With Fire and Sword

With Fire and Sword (; , Vohnem i Mechem) is a 1999 Polish historical drama film directed by Jerzy Hoffman. The film is based on the novel With Fire and Sword, the first part in The Trilogy of Henryk Sienkiewicz. At the time of its filming it was the most expensive Polish film ever made. Plot The story is set in Ukrainian lands of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland during the Khmelnytsky Uprising of the mid-17th century. A Polish noble, Skrzetuski, and a Cossack otaman Bohun, both fall in love with the same woman, Helena. Their rivalry unfolds against the backdrop of a Cossack uprising led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky, aimed at reclaiming control of the land from the hands of the Polish nobles. Historic events form a framework for an action and character driven plot, and fictional characters mingle with historic ones. The movie, as the book, culminates with the savage siege of Zbarazh. Cast Izabella Scorupco as Helena Kurcewiczówna Michał Żebrowski as Jan Skrzetuski Aleksandr Domogarov as Jurko Bohun Krzysztof Kowalewski as Jan Onufry Zagłoba Bohdan Stupka as Bohdan Khmelnytsky Andrzej Seweryn as Jeremi Wiśniowiecki Zbigniew Zamachowski as Michał Wołodyjowski Wiktor Zborowski as Longinus Podbipięta Daniel Olbrychski as Toğay bey (Tuhaj Bej) Marek Kondrat as John II Casimir Wojciech Malajkat as Rzędzian Ewa Wiśniewska as Kurcewiczowa Ruslana Pysanka as Horpyna Gustaw Holoubek as Adam Kisiel Andrzej Kopiczyński as Zaćwilichowski Maciej Kozłowski as Maxym Kryvonis Adam Ferency as İslâm III Giray Gustaw Lutkiewicz as Yakiv Barabash Dmytro Myrhorodsky as Koshovy otaman Jerzy Bończak as Daniel Czapliński Krzysztof Gosztyla as Jerzy Ossoliński Szymon Kobylinski as Mikołaj Ostroróg Andrzej Szczytko as Otaman Critical reception The movie has been criticized for introducing some factual inaccuracies not found in the source material. One of the least accurate sections of the film is Hoffman's presentation of the first battle between the Poles and the Cossacks, the Battle of Zhovti Vody. The movie suggests that the Poles were quickly routed by Cossacks and the Polish elite cavalry (husaria) showed needless bravado in the face of unfavorable weather conditions. In reality, the Poles not only were greatly outnumbered, especially after they had been deserted by all of the Cossacks, who had switched sides and joined Bohdan Khmelnytsky, but also had a young commander, Stefan Potocki, who was only 24 years old.