ANDRZEJ ZULAWSKI’S adaptation of Manuela Gretkowska's provocative and hugely successful novel reaches new extremes in the depiction of brutality, sex, and passion as it tells the story of a young(ish) anthropologist driven by the mystery surrounding the death of a recently discovered shaman; and his growing obsession with an enigmatic yet violently perverse beauty known as "The Italian".SZAMANKA (She-Shaman) is a film ‘without brakes’. Above all else, it is a ‘demonic’ film where characters are battlegrounds in the war between devils and angels, where angels are agents of God and devils are those of the Devil. This pulpy, sexually charged tale with its deranged erotic futurism underlines Zulawski's commitment to stretch the limits of aesthetic expression by exploring themes beyond the pale in conventional cinema. Violence, exuberance and sexuality are its key ingredients. Through hysteria, possession and hallucination we see what the Polish writer Stanislaw Przybyszewski called ‘naked soul’.
Awards:
Venice Film Festival, Official Selection (1996)
DVD CONTENTS:
MONDO VISION presents the first ever proper release of Andrzej Zulawski's 11th film SZAMANKA (She-Shaman, 1996) in a gorgeous new transfer UNCUT & Fully Uncensored with all new English Subtitles Supervised By Director Andrzej Zulawski.
Disc 1: The Film
Digitally Restored High Definition Transfer Mastered For Progressive Scan (Approved by Director Andrzej Zulawski)
Feature Length Audio Commentary With Film Writer Daniel Bird Moderated by David A. Mackenzie
Exclusive New Video Interview With Andrzej Zulawski: “A Film Without Masks” [22:00]
Exclusive New Video Interview With Screenwriter Manuela Gretkowska [10:00]
Restoration Feature [1:20]
Image Gallery
Disc 2: Complete Soundtrack CD [Digitally Remastered] [60min]
PLUS:
Exclusive 48pg Commemorative Booklet including a newly written essay by Daniel Bird + Rare and Insightful Essays & Interviews [retranslated/published for the first time ever in English]
- Exclusive Essay by Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas
- “Andrzej, from Amour to Zulawski”: Rare Interview With Andrzej Zulawski [BEST Magazine, April 1997]
- “Cinema Superactivity": Extracts From An Interview With Andrzej Zulawski -- By Daniel Bird & Stephen Thrower (Spring 1998)
Six [5x7] Color French Lobby Cards Reproductions
Certificate of Authenticity With Unique Serial # [Only 2000 Individually Numbered Sets Produced]
Technical Notes:
SZAMANKA is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and original Mono Polish soundtrack as intended by Andrzej Zulawski. This Dual Layer disc has been transferred and encoded using a high-frequency process which preserves as much of the detail and texture from the original film as is possible on the NTSC DVD format.
