Until recently, the MRC's collection of Polish films has concentrated largely on a few ground-breaking directors, such as Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Kieslowski. Thanks to the gentle prodding and advice of a faculty friend, we've recently broadened the collection to include these fascinating offerings from lesser-screened Polish auteurs:

 Kingsize. This allegory made during the communist era in Poland contrasts two imaginary worlds, one made up of dwarves and the other inhabited by people of normal stature. While the dwarves scheme to get ahead in the meager environment of Drawerland, the Kingsize people magically move from one dimension to the next, granting them many privileges, including the company of women. Juliusz Machulski (Sexmission) directs. 1988. DVD 6249

Mother Joan of the Angels. One of the landmarks of modern Polish cinema, this gripping adaptation of Aldous Huxley's The Devils of Loudun (like Ken Russell's The Devils), transposes the action to a 17th-century Polish convent, where a priest investigates demonic possession among nuns. But the exorcist finds himself involved in an unavoidable mutual attraction with the Mother Superior. Full of brilliant symbolism, Jerzy Kawalerowicz weaves a powerful allegory of good vs. evil, chastity vs. eroticism. 1960. DVD 5536

Austeria (The Inn) Early in World War I, a group of Orthodox Jews flee from the Cossack army in Polish Galicia. A secluded country inn becomes their temporary refuge, where emotional attachments, brief love affairs and even a renewed faith in humankind inspire these desperate individuals. From Jerzy Kawalerowicz, the director of Joan of the Angels. 1988. DVD 5030

Border Street (Ulica graniczna) A masterpiece of Polish cinema, a tragedy about the Warsaw ghetto involving an old tailor who tries to save his daughters and others. The film culminates with the Warsaw uprising of 1943, when Jews, with the support of the Polish underground, take up arms and die fighting. With passages of visual brilliance. Directed by Aleksander Ford. 1948. DVD 6008

Sex Mission (Seksmisja) A science fiction film about the year 2044. Two men, voluntarily hibernated in 1991, are awakened 53 years later to learn that males don't exist anymore. A nuclear war destroyed everything, including men. Women are ruling from the underground. Facing harsh treatment from their female guards, these two men are determined to save themselves and reestablish the male population. Directed by Juliusz Machulski. 1984. DVD 6247