The Rafts Sail On

Poland1962documentary19'Pokaz specjalny (2018)

One of Slesicki’s best and most stunning films, as well as one of the most significant works of the Polish Documentary School. It is the first film which contains all of his trait features. Slesicki’s words that, “Nature is as much a protagonist of my films as people are”, find their reflection in this film more than in any other. The protagonist is a young raftsman from a village in the Augustow primeval forest. We watch his trips to a lake and an out-of-the-way spot where he looks after his tamed bird of prey. He will soon have to abandon his fishing and ornithological hobbies. He is going to float timber along the Augustow Canal with other raftsmen. When he arrives back at the village he will see another boy, several years younger than him, who will also get into a boat and venture into wilderness to his meet mother nature. Originally, the film was intended under different title – “Mietek”. The director explained, “I’ve known Mietek since he was a child. I visited the place where was growing up over many years. A primitive, simple in his reactions and incredibly attached to nature. One day, I realized that Mietek had changed and was going over to the other side – the adult side. That’s when I thought that it would be good to make a film about a boy on the border of childhood and manhood. Of course, everything I showed in it was true and based on observation.” In his later feature “Songs Over Dew” (1982) and “Summer of the Forest People” (1984) Slesicki tapped into the theme, atmosphere and landscape of “The Rafts Sail On”. In 1962, the film was awarded a Golden Lion at the Venice festival, a golden Dragon at the International Short Film Festival in Krakow and an award at a festival in Buenos Aires. It received a Golden Duck from readers of the “Film” magazine.