An Epitaph for Barbara Radziwiłł

Sigismund Augustus (Jerzy Zelnik) leads a funeral procession carrying the body of Barbara Radziwiłłówna (Anna Dymna) from Wawel to Vilnius. Accompanying him is an anonymous poet (Krzysztof Kolberger), and along the way the king reflects on his life: his first marriage to Elisabeth of Austria, who suffered from epilepsy; his meeting and affair with Barbara; and his struggle to secure her position against his family and the senators. Although Barbara is crowned, she dies prematurely, asking Sigismund to bury her in Vilnius. In his final vision, the king sees her alive, in a childlike form, unwrapping the symbolic incarnation of his beloved from bandages. Janusz Majewski’s film is a melancholic, dialogue-sparse journey through history, memory, and love, partially incorporating scenes from the TV series "Queen Bona" (1980).