PROVINCIAL ACTORS

PROVINCIAL ACTORS is a thoughtful comedy focusing on a theater troupe performing near Warsaw, although leagues removed from that city's cultural sophistication. The film follows the activities of Krzysztof, the best actor in the ensemble, and his wife Ann, a would-be actress and frustrated puppeteer. Hopes of a glittering season are aroused within Krzysztof when a boy-wonder director from Warsaw arrives to supervise a revival of a classic Polish play. It soon becomes apparent, however, that the director has no insight to offer and is, to Krzysztof's horror, managing to strip the play of its essential meaning. In counterpoint to the tensions between director and company is a rocky period in Krzysztof and Ann's marriage, fueled by Krzysztof's growing frustrations and Ann's realization that she may never achieve success in her chosen profession. Agnieszka Holland is one of Poland's most highly respected filmmakers. Along with Krzysztof Zanussi and Krzysztof Kieslowski, she is in the front rank of Eastern European directors.