Źródłowe badanie dziejów Polski Ludowej: przypadek fabularnej twórczości filmowej

Feature film is an important historical source on condition that (1) its social, political, and cultural context is interpreted, (2) features of the epoch are recognized, (3) the dominant artistic styles are known, and (4) the intentions of the addresser and the level of perception of the addressee are understood. When classifying a film as a source, the fundamental elements of research regime should be fulfilled which means that a film can be considered a standard source with its typical advantages and disadvantages. Feature film fulfilled the requirements of recording the events, people and places that created the history of the People’s Poland, taking into account its ideological beginnings. One can even claim the appearance of cognitive optimism on the assumption that the film became a source that is not only conclusive (after using proper procedures of formal and educational criticism) but is also effective as a transmitter of historic content. Its existence inclined to the reflexion on the methodology of research, encouraged to extending the limits of sources of discovering the historic processes, strengthened the readiness to nurturing the habit of controlling what is or can be a historical source.