Górni Family Archive

This longest film from the life of the Górny family was made in 1968–1969 and covers the period from the wedding of Urszula and Paweł Górny to the infancy of their daughter, Katarzyna. It begins with a double wedding, traditional for the period of the Polish People’s Republic, the civil and church one. The bride and groom take the marriage oath in the Civil Registry Office at ul. Słowackiego in Żoliborz (currently the District Office is located there), and then in the Church of Our Lady Queen of Poland in Warsaw’s Marymont, at ul. Gdańska. In the following shots, we can see Urszula Górna, who puts on make-up and banters with the camera operator, her husband (Paweł). She bustles around the house and stands on the sun-drenched terrace – in each subsequent scene in a more visible pregnancy. Her daughter – Kasia is to be born at the end of July 1968. On the terrace, she is accompanied by her aunt (Hanka) – an elderly woman who lived with the Górny family and was considered by everyone to be its real family member, although, formally, she was just a housekeeper. Urszula is joined by her younger brother, Zdzisław, dressed in striped shorts. They talk and banter. Her brother jokingly presents his muscles to the camera. The next shot on the terrace presents Ursula’s second brother, Leszek, and their beloved dog (Zorka). Near the house, grandmother Józefina Neske picks up cherries. In the following scenes, the already expected child appears – Katarzyna Górna, who was born on July 28, 1968. The girl is carefully cared for by her mother: she hugs her and breastfeeds her. Then we witness the arrival of Janina Neske, called Nina, to Poland. She is in advanced pregnancy. She came to the country to give birth to the child. She lives in England, in the north of London. She is picked up from the station by Katarzyna Górna’s grandparents, Stanisław and Józefina. They return home to Żoliborz in their family Wartburg, the best, according to Stanisław, car available at that time. Then, we can see genre scenes from the life of the family: taking care of little Kasia, walks, feedings. Gradually, Kasia’s toys begin to play an increasingly more important role in the film, and Paweł Górny’s passion for experimenting comes to light. This avid constructor and family inventor (he built a color TV himself from the components bought on Wolumen market) and a passionate photographer adds animation elements into the family film. The toys appear, disappear and move spontaneously. On the armchair on the terrace, men reading newspapers appear and disappear. The end of the film is a demonstration of Kasia’s newly acquired skills – the girl walks on her own around the apartment and terrace, climbs the balustrade and explores the garden.

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