Through And Through. — Through And Through.(Blu Ray)
Through And Through stands as one of the more bleakly distinctive and often tonally unbalancing films based on a true crime. The early '70s Polish film blends unpredictable editing, up-close & personal drama, arty & disorienting visuals, and jarring blends of music & sound. Here from Radiance Films, both in the UK & stateside, is a recent Blu-ray release of the film. Taking in a 2k scan, a new interview, and a collection of the director's short films.
Through And Through ( Na Wylot) is from the year 1973, and it was filmed in stark monochrome. It's the debut feature-length from Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland-born Grzegorz Królikiewicz. He had eighteen features and thirty-four shorts/ TV movies to his name. His features include climbing-the-social-ladder drama The Dancing Hawk (1977), the grotesque thriller drama Killing Aunt (1985), and the ecological horror/ drama (1996).
The film is based on the 1933 Kraków case of Jan and Maria Malisz, an impoverished married couple who murdered a postman & two elderly landlords, when an attempt to steal from the former fails. Initially, both were sentenced to death, but Maria was pardoned by Ignacy Mościcki, the then-president of Poland. The film starts pre-crime, moving through to the end of their trial.
The picture plays out at a fairly short seventy-four minutes, but boy, does it cram in a lot. In its first forty or so minutes, the film's very much of a narcotic rollercoaster. We go from up-close drama and glum arty encounters. Onto moments of rapid image looping, and one of the most manic, deranged, and very up close retelling of a crime ever seen.
In its final half an hour, just after the crime, and during the trial. The pace slows way down to bleak & contemplative crawl, edged with off-angle shot use, and gloomy arty dwells.
Playing the Maliszes- we have thin-haired & awkwardly suited Franciszek Trzeciak as Jan, and stern-faced/ ragged bobbed Anna Nieborowska plays Maria. In the first part of the film, they don’t really get a huge amount of chance to formally act, as either the weird short angles, darting structure, or sudden overlaying of sound/ music obscures it. But when we get to the trail, both do well, with Trzeciak expertly crying at one point.
Throughout the film, there are many memorable/ jarringly WTH scenes- these move from the opening confused/ dissonating drunk argument. The gloomy art house sitting on the bench scene, where a white bird is held, and drawings of Christ-like figures are pulled through. The looping bell ringing scene- which seemingly goes on & on in a deranged manner as Trzeciak is pulled off his feet again & again. And the murder itself, which I won’t fully detail, so as not to spoil, but boy, it’s very intense & head-spinning in its presentation.
Through And Through is most certainly one hell of a ride of a film, which definitely won’t be for everyone. Oh, and I most certainly advise watching it with a clear/ calm mind, as otherwise I think it could either be a true downer, or maybe even slightly unhinge you.
Moving onto this recently released Blu-ray- it’s a multi-region disc. It features a 2k print of the film, which is full of definition and clarity, with the audio mix of the film perfectly balancing its varied blend of music, sound, and dialogue.
Extra wise on the disc itself, we have one thing new. Michał Oleszczyk on Through And Through (37.49) which finds the Polish film expert/commentator discussing the film. He moves from talking about the original crime. Onto how director Królikiewicz became aware of it/ decided to make the film. He reads from the film's unconventional script, and discusses the film's distinctive/ original cinematic language. We find out that upon release in Poland in 1973, it was loved by the critics, but hated by the normal audience- to illustrate the former, he talks about a comment book which was left in one of the theatres- it got fifty-three negative reviews, as well as actual blobs of spit. I’ve now seen a few of Mr Oleszczyk's featurettes on releases, and he always comes across as being so passionate about the films he’s talking about, as well as giving well-researched & interesting content.
On the archive side of things, we get three Królikiewicz shorts- 1966’s Everyone Gets What They Don’t Need( 11.36), 1971’s Brothers(7.53), and 1972’s Don’t Cry(10.00). Each of these features has a similar disorienting feel to Through And Through- so they are well worth a look.
The release comes with a twenty-page inlay booklet. This takes in cast/ crew listings, a new article about the film/ Królikiewicz’s other films by Ela Bittencourt, and a good selection of stills from the film.
In conclusion, Through And Through is a startling, original and deeply impactful film. This new release from Radiance serves up a lovely 2k print and a wonderful selection of extras. If you enjoy where drama meets the avant-garde, this release really is a must-have!.