Blu-Ray BD50 / 1080p / 24fps / Region ABC
RRP: £19.99
Release Date: 23 February 2026
SRBD 102
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Aleksander Ford's legendary adaptation of Quo Vadis author Henryk Sienkiewicz’s renowned novel was selected by Martin Scorsese as one of the 21 best films in the history of Polish cinema.
Set in the early 1400s, this epic is both a spectacular war film and historical romance depicting the events leading up to the bloody Battle of Grunwald.
To this day one of the most successful and popular Polish films ever, Knights of the Teutonic Order is a richly coloured and beautifully-crafted tale of revenge, religious fervour and romance.
It
combines the spectacle of Hollywood productions against an intricate background of Shakespearean artfulness and personal, political and military conflict.
Knights of the Teutonic Order is presented from a 2K restoration by WFiDF, Poland, and includes an expansive new video essay by Michael Brooke on Polish epic films, archival newsreels relating to the film, and a booklet with writing by film scholar Anna Misiak.
• Knights of the Teutonic Order (Krzyżacy) presented from the 2K restoration by WFDiF, Poland in collaboration with Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation.
• Superprodukcje!: A new and expansive video essay by film historian Michael Brooke on Polish epic films.
• Archival 1960s Polish newsreels relating to the film and its legacy.
• 24-page booklet with writing by film scholar Professor Anna Misiak.
• New English subtitle translation.
• Region free Blu-ray (A/B/C).
• UK premiere release on Blu-ray.
Directed by Aleksander Ford
Written by Aleksander Ford, Leon Kruczkowski and
Jerzy Stefan Stawiński
Based on the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz
Cinematography - Mieczysław Jahoda
Editors - Mirosława Garlicka, Alina Faflik
Original Music - Kazimierz Serocki
Production Design - Roman Mann, Tadeusz Wybult
Costume Design - Wiesława Chojkowska, Stefan Moszkowicz, Michelle Zahorska, Lech Zahorksi
Sound - Leszek Wronko, Leonard Księżak
Main Cast
Urszula Modrzyńska - Jagienka
Grażyna Staniszewska - Danusia
Andrezej Szalawski - Jurand of Spychow
Henryk Borowski - Siegfried de Löwe
Aleksander Fogiel - Maćko of Bogdaniec
Mieczysław Kalenik - Zbyszko of Bogdaniec
Emil Karewicz - King Władysław II Jagiełło
Tadeusz Kosudarski - Rotgier
Lucyna Winnicka - Duchess Anna Danuta
1960 Venice Film Festival / Official Selection
“The first Polish historical blockbuster and the most viewed Polish movie of all time, featuring battles galore, political manoeuvring and doomed love... Devoid of anachronisms, Aleksander Ford’s creation was masterfully produced as a grand historical epic”
Martin Scorsese, Masterpieces of Polish Cinema
“If a place in the history of the cinema was determined by popularity, Knights of the Teutonic Order would be considered as one of the all-time most important Polish films. It is estimated that up to 1987, it was seen by 32 million people which, to date, remains an unbeatable record... and became a significant element in the creation of national mythology.”
Robert Birkholc, Culture.Pl
“History’s elliptical nature may see the story endure, but it is Ford’s direction which makes Knights of the Teutonic Order
so compelling” Ben Nicholson, CineVue
“A rollicking good time... still dazzling over half-a-century later”
nextprojection.com
“If Knights of the Teutonic Order remains Ford’s most significant contribution to Polish cinema, it is finally a humanist statement and a love letter to the Polish land”
Ian Johnston, notcoming.com
“Offers evidence of the visual taste and sensibility of its director, not to mention a sheer narrative power culled from Sienkiewicz's novel. The Battle of Grunwald itself has been realised with great dash; and there are lyrical episodes reminiscent almost of Dovzhenko. The spectacle, it should be added, is genuinely spectacular”
Sight and Sound, Autumn 1960
“An epic film and one of the best of its genre”
Kinema
