Martin Scorsese and the Polish Film Legacy: A Cinematic Bond

Martin Scorsese and the Polish Film Legacy: A Cinematic Bond

Martin Scorsese is globally renowned for his unparalleled contributions to cinema. A master storyteller, innovator, and historian, Scorsese has always looked beyond American borders to draw inspiration from world cinema. One of his deepest and most personal cultural connections has been with Polish cinema. From the postwar masterpieces of Andrzej Wajda to the philosophical dramas of Krzysztof Kieslowski, Polish filmmakers have profoundly influenced Scorsese's artistic vision. Over the decades, he has returned this admiration with action—not only citing Polish films as some of his favorites but also working to restore and promote them to global audiences.

This article explores the rich and multilayered relationship between Martin Scorsese and Polish cinema: a story of influence, admiration, and preservation.

First Encounters: Wajda, Kieslowski, and the Polish Film School

Scorsese's exposure to Polish film began during his formative years as a film student at NYU in the 1960s. It was there that he encountered the works of Andrzej Wajda, the towering figure of postwar Polish cinema. Wajda's "war trilogy" — A Generation (1955), Kanał (1957), and Ashes and Diamonds (1958) — left a lasting impression on the young director. These films depicted the devastation of war and the disillusionment of postwar reality with rawness and lyrical depth that was rare for the time.

“It announced the arrival of a master filmmaker,” Scorsese later said of Ashes and Diamonds.

Scorsese would go on to discover the existential mysteries of Wojciech Has (The Saragossa Manuscript), the psychological intensity of Jerzy Kawalerowicz (Mother Joan of the Angels), and the spiritual and moral ambiguity of Krzysztof Kieslowski, particularly through his Three Colors trilogy and The Decalogue.

These directors, each in their own way, used cinema not just to entertain, but to wrestle with truth, identity, oppression, and human imperfection—themes that also define Scorsese's own work.

A Dialogue of Influence

It’s not difficult to trace the influence of Polish cinema in Scorsese's films. His best-known works often grapple with moral ambiguity (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Silence), explore internal spiritual struggle (The Last Temptation of Christ, Bringing Out the Dead), and place individual agency within broader social collapse—all hallmarks of Polish narrative cinema.

Like Polish auteurs, Scorsese treats cinema as a moral arena, where characters navigate personal guilt, historical trauma, and existential doubt. There is a shared intensity, a shared desire to use film as a means of both self-reflection and social commentary. In many ways, Polish cinema gave Scorsese a vocabulary to explore the conflicts closest to his heart.

Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema

In 2014, Scorsese's connection to Polish film took on a historic new dimension. In collaboration with the Polish Film Institute, Milestone Films, and The Film Foundation (which Scorsese founded), he launched the project "Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema."

This ambitious restoration and touring series introduced 21 newly restored Polish classics to American and international audiences. Scorsese hand-selected each film, curating the collection as a celebration of Polish cinematic artistry.

Among the titles were:

• Ashes and Diamonds (Andrzej Wajda)
• The Saragossa Manuscript (Wojciech Has)
• Knife in the Water (Roman Polanski)
• Night Train (Jerzy Kawalerowicz)
• Blind Chance (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
• Man of Marble (Andrzej Wajda)
• Eroica (Andrzej Munk)

These films toured major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, London, and Toronto, reintroducing Polish masterpieces to theaters and a new generation of cinephiles.

Scorsese’s introduction to the retrospective was as passionate as it was scholarly:

“These films were so powerful, so deeply moving, and so beautifully made that they changed my view of cinema forever.”

The restoration effort was also a powerful act of cultural preservation. Many of these films had been inaccessible or degraded for years. Through Scorsese’s initiative, they were given new life.

Honors and Recognition from Poland

Scorsese’s efforts to champion Polish cinema have not gone unnoticed. In 2011, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the National Film School in Łódź, the same institution that trained Wajda, Polanski, and Kieslowski. In his acceptance speech, he remarked:

“I feel like I'm a part of this school and that I attended it.”

In 2017, the Polish government awarded Scorsese the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis, Poland’s highest cultural honor. It was a fitting recognition of a filmmaker who has done as much to honor Polish cinema abroad as any native ambassador.

Shared Themes, Shared Spirit

Why has Polish cinema resonated so deeply with Scorsese? Perhaps it is because both he and the Polish directors he admires come from cultures with deep historical wounds. Both have turned to film to work through questions of guilt, redemption, and identity.

Polish films often explore the space between individual conscience and collective trauma. So does Scorsese’s work. From Mean Streets to Silence, his characters are torn between worlds—between moral law and survival, sin and salvation, family and individual will. These conflicts echo those in Kanał, Man of Marble, or The Decalogue.

Moreover, Polish cinema is marked by its philosophical depth and poetic imagery. Wajda, Has, and Kieslowski crafted cinema of introspection and symbolism—a sensibility that has found a natural admirer in Scorsese.

A Living Legacy

Martin Scorsese’s devotion to Polish cinema is more than admiration—it’s an active dialogue. Through screenings, restorations, and tributes, he has ensured that Polish filmmakers are not just remembered but rediscovered.

As Scorsese opens the 2025 New York Polish Film Festival with a personal tribute to Andrzej Wajda and introduces a gala screening of Ashes and Diamonds, the cinematic circle continues. Wajda’s legacy lives on in Scorsese’s passion, and in every audience that sits down to experience the raw brilliance of Polish film.

In a world where memory can be fragile and borders too easily built, Scorsese’s efforts remind us that cinema is a shared cultural inheritance—one that transcends language, geography, and time.

Explore the full program of the 2025 New York Polish Film Festival and reserve your tickets at https://nypff.com

Photo: Kuznia Zdjec/SFP