Morzyszek Family Archive

collection Morzyszek Family Archive
authors Joanna Morzyszek; Paweł Morzyszek
starring Ewa Morzyszek; Joanna Morzyszek; Paweł Morzyszek; Tomasz Morzyszek
length 07'51
country Poland
locations Dresden, Germany  Kunice Żarskie, Poland  Meissen, Germany  Rytro, Poland  Tęgoborze, Poland 
year 1969
format 8 mm
color black and white
signature PAFD 0047 006
description

This collection of films was recorded by a married couple, Paweł and Joanna Morzyszek. Amateur films shot on 8 mm and Super 8 film reels document family life: celebrations, holidays, vacations, and travels. The archive covers materials from a 20-year period, from 1968 to 1988, which allow us to follow the growing up of Paweł and Joanna’s children – Ewa and Tomek – and their granddaughters – Agata and Anna.
Part 1
Initially, the film is overexposed and blurry. Figures of marching people emerge from the visual noise.
Part 2
Brief shots of a modernist apartment block and a small church. A mountainous landscape is visible in the background.
Part 3
Brief shots of a wedding procession. The newlyweds are walking down a country road, accompanied by wedding guests and a band.
Part 4
Scenes of summer recreation in the mountains. A family with a dog is camping by a lake surrounded by hills. Joanna Morzyszek is picking lupins in a meadow. A holiday resort canteen during mealtime. Mountainous landscape with castle ruins in Rytro. People are strolling along a mountain river which carries barges downstream.
Part 5
The Morzyszek family is walking the streets of Meissen. The camera captures fragments of the gothic facade of the Meissen Cathedral, a panoramic view from an elevation, and a view of Fleischergasse street. The following shots are from Dresden. The camera follows their sightseeing tour around the city – street views, the river, the Church of the Holy Cross – documenting new modernist buildings and baroque ruins. The next series of shots comes from Moritzburg Palace, showing its courtyard and park surroundings. In subsequent frames, the family is taking a ferry ride on the river. The camera observes low-rise, old buildings, pre-war apartment houses, and a TV tower in the distance. Later, the urban landscape gives way to mountains – the riverbank is surrounded by forests and rocks. Several shots show ferry passengers talking, smoking cigarettes, and drinking beer. One can recognize Joanna and Paweł Morzyszek in the shots.
Part 6
The family – Paweł, Ewa, and Tomek Morzyszek – pose by their car in front of an old, pre-war apartment building.

(WO)

keywords vacation  mountains  camping  lake  river  wedding  wedding reception  dinner  canteen  meadow  ruins  ferry  car 
source of funding Polish Film Institute