AllMovie

A controversial period in Polish history is the subject of this three-hour drama. The focus of attention is General Jozef Pilsudski (Ryszard Filipski), who took over the Polish army after his release from a German prison and then proceeded to take over Poland in 1918. Poland had been divided between Germany, Austria, and Russia, but that humiliation ended in 1919. Pilsudski ruled over a united Poland for a total of four years, until a constitutional government was elected. Unfortunately, the government was not very strong, and in 1926 the former General came back in a coup d'etat to rule once more, until his death in 1935. The changes before, during, and after this last period of rule are handled throughout the three-hour running time.