THE END OF ILLUSIONS. FILM VERSUS MARCH 68 - MACIEJ PIETRZAK

March '68 is undoubtedly one of the most complex and controversial dates in the history of the Polish People's Republic. The memory of it eludes unambiguous qualifications and, regardless of the era, can become a source of heated disputes and debates. The crisis of 1968 differs in many aspects from the other "Polish months" around which the story of the era of real socialism used to focus. Unlike the October thaw or the post-August carnival, it was not associated with a collective experience of euphoria. Its insurrectionary character is less pronounced than the blood-soaked revolts of June '56 and December '70.

• In-depth analysis of the impact of March '68 on Polish cinema.
• Reconstruction of narratives creating the "March polyphony" in film.
• Presentation of film as a mirror of dominant discourses.
• Active creation of cultural memory of the March events.
• Multifaceted approach to March '68 in Polish film literature.
• Courageous dissertation, dialogically constructed and multifaceted.
• History of film struggles with March representations.

The book "The End of Illusions" reconstructs how the narratives creating the "March polyphony" were revealed in various registers of film creation over more than five decades separating us from those events. It presents film not only as a mirror of the discourses dominant at the time, but also as a space for actively creating the cultural memory of the March events. Maciej Pietrzak managed, on the one hand, to reconstruct a map of film representations of the discussed phenomenon, and on the other hand, to show the semantic potential contained in every attempt, not only holistic, to capture March 1968.

This publication is a courageous, multifaceted and dialogically constructed dissertation, being the most complete, so far in Polish literature, history of film struggles with March representations, heritage and political myths. The author, Maciej Pietrzak, is a film scholar and assistant professor at the Institute of Film, Media and Audiovisual Arts of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. His research interests focus primarily on film manifestations of cultural memory and transnational film exchange. He is the author of scientific articles devoted to Polish and Israeli cinema. He is currently implementing a research project devoted to the distribution of Polish films in Israel.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the Polish People's Republic, Polish cinema and the impact of the March '68 events on culture and art. Thanks to in-depth analysis and reconstruction of narratives, the reader gains a unique insight into the complexity and controversy of this historical period. This publication is a valuable source of knowledge for researchers, students and all enthusiasts of history and film.