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found in the situations and experiences of "fallen women", who had been overlooked in the
dynamism of every‐day life.
The plots of the first films with Jadwiga Smosarska alluded to the painful aspects of the lives and
the social advancement (not always) of "modern" women: Tajemnica przystanku tramwajowego [The
Mystery of a Tram Stop] (1922, dir. Jan Kucharski) and Niewolnica miłości, mentioned above. Both
films told of the tragic results of seducing young, naive girls to whom a romance brought neither
happiness nor self‐realisation. Unfortunately, the social aspect of the questions tackled vanished
under the burden of melodramatic convention. The star herself was interested in acting in films,
dealing with social issues. She would defend her characters who, like the eponymous prosecutor
Alicia in Prokurator Alicja Horn (1933, dir. Michał Waszyński, Marta Flanz), represented the type of
the contemporary woman with her own life experience and problems. When interviewed by a
journalist from "Kino", (published in number 47, from 1933), whether she was not afraid of
diminishing her feminine image, she replied that she did not think that her prosecutor lacked
femininity. She added that thanks to her untypical and uncommon character, that particular role
permitted her to come closer to "contemporary femininity which, considering the evolution of
relationships and the position of women in today's society, undoubtedly is different from traditional
and stereotypical models" 20
Smosarska's role in the film Czy Lucyna to dziewczyna? [Is Lucy a Girl?] from 1934 (dir. Juliusz
Gardan) also resonates with contemporary and emancipatory overtones. The main heroine here
Lucyna – a young lady from a traditional, "good household", really embodies the American‐like "new
woman". Having received a diploma in engineering at the Paris Polytechnique, she comes back home
driving her own automobile. When the realisation of Lucyna's professional ambitions proves
unfeasible, she dresses up as a man, Julek, to find employment in a workshop at a man's post. When
her maidservant comments on the untypical outfit of the lady as improper for her gender, she replies
that for women in America it is every‐day dress. As this film’s reviews prove, the appearance of a
famous actress in male suite, became the subject of jokes and caricatures. She commented on her
costume saying "I feel perfectly good in trousers. I discovered that trousers are an extraordinary
piece of clothing, giving so much lightness and freedom" 21
The confirmation of the modernity of Smosarska's "modern" look was her image in an advertising
campaign promoting The Polish National Lottery. Under a portrait of the star in elegant attire, her
hand‐written (and signed) slogan appeared "I play and I'm sure to win". That was not only a patriotic
message, however, it also pertained to the actress's success, who was adored by masses of people.
"Kino dla Wszystkich" wrote of Smosarska at the beginning of her career in 1929, that "she is
undergoing the metamorphosis from a modest stage actress into a top‐rank cinema attraction" (Cf.
Hendrykowska, 2007: 102). Then, it added that she felt the dynamics of the cinema perfectly, which
made her one of the first Polish actresses who had managed to adjust their acting technique to the
requirements of the camera lens.
Crossing media and national borders, I wanted to look at the larger transitional and trans‐cultural
mode of creation (and expression) of women's life narration, both as actresses but also as their
viewers. My analysis can be followed by further interpretations that mediate the textual analysis of
women’s biographies and images with social and cultural concerns. The priority will remain the same
– to situate individual narration and visual representations of them in relation to the larger histories
of modernisation and modernity, along with the emancipation of women.
Keywords: Cinema , Photography, Re‐vision, New woman, Star system