''Knights of the Teutonic Order'' (Polish: ''Krzyżacy'') is a 1960

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

film 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 ...

based on the novel of the same name by

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...

. The plot is situated in the late-14th century and early-15th century Poland and centers on the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War (1409-1411) and the final

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg 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 respec ...

(1410). 15,000 extras were employed to create the battle scenes. The film attracted to cinema masses of viewers and remains one of the most attended films in Polish history: it sold 2 million tickets within several months, 14 million after four years and as of 1987, it had some 32,315,695 admissions. It was also exported to forty-six foreign countries, and sold 29.6 million tickets in the Soviet Union and 2,650,700 in the

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, ČSSR, formerly known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic or Fourth Czechoslovak Republic, was the official name of Czechoslovakia from 1960 to 29 March 1990, when it was renamed the Czechoslovak ...

, and was the most successful Polish film internationally. It was a Polish submission to the 33rd Academy Awards. It was released on 15 July 1960, the 550th anniversary of the battle of Grunwald.

Cast

* Grażyna Staniszewska as Danusia Jurandówna * Urszula Modrzyńska as Jagienka ze Zgorzelic *

Mieczysław Kalenik Mieczysław Kalenik (1 January 1933 – 16 June 2017) was a Polish actor. Selected filmography *'' Knights of the Teutonic Order'' (1960) *''The First Day of Freedom'' (1964) *''Stawka większa niż życie'' (television; 1968) *'' Tecumseh'' (197 ...

as Zbyszko z Bogdańca * Aleksander Fogiel as Maćko z Bogdańca *

Andrzej Szalawski Andrzej is the Polish form of the given name Andrew. Notable individuals with the given name Andrzej * Andrzej Bartkowiak (born 1950), Polish film director and cinematographer * Andrzej Bobola, S.J. (1591–1657), Polish saint, missionary and ma ...

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 *

Mieczysław Voit Mieczysław () or Mečislovas (Lithuanian) is a Slavic name of Polish origin and consists of two parts: miecz "sword", and sław "glory, famous". Feminine form: Mieczysława. Alternate form: Mieszko. This name may refer to: People Mečislovas *M ...

as Kuno von Lichtenstein *

Tadeusz Białoszczyński ''Tadeusz'' is a Polish first name, derived from Thaddaeus. Tadeusz may refer to: * Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (1895–1966), Polish military leader * Tadeusz Borowski (1922–1951), Polish writer and The Holocaust survivor * Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński ...

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 Masovian branch, from 1373/74 Duke of Warsaw and ...

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, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Stanislaus County, Cali ...

as Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights Ulrich von Jungingen *

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 Po ...

as King Władysław Jagiełło *

Józef Kostecki Józef Kostecki (1922 - 1980) was a Polish actor. A 1948 graduate of the The Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw, Theatre Academy of Warsaw, he is best known for his role of Grand Duke Vytautas in Aleksander Ford's ''K ...

as Lithuanian duke Witold *

Janusz Strachocki Janusz () is a masculine Poland, Polish given name. It is also the shortened form of January_(given name), January and Januarius. People *Janusz Akermann (born 1957), Polish painter *Janusz Bardach, Polish gulag survivor and physician *Janusz Bie ...

as Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights

Konrad von Jungingen Konrad V von Jungingen (c. 1355 – 30 March 1407) was a grand master of the Teutonic Order in 1393-1407. Under his administration the Teutonic Order would reach their greatest extent. Konrad von Jungingen came from the Swabian League. He join ...

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 Cann ...

as Duchess Anna Danuta, wife of Janusz I of Warsaw *

Cezary Julski Cezary is the Polish version of the given name Caesar. Notable people with the name include: *Cezary Balicki (born 1958), Polish bridge player *Cezary Czpak (born 1982), Polish footballer, playing as a midfielder *Cezary Geroń (1960–1998), Polis ...

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 marshall *

Jerzy Pichelski Jerzy Pichelski (27 November 1903, Saratov – 5 September 1963, Warsaw) was a Polish film and theatre actor. Selected filmography * ''Ostatnia brygada'' (1938) * ''Florian'' (1938) * ''The Three Hearts'' (1939) * '' Border Street'' (1948) * '' ...

as Powala of Taczew

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 {{historic-film-stub