I'm surprised nobody is talking about how the actress who played Sara was barely 16-years-old when she filmed this movie. I don't think a movie like this would get made in the US, not so much for her nude scenes but for the scene in which she does simulated sex while topless. I think she was very professional at a young age to have been able to do a scene like that.
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Well, this isn't really that well-known of a film in the US so there really hasn't been but three or four people that have even posted. You're right though, this movie would NEVER have been made in the States. If it had been, you can be certain the end of the film would have ended in tragedy with Sara's death instead of the happy ending with Leon and Sara overcoming the obsticles placed before them in order to remain together.
So what did you think of the film?
Actually haven't seen the complete film yet. I found video clips of Agnieszka Wlodarczyk's nude scenes from the movie. lol. I'd like to try finding an English-subtitled version of the movie though.
shareYou won't find it at the local video store or even through netflix. You will have to purchase it from a Polish film distributor. I bought mine from mge.tv for $15.00. The movie is great! It's one of my favorites and the conclusion is my all time favorite movie ending, but I thought you had seen it so I guess I have given part of it away.
The first 10 minutes or so are really pretty awful;you may even be tempted to turn it off. Don't. The minute Leon gets the job as Sara's bodyguard the movie suddenly takes off and it just keeps getting better and better.Some it is rather over-the-top and a little flaky, but there is something about this film that just clicks.
If you read the user comment reviews on this page you will notice that even though there aren't many of them, they are all positive and pretty much on the mark.
Americans.....
Agnieszka Wlodarczyk was 18 when filmed "Sara".
shiru-1, are you sure she was 18? According to the IMDB, Agnieszka Wlodarczyk was born on December 13th, 1980, and the movie Sara was released in Poland on May 23rd, 1997. That means she was 16 years and 5 months old on the day the movie was released. Obviously she had to be younger than this when she filmed her scenes, probably a few months younger.
shareI was going to say the same thing. Does IMDB have their data correct? It is possible they have an incorrect birthdate. Shiru-1, how do you know she was 18? Where did you get this information? It would be rather difficult for me to find out for sure as any other biographical information would be in Polish-which of course I don't speak.
Regardless of whether she was 16 or 18, there is still an age difference of 27 to 29 years between her and Boguslaw Linda. A lot of people here in the states would find this unacceptable,and that is another reason why this film probably wouldn't have a happy ending if it was an American film, but the age thing doesn't bother me in the least. It's actually one reason why I like this film so much. My husband is quite a bit older than myself and we went through a lot of obsticles in order to remain together, so in a way I see my own romance story reflected in this movie.
mrtron81 and IMDB have the correct date, agnieszka was indeed born on december 13, 1980, which made her 16 at the time this movie was shot. She had to get her folks permission to be in this movie, and from what i remember her mother was present on the set when they shot all the nude scenes.
shareHi RGibek,
Thanks for the info. Could you answer a couple of others. At what age does a person become a legal adult in Poland? Would a real-life relationship such as the one in Sara be socially acceptable? I mean between an older man in his thirties/early forties and a girl in her late teens.
No problem mesadallas,
The legal adult age in poland is 18. As for the real-life relationship similar to the one in Sara, let's say it would be frowned upon, but it would be possible to occur. One of my closest friends was in a similiar relationship, she was 15 when she met a guy in his 40s and got involved with him, for about 2-3 years. Also I just remember there's some young singer 17 i think that is dating a 30-some year old actor right now, and i've never seen or heard of anybody mentioning their age difference. So i'd have to say that it seems acceptable, in that there is no public outcry about it.
Thank you RGibek.You answered my question. I think I was born in the wrong country. I was 20 and my husband was 46 when we married. You wouldn't believe the flack we went through in order to remain together. That was twenty-five years and five sons ago.
I see that Boguslaw Linda is filming a new movie called Summer Love.Besides the top of the IMDB site, the only info I can find about it is in Polish. Would you be willing to see if there is any info available that would say when the film will be released, if it will be released in the US, or a plot description? I'm rather curious as I see Val Kilmer will be in it.
OK, i've been able to find only a few articles about it. First of all the screenplay was written by a polish guy(he's also the director), but one that was raised and lives in US, so the movie is going to be in English. Val Kilmer is suppose to play the main role, it's a western by the way, and Linda plays the sheriff of some small town full of unsuccessful gold-diggers, he's also suppose to be the bad guy of the movie. THe movie is shot in poland, but will be in english, as i mentioned above, and the premier is slated for fall of 2006.
shareRGibek,
Thank you so much. It is really very kind of you to go out of your way to find information for me. I do appreciate it.
Well... this sounds as if it will be an interesting film. If it is going to be in English with An American actor (Val Kilmer) in the lead role, I am going to guess it will be released in the states. I heard Linda speak a little English in Happy New York. He had a pretty thick accent, but this was ten years ago, so he certainly has had time to learn English. I really hope this turns out to be a good movie that gets positive reviews. Linda is a great actor and the United States really should get some exposure to his talent. Hopefully this will do it.
Last March you recommended that I try to aquire Kroll. I was able to purchase it, but unfortunately this film is not available with English subtitles. I understand the basic plot that Linda's character is attempting to locate a soldier who has deserted, but there are a lot of things happening that I can't grasp without subtitles. Why did Kroll take off from the army? Who was the soldier he found hanging? Was it a suicide or a murder? Why do the two girls seem to dislike each other and then become friends? At the end of the film, one of the male characters who has been helping Linda to locate Kroll sprays Krol in the eyes with pepper-spray, but then later helps him to escape. Why? The last we see of Linda he is laughing at the fact that Kroll has escaped and then seems to aid in the coverup. Why? Anything you can remember would help me to comprehend the plot a little further.
Thank you.
On the Age of Consent web page(www.ageofconsent.com), it says that Poland's age of consent for sex is 15, so the relationship in the movie would have been legal.
shareYou're right, it would have been legal, but it still may have been socially unacceptable.This is what I was wondering about. I know some European countries have different perspectives regarding romantic relationships between young women and older men than we do in the states. The age of consent in some of the states is 16 but just imagine the public response to an American version of Sara. Even if there was no nudity or sex a LOT of Americans would have a hard time accepting the love story. Even if the actress was 18 I think it would still draw a lot of controversy.
It's kind of funny to think that In Poland Leon and Sara walk off happily into the sunset to spend the rest of their lives together, but in the United States Leon would probably be classified as a sexual predator.
So have you been able to see the movie yet?
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Hi 1whoknows,
Where are you located? Please forgive me but what does "hos" mean? I'm not familiar with this abbreviation.
I agree with you that the love story in this film was so natural the ages of the characters really became a moot point.
I also agree that American society in general has contadictory values regarding acceptable relationships. On one hand American society will not accept relationships such as the one portrayed in Sara, yet American teen-age girls are constantly flaunted as sex objects to all American men. Even the age of consent laws contradict each other from state to state. Many states have 16 as the age of consent while in others it is 18, (I believe there are even a couple where it is 14) so what would be a legal relationship in one state would be considered abuse in another. Personally, I think 16 is old enough.
I think that when Leon's dad made the remark about 60 year olds and 12 year olds he was just trying to be funny. Leon's father knew Leon was in love with Sara but was wrestling not only with the age thing, but also how they would be able to deal with Sara's father and have a future together. You are right though; that line probably wouldn't go over too well in the States.
Yes, there are many funny parts in this movie. It's probably even funnier in its native tongue. but alas, I do not speak Polish. One of my favorites is when Sara gets out of the car in her underwear wearing the bulletproof vest. Her father stares at her in her storming off in her underwear and then says to Leon, "Do you have to smoke so much? You'll stink up the car." Another is when Cezar catches up to Leon after he saves Sara from being shot by the assassin and all he says is " Hey, you wrecked the car."
There is one sex scene, although it's not explicit: the one with Sara topless and Leon right behind her.
I am just wondering, how popular was this movie in Poland? Was it a hit? Was it considered controversial due to the ages of the characters?
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Hi one who knows.
Hos = hores.(whores). Sorry. I should have been able to figure that one out. Which country are you located in?
Hi, I'm from Poland and we all still remember "Sara" here... Oh yes, we do...
It WAS a huge blockbuster in our country, but it had bad reviews, because it was quite stupid and boring... Wlodarczyk was (for a moment) something like a sex - goddess, especially for teenagers. But her career didn't move on. She did a few VERY lousy TV shows, she had a session for Polish edition of Playboy (twice: for the first time because she was a star, and for the second time because she needed money...), which was quite boring, actually, and that's about it. The girl was really sexy ten years ago, but now... she's just too skinny, too tall, and too cheap.
However, my girlfriend knows her personally and she says that Agnieszka is very intelligent and nice. We often have fights about her, beacause I hate Wlodarczyk like hell...
All right, so you didn't like the movie. Fair enough.
So how tall is Agnieazka Wlodarczyk? I would guess about five foot nine or ten? Also, how does your girlfriend know her?
Well, I didn't mean that she's sooooo amazingly tall or anything, but her body proportions aren't too perfect - long skinny arms, bony legs, flat butt (nice boobs, though), a large forehead (it looks a bit odd). No, she has nothing to do with classic Polish beauty. We have so many wonderful women in Poland (especially dark and red hair), unfortunately they don't appear in our movies. Polish acresses try to look as much American as they can (not that I don't like American girls, but our type of beauty should stay the way it is). I'm not sure, but I think I've heard that she had another erotic photo session for "CKM" ("Czasopismo Kazdego Mezczyzny", which means "Every Man's Magazine") and it boring as well.
My girlfriend met her when she was an instructor at a tennis court, where many Polish "celebrities" were seen.
By the way, do you know any other Polish actresses?
Sorry for lousy spelling and gramatics - English isn't my speciality...
I really don't know any other Polish actresses by name. Mostly due to the fact that the number of Polish films I am able to see are limited. It is very rare for a film from any other country to be seen in a movie theatre here in the states. If you live in a large city such as New York or Seattle they will have international film festivals where you can see foreign made films. Other than that you just wait to see what turns up on the "foreign film" shelf of the local video store or netflix. It is also possible to purchase Polish films from an independent film distributor but I usually like to rent one first to see if I would like to purchase it. Also, it can take years for Polish films to show up for rent or purchase. Quo Vadis? which was filmed in 2001 has just now been made available.
Another reason I don't know any Polish actresses by name is most of the Polish films I have been able to watch feature males as the main leads. I've seen films with mostly Boguslaw Linda, Cezary Pazura, Olaf Luboszenko, and Miroslaw Baka.
I think your English is wonderful. I have had other Poles who have posted to me and I have always been impressed with how well they are able to write and express themselves in English. They have excellent writing mechanics and make few mistakes.In fact, most of them do better than many of my fellow Americans. Is English a required subject in school? If so, at what age do students begin to learn English?
Well, if you know "Quo Vadis", you know Agnieszka Wagner (Poppaea), for example. A very beautiful, delicate blonde girl... She's quite popular in Poland. You could've seen her in Steven Seagal's "Out Of Reach" (I haven't). By the way, a lot of American low budget movies like this one are filmed here, because it's very cheap (but the official reason for this is: "beautiful landscapes, beautiful old buildings, beautiful women, etc.").
"Quo Vadis" was considered crap in Poland - what do you think about it? Maybe you've heard that it is the most expensive Polish film ever made. It cost about 18 mln dollars, which is a terribly low budget for you, isn't it? "From Dusk Till Dawn", for example, cost about 20 mln and had opinion of a "cheap movie"... It's hard to make ANY film here. One of our many problems is that Poles usually don't watch Polish movies at all - they prefer the USA productions. It's quite sad, actually... But nothing can be done about it. I'd like to know what do you like about them.
Linda was a BIG star a few years ago, hardly anyone remembers him now. Cezary Pazura is still on top and will be for some time (people call him "Polish Jim Carrey" here - what's your opinion?). Olaf Lubaszenko is directing and made some quite good films (action/comedies in which he had small cameos). Miroslaw Baka is a different story - he's doing better and better. A common phrase is "second Linda". Hmmm...
Thanks for a compliment about my English! Personally, I think it's good enough to communicate, but that's it. What kind of mistakes do Poles usually make? We learn to use your language when we are 6, 7 years old. I'm 26 now, so I've had a little bit of practice, indeed... 95% of young people speaks it much better than I do, believe me.
Have you checked my reply on your post about "Kroll's" plot explanation? If you have, I hope it was any help to you.
PS. Agnieszka Wagner's "Playboy" session was sensational! Too bad you couldn't have seen it... Classical Polish beauty, I call it...
Hi cichy,
I am sorry it has taken sooo long to get back to this thread. I have been drowning in work this month.
I did see Quo Vadis and I must agree, Wagner is a lovely woman.
Why do I like Polish movies? Well, I like foreign films, especially those from Eastern Europe(I have seen some great films from Czechoslovakia). There are several reasons for this. One, I am a history buff. I like films about European history that are made by Europeans rather than Hollywood. A European film will have details or perspectives that can't be duplicated by Hollywood. Another reason I like foreign films is that they have a different feel to them. They seem to delve into character motivation deeper than many American films. Don't get me wrong I don't love every European film I see. Some I like, some I don't. Same with American films. You already know I am a Linda fan, so that's another reason I have been watching Polish films. (Mostly ones with Linda in them anyway.)
Now, don't think that because I am a Linda fan I think every film he made was great. I have been able to see about 20 of his films. Some I thought were excellent, some were so-so and some just plain suck.
I did go to Kroll to read the plot explanation you wrote for me. Thank you so much. I have a much better understanding of the plot now. I really enjoyed that film even though I couldn't understand what was being said. Other Linda movies I have especially liked are Psy one and Psy two. Yes, I did like Quo Vadis even though it was a bit flakey in parts. I thought Linda was great in it.
I really can't compare Pazura to Jim Carrey as I have only seen Pazura in Sara, Kroll, and the Psy films. He did a good job with the humor in Sara, but Kroll and the Psy films sure weren't comedies.
The most common mistakes I see English learners make is not using verbs or prepositions correctly, but as I stated, the Poles that I have been able to communicate with make few mistakes. I would like to reassure you that your English is very good even if you don't think so. So if children begin learning English when they are about seven I take it that most Poles 25 or under speak English?
Hey mesadallas!!! How are you? I know that this subject is kind of old. But I read yours and cichy's posts and I simply must tell you that what cichy said is not entirely true. First of all, Bogus; Linda still is adored by many women (I guess he's kind of like wine-the older the better:)and considered as the toughest, the greatest and the hottest actor of Polish cinema (I think cichy might be a bit jealous of that:) Personally, I admire him not just because all of the above but also because he's very modest. In one of his interviews he said: "I am a teeny tiny actor in a teeny tiny country". A guy who's incredibly talented said something like that!!! He really made me fall in love with him all over again.
Next in a line is cichy's comment about Polish women. It's just a myth that they're so beautiful. Must of them look like clowns wearing way much too much make-up. That's the only part where I agree with cichy. I loved the looks of Agnieszka in Sara. She was completely natural-no make-up. Now, she is just one of those Polish clowns.
The last thing I like to clarify is cichy's comment about Pazura vs Linda. I think Pazura's career has gone down in a toilet ever since he dumped his wife for a 21 years old chick who he knocked up while still being married. Of course cichy couldn't have known that when he wrote what he wrote. To me Cezary didn't really move forward in his career. The best of him I saw was in Kroll, Psy, Psy II and maybe in 13 Posterunek but that's about it. And his movie "Weekend" (2010) really sucks. Bogus Linda has been married to the same woman for over 20 years and he's not a scandalous type of guy. I like that about him as well.
I read your comments on Polish women and I was disturbed. Are you from Poland? Have you lived there? I was there for two months once to help build a church, and the women didn't look like "clowns" to me. There were beautiful women and ugly women, both. I didn't notice them wearing more make-up than women would say, in the States or European countries like England, France, Greece or Spain.
I agree with you that there are both ugly and beautiful women in Poland, about the same as anywhere else I've been. I've been to quite a few places and there really isn't any place where there are more beautiful women than anywhere else. However, I will say that certain places in Germany and Sweden have a high percentage of women that certain men like: blonde and thin. Iceland and Greenland both also have lots of a certain type of women that men might prefer.
Thanks for the info about Pazura, I did not know that. Also, thanks for the info on the movies, I'll check them out.
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
Hey BladerunnerA,
It's been quite awhile since I visited here the last time.
What I wrote about Polish women was based on what I remembered from high school, what I saw walking down the street (when I lived in Poland) and what I see when I'm talking to my Polish, female friends in the US.
Of course I noticed that women of all nations wear too much make up (at least I think that) and there are ugly and beautiful women in every country but it bothers me what someone calls a woman "beautiful" even though her face is covered-up by a centimeter of fluid. I think you can't really tell if a woman is pretty until you see her "real face".
That's why I like Agnieszka in "Sara". When I saw her in this movie I thought she looked perfect, so natural. But she's not natural anymore. And that's sad.
I see. I spent two weeks in Poland and I saw many beautiful women, and I saw some "ugly" women. One thing is for sure, we agree on Agnieszka in Sara. She was spectacular. I do have a problem with her age in that film, I don't think it's right for women to appear nude in films until they are legal adults, and even then I don't like it. I feel that too many women are exploited in movies by being forced into doing nude scenes. You can bet that the women that do nude scenes don't like doing it, but are coerced by promises of career advancement and the like. Julia Roberts has said many times how often people had tried to talk her into doing nude scenes, and the pressure they applied.
I think nudity should be between lovers, and not for all the world to see. I'm not trying to be prudish or dogmatic, but most nude scenes are senseless. Even the ones in Sara were unnecessary, though they were amazing. I'm not against artistic nudity, and there are some scenes in films that are justified or necessary such as Schindler's List or Apocalypto.
I like women who wear very little make-up as well, but a more can look nice as well. I have to disagree about Agnieszka, I think she still looks wonderful.
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
Then you probably consider me sick and pervert because I'm not bothered at all by the fact that Agnieszka was only 16. Aga plays a (so) not innocent girl. She's really good at that and every time I watch "Sara" I forget she's only a teenager.
But I'm furious at the fact that Leon is always fully dressed. I mean if Sara could be naked in so many scenes then why not Leon? Take the bike scene for instance: she's completely naked, he's completely dressed (he doesn't have a shirt on...instead he wears a long coat) that's stupid. They should've kept them both naked or both fully dressed. It's not like nude scenes were something completely new to Linda ("Szamanka" is an example). And I really resent the fact that there are no kisses. I really would like to know what Slesicki had against some nice kissing action. Again, I don't mind Sara's nude scenes but I would gladly exchange them for some kissing parts. Nevertheless, I love that sex scene at 51 minute of the movie: pure passion.
You're right. We have a disagreement if it comes to Agnieszka's looks today. I don't know if you knew this but Aga won a title of a teenage miss of Poland in 1995. No wonder, she was really beautiful. To be honest the first time I saw her I wish I looked like her. But I don't wish that anymore. You see I think it would've been the best for Aga to listen to Slesicki's advices because he seemed to keep her natural beauty in Sara or in his sitcom 13 Posterunek. But she started to cover up her young face with too much make up (I think that's silly for someone so young and beautiful to wear makeup it dries facial skin). She's also a heavy smoker and spends too much time in solarium. All that had a bad influence on her face. Now, without make up she doesn't look so nice.
No, of course I don't find you a pervert. I believe she was at or above the age of consent in her home country at the time of filming. I said that I found her very beautiful in Sara, and I enjoyed the film, so I certainly wouldn't call you a pervert. I'm not judging anyone, just expressing my views on things.
Granted, there aren't enough romantic type scenes where they kiss, but they do kiss a few times: once on the bike and a couple times while dancing the tango. I loved the scene on the bike, especially the part where he acts like he's going to grab her chest and she screeches and blocks his hand. Very cute.
I don't know what she looks like now without make-up, so perhaps you're right. I just think she is still very pretty. However, she was gorgeous in Sara, almost flawless and a perfect balance of innocence and seduction that the role called for.
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
I know that Slesicki considered hiring some young actress fresh after graduation but he changed his mind after he met Wlodarczyk. He said "she has a natural talent". I'm glad he hired Agnieszka. I don't think any other girl (or a professional actress) could have played Sara better.
Well, you're right Leon did kiss Sara during their (very nice) tango. I like that kiss. It's very tender and sweet. But I would barely call the one on the bike a kiss. Sara even seems to have her mouth open when he kisses her. Of course I still love that scene because from that point on Leon treats Sara much nicer. He finally lets his feelings get the better of him. I think he is about to tell her that he loves her at that Chinese restaurant. Do you remember after his lecture about ovulation he says: "I have to tell you something" but then he chickens out.
I don't know if you think this is funny but it does make me laugh that almost the whole movie Leon tries to convince Sara he's too old for her but when he realizes he loves her and doesn't want her to leave him he yells: "My father was your age when he burned a German tank!"
If you want to see Agnieszka's pics without make-up google: "Agnieszka Wlodarczyk bez makijazu" I'm not saying she's bad looking but I think she really has changed for worse. Now she needs make up.
I thought he was going to tell her he loved her too. I didn't think anyone else would notice that, just goes to show you what I get for thinking.
Do you speak Polish? I have a letter from a Polish friend that I need translated. It was written many, many years ago and I've never been able to translate it. It would mean a lot to me if you could. Let me know.
I will check out "Agnieszka Wlodarczyk bez makijazu".
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
Hahaha...I'm glad, I'm not the only one who "figured out" Leon's intentions.
Yes, I'm Polish and I'll be happy to translate that letter for you.
Give me some feedback after checking her pictures.
"We have so many wonderful women in Poland..."
Over here in the east of England we have many Polish guest workers, men and women. The young women are usually the prettiest in town! I buy Polish soups at the local Polish food store and the girl who serves there makes me keep coming back for more. I've never eaten so much soup, which, like the women, is very tasty! Just a shame they don't speak English too well, and Polish seems an impossible language to learn.
You say you hate Wlodarczyk, why do you hate her?
I didn't think the movie was stupid or boring. It was cliched, and has been done a million times, but it was a fun movie.
Wlodarczyk is very beautiful and there is nothing "too skinny, too tall or too cheap" about her. Why are you so hard on her, I think she's wonderful. A great actress and she did a wonderful job in this movie.
She was 16-years-old when she did this movie, which I do find pretty amazing. I can't believe they let her do this when she was 16.
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
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I love this film! I've seen it many times. It was good to see some additional comments. It's been a long time since the last post on this board.
shareHello, bladrunner and m19. It's so nice to see some other fans of this film finally find their way to this board. Sara is one of my favorite films. I've watched it so many times I just about have it memorized.
I, too have wondered why there were scenes with Sara totally nude but Leon is always fully dressed. He even has on a coat in the bicycle scene. And I agree totally that there should have been more kissing than there was. I may be way off base here but do you think perhaps Linda might have had a personal comfort limit that he himself didn't want to cross? I've heard Linda is a pretty modest guy so perhaps He himself felt uncomfortable being nude with or passionately kissing a 16 year-old.