Product Details

• Actors: Jerzy Stuhr, Anna Dymna, Krzysztof Kieslowski
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: Polish (Unknown)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Oscilloscope Laboratories/Milestone Films
• DVD Release Date: September 26, 2006
• Run Time: 72 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000GRUMZK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,180 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Big Animal (Duze Zwierze)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Big Animal is probably the only movie about a middle-aged Polish couple who adopt a camel, but it's not faint praise to say that it's also the best one. In fact, director and co-star Jerzy Stuhr, working from a script by the late Krzysztof Kieslowski, has made a film that's beautifully shot, well-acted, and whimsically charming. Zygmunt Sawicki (Stuhr) and his wife (Anna Dymna) are bemused, to say the least, when a camel (of the Bactrian or two-humped variety), having apparently been abandoned by the circus it was traveling with, turns up outside their front gate. They soon become quite attached to the big, gentle beast, especially the sweet-natured Zygmunt, who's fond of conducting one-sided conversations with it while they stroll through the small town. The locals, especially the younger ones kids, seem quite taken with this most unusual pet as well--at first, anyway. But petty jealousy, ignorance, intolerance, and greed (a camel in the Polish countryside? Gotta be a way to cash in on that) spoil the Sawickis' idyll, and soon Zygmunt is being interrogated by mealy-mouthed town council members and facing angry picketers in his own yard. The animal is "no use to the community." It's making the children late for school. Why, it's probably carrying some deadly African strain of venereal disease. The camel must go! Zygmunt's reaction to all of this ranges from rage and indignation to confusion and, ultimately, sadness and grief. Along the way, The Big Animal is filled with lovely moments, like the camel "singing" along as Zygmunt practices his clarinet or looming docilely outside the kitchen window as the couple eats dinner. It's also filmed in luminous black & white by cinematographer Pawel Edelman (an Oscar nominee for Roman Polanski’s The Pianist); the final wintry sequence at the Warsaw Zoo is breathtaking. A 30-minute interview with Stuhr (in Polish with subtitles, just like the main attraction) is the principal bonus feature. --Sam Graham

Product Description

BIG ANIMAL - DVD Movie

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The beast and the people, April 25, 2007

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Big Animal (Duze Zwierze) (DVD)

Most people daydream as children about having an exotic pet.

But in "The Big Animal (Duze Zwierze)," a middle-aged Polish couple discovers that it's not as delightful as it sounds. The movie is a simple, powerful allegory written by Krzysztof Kieslowsk, filmed in luminescent black-and-white, and with a bittersweet message about narrow-minded cruelty.

The middle-aged Sawicki's are silently eating dinner, until Marysia (Anna Dymna) notices something moving out in the garden -- a camel. The next day, Zygmunt (Jerzy Stuhr) proudly parades the camel before the other townspeople, and tries to deal with government red tape -- should the camel be registered as a horse? No, you can't shoe it.

Of course, all the townspeople are initially delighted. But when they urge Zygmunt to cash in on the camel, he refuses -- he and his wife love the camel, and respect its dignity. And so slowly the small-minded citizens turn on the Sawickis and their beloved pet, with devastating results.

On one level, "The Big Animal" can be seen as an allegory for the Communist times in Poland. But it can also be seen as a more universal allegory about the cruelty of many people: a small-minded, cunning, greedy community can wreck something as simple as a childless couple's love for an animal.

And a lot of the movie's sadness comes from that theme, with the poor Sawickis risking everything because they just want to love their new pet. And who could be happy in such a community after seeing its ugly side? But Stuhr highlights the sweet moments as well, such as when Zygmunt plays the clarinet to the camel. There's even some humor, when the poor guy tries to deal with all the red tape -- some sly pokes at restricting governments.

Director/actor Stuhr strips filmmaking to the bone in this -- the camerawork is straightforward without any tricks, rendered in crisp, shining black and white. And Stuhr sticks to the simple images -- Zygmunt taking the camel for long walks -- as well as pretty, bittersweet dialogue ("Nobody will do you harm, because you're free!").

The primary cast is basically Stuhr and Dymna, who convey the innocent kindness of truly good people with amazing skill and depth. Most of the other human actors are playing typical greedy hypocrites -- they think that anything different is wrong, if it's not being used. And though he isn't technically "acting," the camel deserves props for giving the film a center -- serene and dignified.

Bittersweet and charming, "The Big Animal" is an exquisite example of filmmaking at its most simple, with a story that will wring a few tears even from hardened moviegoers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best movies EVER, February 5, 2007

By 

John in Vermont - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Animal (Duze Zwierze) (DVD)

Clearly a subtitled, B&W, slow moving film is not for everyone, but this is on my Top10 EVER film list. No flash filming here, just timeless story-telling, amazing acting and a camel that will keep you saying "I can't believe it!" Take a chance! You will love this movie and want to share it with lots of other people you know.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than meets the eye, May 21, 2008

By 

Evan Getz (Waco, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Big Animal (Duze Zwierze) (DVD)

"The Big Animal" is a film that grew on me. The pacing is excruciatingly slow next to Hollywood standards, and the first time you see this movie you may not be hooked. I had to watch it twice to really get it.

What appears to be a cute story about a camel showing up in the backyard of a Polish couple is much, much more. I do not want to give much away about the movie, but a sensitive viewer will naturally ask lots of questions once they mull over the details of the plot and characters. In short, the film is a perfect satire of socialist Poland, at times quite serious and other times not. If you are a fan of Kieslowski or Polish cinema, do not miss this gem.