PL | 1970 | 65 min
reż|dir Marek Piwowski prod|pro Tadeusz Urbanowicz scen|wr Andrzej Barszczynski, Janusz Glowacki, Jerzy Karaszkiewicz Marek Piwowski zdj|ph Marek Nowicki muz|mus Wojciech Kilar mon|ed Lidia Pacewicz ob|cast Stanislaw Tym, Jolanta Lothe, Jerzy Dobrowolski, Wanda Stanislawska-Lothe, Andrzej Dobosz, Feridun Erol, Jan Himilsbach, Zdzisław Maklakiewicz, Wojciech Pokora dys|dis Kino RP

Aboard a certain tourist ship a quiz is takin place. The Cultural Coordinator (Stanisław Tym) asks the first question: “What is the name of a city on the Vistula river? As a hint: it is also the name of a great Polish king.” A mysterious comment can be heard: “Mr Kazimierz, do you have the key (Polish – ‘klucz’) to the cabin?” The Coordinator reacts: “No more hints, please,” while a quiz participant, unaffected, answers: “Kluczbork!”

This is just one of many dialogues from “The cruise” which entered Polish vernacular. The improvisational comedy by Marek Piwowski undoubtedly deserves its cult status. While after the events of March ‘68 Poland was grey and bereft of prospects, a group of artists and a director, along with Janusz Głowacki and Stanisław Tym, found a legion of natural, non-professional actors, took with them a camera and set off on a crazy cruise along the Vistula. The result – an incredibly funny satire on the system and Polish mentality of the times, extremely modern in its casual form.

Marek Piwowski (1935)
Polish director and scriptwriter. Graduated from journalism at the Warsaw University in 1963, and in 1967 – from directing at the Film School (PWSFTViT) in Łódź. He made himself known at the Film School thanks to his extraordinary inventiveness and creativity. During Kirk Douglas’ visit at the university, Piwowski, without permission, enacted a Wild West episode in which the celebrity had to partake (whether he wanted to or not). That short film (“Kirk Douglas” 1966) was later awarded the Grand Prix at a festival in Amsterdam. Known primarily as the maker of “The Cruise.”