The Promised Land (1975 film)

The Promised Land
Polish promotional poster for the theatrical release of The Promised Land (Ziemia Obiecana)
Directed by	Andrzej Wajda
Written by	Andrzej Wajda
Starring	Daniel Olbrychski, Wojciech Pszoniak, Andrzej Seweryn
Music by	Wojciech Kilar
Cinematography	Wacław Dybowski, Edward Kłosiński, Witold Sobociński
Edited by	Zofia Dwornik, Halina Prugar
Release date	1975 (1975)
Running time	180 minutes
Country	Poland
Language	Polish, German

The Promised Land (Polish: Ziemia obiecana) is a 1975 Polish drama film directed by Andrzej Wajda, based on a novel by Władysław Reymont. Set in the industrial city of Łódź, The Promised Land tells the story of a Pole, a German, and a Jew struggling to build a factory in the raw world of 19th century capitalism.

Wajda presents a shocking image of the city, with its dirty and dangerous factories and ostentatiously opulent residences devoid of taste and culture. The film follows in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, Émile Zola and Maxim Gorky, as well as German expressionists such as Knopf, Meidner and Grosz, who gave testimony of social protest.

Karol Borowiecki (Daniel Olbrychski), a young Polish nobleman, is the managing engineer at the Bucholz textile factory. He is ruthless in his career pursuits, and unconcerned with the long tradition of his financially-declined family. He plans to set up his own factory with the help of his friends Max Baum (Andrzej Seweryn), a German and heir to an old handloom factory, and Moritz Welt (Wojciech Pszoniak), an independent Jewish businessman. Borowiecki's affair with Lucy Zucker (Kalina Jędrusik), the wife of another textile magnate, gives him advance notice of a change in cotton tariffs and helps Welt to make a killing on the Hamburg futures market. However, more money has to be found so all three characters cast aside their pride to raise the necessary capital.