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1 A chronological biography of Zbigniew Cynkutis
1938
18 August
Born in SuwaÅki, northeast Poland.
1939
September
His father is mobilized and disappears without trace.
Together with his mother and sister, he spends the period of occupation (1939ā45) in a village near SokoÅĆ³w Podlaski, eastern Poland. After this, all three move west to ÅĆ³dÅŗ. There he starts school, during which he is an active member of the Association of Polish Youth (from 1952), leader of his class group and member of the Society of PolishāRussian Friendship.
1956
9 April
Submits an application to the Acting Department in the State Higher School of Theatre and Film in ÅĆ³dÅŗ.
3 May
The Drama School Committee of Recruitment supports the application.
5 July
The State Higher School of Theatre and Film entry examination questions are:
ā¢ On what does MoliĆØreās immortality depend?
ā¢ How do I understand the terms: style, convention, composition?
ā¢ The actorās creativity.
ā¢ The actor and an ordinary person in front of the lens.
His answers to the last two questions are:
The creativity of the actor develops from the many activities and ideals with which the actor should be engaged. This demands tremendous work on the self and the strength to interpret a role responsibly. For a good interpretation one has to accumulate knowledge and a precise study of the epoch in which the recreated character existed; skill in acquiring the mentality which ruled the way of life of a given epoch; appropriate mime and gestures; complete giving of the self to the character one is revealing. I like immensely the creativity in [Laurence] Olivierās acting, whose every gesture, every movement, is comprehensible and therefore beautiful.
An actor is a person of great intelligence and the role created by him is the result of immense work and long and often arduous study. Therefore, the role played by an actor is natural. An actor uses for his interpretation specific capabilities acquired over many years through the study of acting and through practice. An actor may play many roles. An ordinary person may play in front of the camera only that role which is his everyday work.
6 July
He is accepted for one year of study starting in September.
1958
Performs in television serial Podziemny Front (Underground Front).
1959
12 January
Premiere of the feature film Zamach (Assassination) directed by Jerzy Passendorfer. Plays the role of Zawada, while still a student.
1960
4 February
ÅĆ³dÅŗ. Teatr Powszechny (Popular Theatre). Premiere by diploma graduates from the (newly named) Leon Schiller State Higher School of Theatre and Film of Sasiedzi: Klub kawalerĆ³w (Neighbours: The Bachelorsā Club) (1890) by Micha#x0142; BaÅucki directed by Adam Daniewicz. Plays the role of NieÅmiaÅowski.
May
MoliĆØreās Les Femmes Savantes (The Learned Ladies) (1672), the acting departmentās diploma workshop. Plays the role of Regent.
21 June
Marries Maria Gregorek.
28 June
Defends his MA thesis.
Passes the Leon Schiller State Higher School of Theatre and Film acting department diploma exam with a good result and receives diploma no. 207, which awards him the title of Master of Arts.
Figure 1.1 | Zbigniew Cynkutis in Zamach, directed by Jerzy Passendorfer, 1958. Photograph: Witold Mickiewicz. |
Figure 1.2 | Zbigniew Cynkutis. Screen test photograph for Lotna, directed by Andrzej Wajda, 1959. Cynkutis was not in the final film. Photograph: Antoni NurzyÅski. |
It was June of 1960. The post-diploma mood was not yet sullied by any mistrust. As a 22-year old I stood at the beginning of the expedition and nothing indicated that I had any reason to expect that I would break away from a four-year education in arming myself with aesthetic gestures, masquerading voices, worn-out masks, the recitation of words, painting the face and decorating the body with costumes. Instead the future promised a safe stroll from season to season, like an arduous inching up the career ladder, grabbing at favourable winds leading to radio and television studios, films or theatre stages. Meeting older students who had earlier on entered into the acting profession dampened oneās dreams. Observation of their fate didnāt awaken any enthusiasm, didnāt excite and ā¦ didnāt frighten. The theatres to which we were drawn floated like lazy boats on muddy lagoons. Social storms and critical thunderbolts sank into their oozing, shallow beds. Personally, a soothing fact was that the director engaging me didnāt ask anyt...
