I was deeply convinced that I ought to make this kind of film
although I'd never made films on commission, but I thought this time it's either or.
The more I observed those events that took place there,
the more I supported what had happened, and the more convinced I became, on my return to Warsaw,
that this was a moment,
an amazing moment in the history of our land which wouldn't repeat itself;
perhaps after a while I could make
a beautiful, profound film about these events,
made deeper through a knowledge of history,
but it was important to make the film at that moment,
which was an 'either or' moment.
I quickly contacted Aleksander Ścibor-Rylski
who'd written the screenplay for 'Man of Marble'
because it was obvious that only he could write this.
I supplied him with accounts of all sorts of events and anecdotes that I'd heard in the meantime along the coast.
He, too, was very well versed in what was going on,
and so we gradually began to put together a screenplay, mostly by him.
But this screenplay couldn't be put down on paper
for the simple reason that we didn't know much.
Conspirators didn't tell us about their adventures
because they were conspirators.
This is perhaps a very important moment when you need to know one thing.
Many intellectuals signed protest letters
but I never did that because I knew that I had to decide:
either I was going to make films, or I was going to be an artist who doesn't make films but signs protest letters.
I couldn't have made films like
'Man of Marble' or 'Rough Treatment' or 'The Conductor'
and at the same time have pretended that I had no idea of what was going on,
but still been part of the opposition. No.
It seemed to me that one group was doing one thing, another group was doing something else and a third something else again.
In a nutshell,
on one side you had those who were imprisoned for their beliefs,
on the other you had those who guided by their beliefs
made the kind of political films they were able to make at that time,
and on still another you had those who were trying
to get these films released the way that Józef Tejchma was.
And if there were events in Poland
like the formation of Solidarność along the coast,
it was only thanks to the fact that in various environments
and social groups, in different places
people tried in whatever way they could, in proportion to their talent, like me for example,
or their courage, like those who took a direct part
in political protests,
and like those who dared to help get our films released
and in this way arouse a political consciousness.
All of these things constituted the amazing event that was Solidarność,
and I had no doubt that it would prosper.
Here I have to say that I was a pessimist
and I won't describe the making of the film and I won't describe the making itself of the film because perhaps it wasn't all that interesting
except to say that we tried to keep up with events.