Ford proposed an adaptation “Teutonic Knights” after his “The Eighth Day of the Week” was shelved (as it turned out, for 25 years). He also wanted to regain his position, which he lost to the successive Andrzej Wajda. The authorities were favorable to the adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novel. The premiere of the film would fall on the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald, and the production itself would help maintain anti-German sentiments.
The positive attitude of the government is also evidenced by the huge, unprecedented budget of PLN 33 million. With the aim of making “The Teutonic Knights”, wide-angle lenses and Eastman Color-Kodak film imported from the United States were purchased. Every day after filming, she was transported to Paris and developed there.
Ford wrote the screenplay based on the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz together with Jerzy Stefan Stawiński. He later joked that it was the easiest job in the world. He finished it in just three weeks, transferring most of the text straight from the book and changing the descriptions into dialogues. Contrary to the scriptwriter’s words, it was not the easiest task. The multi-threaded plot of Sienkiewicz’s novel had to be condensed to less than three hours long. The themes of Jurand from Spychów and Zbyszek, who is struggling between Danuśka and Jagienka, come to the fore.
No expense was spared on the actors either. Hundreds of contractors were involved. The stars received PLN 3,000 a day, and the second set received PLN 1,000. “Through the Teutonic horse to your own car” – people joked on the set. In addition, over a thousand extras were employed. The gaps were filled with army soldiers who paraded in the disguises of Lithuanian troops in the scene of the Battle of Grunwald.
The character of Zbyszek from Bogdaniec was originally supposed to be played by Bogusz Bilewski. However, one day Zygmunt Król, the production manager of “Teutonic Knights”, noticed a young actor, Mieczysław Kalenik, at the headquarters of the Association of Polish Theater and Film Artists. He invited him to talk to Ford.
“The director, looking at me carefully, asked if I would like to play in ‘Teutonic Knights’. ‘Who should I play?’ – I asked. ‘For example, Zbyszek from Bogdaniec.’ I couldn’t believe my ears. It turned out that Bogusz’s candidacy was not certain,” the actor recalled years later. During the test shoot, he was so nervous that he couldn’t even utter a word, even though he knew two pages of the manuscript by heart. Despite this, Ford hired him to play the role of Zbyszek.
Jagienka was played by Urszula Modrzyńska. Danusia was played on screen by Grażyna Staniszewska. The female cast of the Teutonic Knights was complemented by: Lucyna Winnicka (as Princess Anna Danuta), Irena Laskowska (as Princess Aleksandra) and Teresa Lassota (Jurand’s wife). On the screen we also watched: Stanisław Jasiukiewicz (Ulrich von Jungingen), Leon Niemczyk (Fulko de Lorche), Andrzej Szalawski (Jurand from Spychów), Aleksander Fogiel (Maćko from Bogdaniec), Mieczysław Voit (Kuno von Lichtenstein) and Henryk Borowski (Zygfryd de Loewe). Emil Karewicz faced the figure of Władysław Jagiełło. Although his role in Ford’s “Teutonic Knights” was episodic, the actor was remembered by viewers as the fearless king of Poland.
During production, the film crew faced many problems. Mass-produced plastic weapons and armor deformed due to temperature. There was a high voltage pole in the place where the Battle of Grunwald was filmed. The team removed it, having first assured the inhabitants of a nearby village that they would definitely be able to cope without electricity for a few days. 60 banners were stolen during transport.
Despite this and the scale of production, it was possible to organize the premiere on the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald. The screening at the Polonia cinema in Olsztyn was attended by, among others, Władysław Gomułka and Józef Cyrankiewicz.
The film was released nationwide a little later. It quickly turned out to be a huge attendance hit. By the end of 1960, it was seen by over five million viewers. By the end of 1987, it was seen by 32.3 million people in Poland. There were also foreign shows. In the USSR, almost 30 million viewers went to see “Teutonic Knights”, and 2.65 million in Czechoslovakia.
However, the reviewers did not spare words of criticism. Although they appreciated the scope, they criticized other elements of the work. “It would probably be a mistake to consider ‘Teutonic Knights’ as a milestone in the achievements of film art,” wrote Jerzy Toeplitz. “Teutonic Knights” was also criticized for the lack of a broader perspective on the presented conflict and the clash of two cultures. They were also accused of preying on nationalist emotions.
However, the mostly unfavorable opinions did not affect the production’s success. Readers of the “Film” magazine awarded Ford the Golden Duck for the best picture in 1960. “Teutonic Knights” also represented Poland in the race for the Oscars. They were also in the Main Competition of the Venice festival.
In 2025, “Teutonic Knights” was among 70 films selected by the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute for the List of Polish Film Heritage.