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Knights of the Teutonic Order Krzyżacy | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster by Polish artist
Roman Cieślewicz | |
Directed by | Aleksander Ford |
Screenplay by |
Aleksander Ford Jerzy Stefan Stawiński |
Based on |
The Knights of the Cross by Henryk Sienkiewicz |
Produced by | Zygmunt Król |
Starring |
Grażyna Staniszewska Urszula Modrzyńska Mieczysław Kalenik Aleksander Fogiel |
Cinematography | Mieczysław Jahoda |
Music by | Kazimierz Serocki |
Production company | Zespół Filmowy |
Release date |
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Running time | 166 minutes |
Country | People's Republic of Poland |
Language | Polish |
Budget | zl 38,000,000 [1] |
Box office | zl 100,000,000 (by March 1961) [1] |
Knights of the Teutonic Order (Polish: Krzyżacy), also known as Knights of the Black Cross, is a 1960 Polish historical epic film adapted from a 1900 novel by Nobel laureate, Henryk Sienkiewicz. The film, directed by Aleksander Ford, is one of the most successful movies in the history of Polish cinema.
The plot is situated in late-14th century and early-15th century Poland and centers on the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War and the climactic Battle of Grunwald in 1410. 15,000 extras were employed to create the battle scenes. [2]
The film attracted huge audiences: it sold 14 million tickets in its first four years of release and had more than thirty million viewers as of 2000, making it the most popular film ever screened in Poland. [3] [4] [5] It was later exported to forty-six foreign countries, [6] selling 29.6 million tickets in the Soviet Union [7] and a further 2.6 million tickets in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, [8] and was the most successful Polish film internationally. [9] It was a Polish submission to the 33rd Academy Awards.
It was released on 15 July 1960, the 550th anniversary of the battle of Grunwald.