How to Be Loved (1963)

How to be Loved (Polish: Jak być kochaną), a Polish film released in 1963, directed by Wojciech Has.

The film, based on a novel of the same name by Kazimierz Brandys, examines the emotional casualties of war, which is perhaps the central theme of the Polish Film School. On a deeper level, the film manages to construct a personal tragedy that results from a struggle of egoism and cowardice versus devotion and courage.

On a plane bound for Paris, Felicja (Barbara Krafftówna), a successful radio actress, recalls the night in 1939 when she was to debut as Ophelia, with the man she loved, Wiktor (Zbigniew Cybulski), playing Hamlet. World War II intervenes, and Felicja takes a job as a waitress to avoid acting on a German stage, giving her lover sanctuary when he's accused of killing a collaborator. After the war, Wiktor can't get away fast enough, hot on the trail of fame and applause, and the woman who saved him is herself wrongly accused of collaboration. Years later, Wiktor and Felicja meet again, and the tables have turned.

The film was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival.

Synopsis

Dans un avion à destination de Paris, Felicja, une célèbre actrice de radio, se souvient de la nuit de 1939, quand elle devait débuter dans le rôle d'Ophélie, auprès de l'homme qu'elle aimait, Wiktor, qui jouait Hamlet. Lors de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, pour ne pas se compromettre sur les scènes allemandes, elle préfère travailler comme serveuse. Lorsque Wiktor est accusé d'avoir tué un collaborateur, elle lui fournit un alibi. Mais après la guerre, elle est accusée d'avoir collaboré.

Actors