallow Water'' (''Halal sekely vizben'', 1994, Hungary) - Peter * ''Fitn ...

), they find the well-conserved, more than two thousand years old corpse of a

. In the laboratory, they study the

mummified A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay furt ...

body, which is covered in mystical

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

s and is found to have a pouch of

hallucinogenic Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorized ...

mushrooms. They try to determine the cause of the shaman's death, which does not seem to be natural since the back of his skull has been crushed. They speculate the act was perhaps done to release his spirit after death. Michał's life is turned upside down by the discovery of the shaman's body and his increasingly obsessive love affair with the Italian. He breaks up with his fiancée Anna and his friends. He tries to tame the Italian, but she resists his attempts at domination. In the laboratory, the researchers consume the shaman's mushrooms, and in a delirium attempt to bring him back to life. In a moment of illumination, Michał speaks with the spirit of the shaman who reveals that he was killed by a woman who wanted to capture his magic power. Michał, who now regards himself as free and lucid, breaks up with the Italian. She bludgeons him to death, crushing the back of his skull, like the shaman's, and she eats his brain.

Production

The screenplay had been written by

, a Polish writer and feminist. The screenplay had initially been rejected by

Polish Television Telewizja Polska S.A. (; "Polish Television"; TVP), also known in English as the public Polish Television is a Polish state media corporation. It is the largest Polish television network, although viewership has been declining in the 2010s. Since ...

due to its "controversial" content. The production was then financed by '' Canal + Polska'', ''Visa Films'', the French ''Compagnie des Films'', and several private investors. Actor Iwona Petry was chosen by Director Żuławski after he met her accidentally in a café in Warsaw. Petry was at the time a

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

student, with no previous acting experience. Although there were rumors in the Polish press that Żuławski used voodoo to improve the performance of Petry, she was in fact trained by French coach Harmel Sbraire, who had previously worked with

Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer. She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...

. Bogusław Linda was chosen for the role of Michał because of his star status in Poland. Żuławski and Linda had a difficult relationship on the set and the two were even bitterly commenting on each other in the Polish press. Nevertheless, after completion of the film Żuławski called Linda a "charismatic actor". The soundtrack was written by composer Andrzej Korzyński, who had also written the soundtrack for Żuławski's previous films '' Possession'', '' The Silver Globe'', and ''My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days''. It is an electronic score and relies on two main themes. The first main theme, ''Szamanka'', is used primarily in mood transition scenes. The second main theme, ''Zdrowas Mario'', is used first in the sex scene between the "Italian" and Michał. The film was shot in

and

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. In Warsaw, shooting took place at the

Warszawa Centralna railway station Warszawa Centralna, in English known as Warsaw Central Station, is the primary railway station in Warsaw, Poland. Completed in 1975, the station is located on the Warsaw Cross-City Line and features four underground island platforms with eight tr ...

, in the

Praga Północ Praga is a district of Warsaw, Poland. It is on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter. History The historical Praga was a small settlement located at ...

district, and in the main administration building of the Polish railway PKP. In Kraków, the film was shot at the

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

and the University of Science and Technology.

Responses

The film generated some controversy in Poland due to its explicit depiction of sex and its criticism of traditional morality and

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Due to its scandalous nature, it was nicknamed "Last Tango in Warsaw" by Polish critics. Polish authorities permitted only a limited release, allowing just two late screenings a day in select theaters. In Poland, the film sold about 400,000 tickets. In France, the film had a limited theatrical release and sold 11,150 tickets. ''Szamanka'' was also screened at the

53rd Venice International Film Festival The 53rd annual Venice International Film Festival was held between 28 August to 7 September 1996. Jury The following people comprised the 1996 jury: * Roman Polanski (head of jury) * Paul Auster * Souleymane Cissé * Mrinal Sen * Callisto ...

. ''Variety'' wrote that the picture "may please rebellious youth at home and the

voyeur Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". ...

crowd abroad, but few others will sit through this overlong study of straining faces, quivering limbs and random violence, whose larger message somehow gets lost as the number of sex scenes reaches double digits."

References

External links

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Szamanka
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Official Homepage of Andrzej Żuławski
{{Andrzej Żuławski 1996 films 1996 drama films 1996 horror films 1990s avant-garde and experimental films 1990s erotic drama films 1990s erotic thriller films 1990s horror drama films 1990s horror thriller films Erotic horror films Films about educators Films directed by Andrzej Żuławski Films set in Warsaw Films shot in Kraków Films shot in Warsaw French avant-garde and experimental films French erotic drama films French erotic thriller films French horror drama films French horror thriller films Polish avant-garde and experimental films Polish erotic drama films Polish horror films Polish thriller films Swiss avant-garde and experimental films Swiss horror thriller films 1990s French films

Plot

Production

Responses

See also

References

External links