Augustyniak Family Archive

collection Augustyniak Family Archive
authors Stanisław Augustyniak
length 08'38
country Poland
locations Gdańsk, Poland 
year 1989
format 8 mm
color black and white
signature PAFD 0051 001
description

The author of the film is Stanisław Augustyniak (born in 1920 in Warta, died in 1997 in Gdynia). He completed seven grades of primary school and mastered several trades – he was a shoemaker, tailor, furrier, plumber, carpenter, locksmith, and knew his way around electrical installations. In 1938, he went to Warsaw hoping to continue his education, but to no avail. Eventually, he enlisted in the navy in Gdynia and in 1939 ended up on ORP “Gryf”. He participated in the September Campaign as an artillery operator and member of the crew defending the peninsula. After the capitulation, he was taken into German captivity and imprisoned in the Woldenberg camp, and then assigned to work at Paul Schwartz’s inn in Wollin. There he met his future wife, Anna Witkowska, who worked at Lehmann’s, Schwartz’s neighbor. After returning to Poland, the couple had a modest wedding, and in 1946 their only son Bolesław was born. The family moved to Gdynia, where Stanisław began working as a sailor, sailing for the next 30 years in PLO under the Polish merchant flag. His amateur 8-millimeter films come from this period, which also feature his wife Anna, who accompanied him on several sailings. After finishing his work at sea, Stanisław focused on family life, dedicating much time to his cherished allotment garden in Gdynia.
Part 1
A sequence of short shots in a garden. The family is talking at a table. Children are running around and playing on a swing.
Part 2
The camera observes a crowd gathered at the Gdańsk Shipyard during U.S. President George H. W. Bush’s visit in July 1989. The participants of the gathering are holding banners with anti-communist slogans.
Part 3
Two short crime scenes featuring two boys. The teenagers are acting out an assault – one plays the aggressor, the other his victim.
Part 4
A series of city shots taken from a window of a tall building. The footage is blurry and overexposed, but one can discern cars in the parking lot, pedestrians on the street, and a phone booth.
Part 5
Two short crime scenes featuring two boys. In the first scene, one boy plays a secret agent, the other his accomplice. The agent hands over a briefcase to the accomplice. In the second scene, one boy is a passerby in the park, the other – an aggressor. The aggressor strikes the passerby with a stick and robs him.

(WO)

keywords children  garden  swing  family  assault  city  street  car  briefcase  play 
source of funding Polish Film Institute