The criminal who stole a cirime
Janusz Majewski
1969, 1 h 34 minForced to retire early because of his health problems, captain Siwy goes back to
an old case which still bugs him. Who was the true killer of the beautiful Ewa
Salm, known across the Warsaw nightclubs as the Princess? Was something
overlooked during the investigation?
The cream of Polish actors in a film deemed to be the best of its genre. Janusz
Majewski’s “The Criminal Who Stole a Crime” is a clash between a crime mystery
and an intriguing film form, it blends paradocumentary elements, shots
from a reporter’s camera and interestingly framed scenes of questionings. The
film’s greatest advantage is, undoubtedly, the realistic picture of Warsaw’s criminal
nightlife, with its dens, collapsing tenement houses of the Praga quarter
and scoundrels hanging around notorious restaurants.
A screen adaptation of Krzysztof Kąkolewski’s novel awarded in a contest organised
by the Headquarters of the Citizens’ Militia.
written by Krzysztof Kąkolewski, Janusz Majewski wg powieści Krzysztofa Kąkolewskiego
director of cinematography Antoni Nurzyński
edited by Tomira Matyjaszkiewicz
costumes Alicja Ptaszyńska
art direction Tadeusz Wybult
music Wojciech Kilar
cast Zygmunt Hübner, Barbara Brylska, Ryszard Filipski, Piotr Pawłowski,
Krzysztof Żurek, Tadeusz Bartosik, Arkadiusz Bazak, Antoni Bohdziewicz,
Elżbieta Burakowska, Helena Bystrzanowska, Zofia Czerwińska, Ryszarda
Hanin, Witold Holtz, Anna Jaraczówna, Alina Jurewicz, Emil Karewicz,
Zbigniew Koczanowicz, Tadeusz Kondrat, Krzysztof Kowalewski, Ewa
Krasnodębska, Juliusz Lisowski, Gustaw Lutkiewicz, Katarzyna Łaniewska,
Bernard Michalski