Year 1999. While USA and the rest of the world watch The Matrix and other multi-million American productions, renown Andrzej Wajda made a sensational movie -- the new version of Mickievicz's (Mickiewicz) Pan Tadevusz ("Pan Tadeusz").

The film, which was made on three-million dollar budget, beat all records of popularity in the Republic of Poland. On the first weekend 420,000 Poles saw the movie. On the weekend of 5-7th of November, half million people went to see it. And by mid November more than three million Poles watched Pan Tadevusz in the 130 movie theatres nationwide.

Professor Marek Hendrykowski, author of the book "The history of movie Oscars" (Historia filmowego Oskara), predicts that the movie will be nominated for Oscar next year as Andrzej Waida has already a great reputation and this movie appears to be the most prominent of all the previous ones. Wajda's "Ziemia Obiecana" (Promised Land) and "Czlowiek z zelaza" (The Iron Man) were nominated for Academy Awards in the past.

"I am captivated," said Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus right after the premier in Vilnia on November, 3, 1999.

"Jestem pod wrazeniem, film jest wzruszajacy," (I am impressed, the film is moving) said Jolanta Kwasniewska, wife of the Polish president after she saw premier for the first time in Vilnia.

As for the Belarus ex-president, mister Lukaszenka, there are reasons to suspect that he niether read the book nor saw the movie.

We'll be posting more info shortly. Meanwhile check out this links from Internet Gazeta Wyborcza:

• Web Gallery of the images from the movie
• "Pan Tadeusz" Report -- the main page
• Detailed info about the movie from International Movie Database (credits, actors, etc.)
• Brief info about Adam Mickievicz