Remembering screen legend Zbigniew Cybulski
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
11.01.2013 09:55
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A look into the legacy of Zbigniew Cybulski
The celebrated actor, dubbed “the Polish James Dean,” fell to his death this week in January 1967.
Zbigniew Cybulski: photo from Mariola Pryzwan's recent book 'Cybulski o Sobie' (Cybulski about himself): Wydawnictwo MG/press materials
“We all used to worship Cybulski,” British film-maker Michael Radford told our reporter Nick Hodge.
The director of Il Postino and 1984 described the Polish star as “a kind of damned hero,” adding that “we all thought he was the coolest thing on earth.”
Of all the Polish stars of the silver screen, perhaps only silent era siren Pola Negri can compete with Cybulski in the stakes for iconic status.
His accidental death beneath the wheels of a Warsaw-bound train only served to burnish the legend.
In this report, Polish critic Michał Oleszczyk reflects on the qualities that set Cybulski apart from his peers.
Meanwhile, British critic Michael Brooke talks about his favourite Cybulski roles.