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Ezhi LipmanFamous cinematographer
Date of Birth: 10.04.1922
Country:  Poland |
Content:
Biography of Jerzy Lipman
Jerzy Lipman, a renowned cinematographer, worked with notable directors such as Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Aleksander Ford, Andrzej Munk, Roman Polanski, and Jerzy Hoffman. He collaborated with Mikhail Bogin on the film "Zosia." In the late 1960s, he received the First Degree Prize from the Polish government for his work on "Pan Wołodyjowski." However, shortly after this recognition, the same government ordered the dismantling of the film set for Alexander Ford's "You Are Free, Dr. Korczak," and expelled the director, along with Lipman and several tens of thousands of Jews, stripping them of their Polish citizenship.
Early Life and Career
Jerzy Lipman was born in Brest-Litovsk, in a culturally diverse family where Polish, German, Yiddish, and Belarusian were spoken. He was also familiar with the Russian language. Lipman's ability to speak German fluently played a significant role in his later experiences. In his youth, he traveled extensively throughout Germany, then known as the Great German Empire or the Thousand-Year Reich. Despite his caricature-like Semitic appearance, Lipman managed to hide his Jewish identity and avoid the fate of many Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.
During his time in the ghetto, Lipman established contacts with the Warsaw Resistance, although the details of how he managed to do so remain unknown. He was hidden by friends and acquaintances, moving from one hiding place to another. Eventually, he obtained forged documents and engaged in activities that allowed him to feel almost invincible in his occupied homeland.
Dangerous Adventures
One of Lipman's dangerous activities involved working for the "Organization Todt," which sent transports of voluntary and forced "Eastern workers" to the occupied Soviet territories. During these assignments, Lipman attempted to establish contacts with the Soviet underground, but being a suspicious outsider, he faced natural distrust. Lipman became disillusioned with the Russian expanse and the constant threat of encountering his fellow countrymen, neighbors, or even hostile individuals.
Leaving the "Organization Todt," Lipman returned to Warsaw and gathered information about the locations of German Luftwaffe auxiliary units in the eastern territories. He passed this information to the underground, receiving forged travel permits in return. Lipman and a friend embarked on a journey across Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany. These trips, seemingly romantic escapades, had a more significant purpose: smuggling weapons for the resistance. While Italy proved relatively easy, encounters with Germans were riskier. In Milan, Lipman was wounded in a shootout with a German soldier. Despite his injuries, he managed to escape, but his journey took an unexpected turn.
In Search of a Prosecutor
Lipman found himself in a hospital in Germany, suspected of espionage due to his appearance and the circumstances surrounding his arrest. However, the chaos of the final days of the war worked in his favor. The advancing American army diverted the attention of the Gestapo, allowing Lipman to escape from hospital custody. He traveled through various cities in Poland, hoping to find a prosecutor who could clear his name. However, his efforts were in vain, and he had to take matters into his own hands.
When his Ukrainian guard fell asleep, Lipman seized the opportunity to take his documents and disappear. He eventually found his way back to the underground, joining the People's Army and continuing his beloved craft of cinematography. Liberation found Lipman on a brief furlough in Berlin. After the war, he returned to Poland, where he faced further hardships, including an unjust accusation of espionage by the young Polish counterintelligence.
Despite the challenges, Lipman persevered, eventually attending the Lodz Film School and becoming one of the world's most renowned cinematographers. His exceptional skills and experiences shaped his unique perspective and artistic approach, making him a true master of his craft.
P.S. Many years later, Lipman's co-author on the film "Kanal," screenwriter Jerzy Stefan Stawiński, proposed making a film about Lipman's incredible life story. However, the authorities rejected the application, preferring a more "Aryan" hero like Hans Kloss. This rejection mirrored the Soviet screen's preference for fictional characters like Stierlitz over real, though ethnically Jewish, figures like Lev Manevich. The article's opening sentences hint at the unfortunate fate that befell Lipman after these events.
