Feliks Matuszelański

(born ?, died in the World War II) Camera assistant. Started working in film industry as a young boy in 1916. In 1920, he screened movies in the cinema “Momus" at Senatorska street in Warsaw under the tutelage of a future cinematographer Seweryn Steinwurzel. When Steinwurzel debuted as film photographer, Matuszelański became his assistant. In years 1923-1933, he participated in production of most movies with Steinwurzel’s photographs – starting from “Ludzie mroku" and ending with “10% dla mnie".

Matuszelański was not a professional still photographer, but thanks to his work on the film set he took photos of film crews, probably for own pleasure and to have a souvenir. In 1927, he started to make an album. “We open the heavy album and turn thick green pages – wrote Stefania Beylin. – there is a date on the first page: On next pages, signatures, serious and funny maxims written in different handwritings. Under the date 28 May 1931, we read: »I respect the cinema - because it forces the Theatre to revise its ways and goals. Stefan Jaracz«. And a little lower: »Life is like a cinematograph – you’ve got to keep it rolling and have your tin full. This is what wholeheartedly wishes you Seweryn Steinwurcel. 13 February 1932«"¹. Matuszelański put into his album also films stills and photographs made by him on film sets. The album survived the war and enriched the collection of Matuszelański’s sister. National Film Archive [Filmoteka Narodowa] is in possession of its reproduction. Work photos made by Matuszelański are invaluable documentation of pre-war Polish film production, especially given the fact that only few photographs of work on the film set remained.

Piotr Śmiałowski

List of movies, the work on which was documented on extant photographs made by Matuszelański:

1925 – „Rywale”

1926 – „Czerwony błazen”

1927 – „Zew morza”

1928 – „Kropka nad i”

1929 – „Kobieta, która grzechu pragnie”

1929 – „Policmajster Tagiejew”

1930 – „Uroda życia”

1931 – „Serce na ulicy”

1932 – „Legion ulicy”

1933 – „10% dla mnie”

1935 – „Kochaj tylko mnie”

1935 – „Dwie Joasie”

Gallery

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  Reproduction of a page from Matuszelański's scrapbook, with the signatures of Jadwiga Smosarska, Seweryn Steinwurzel and Eugeniusz Bodo
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  Reproduction of a film still from Matuszelański's scrapbook, with the signature of Jadwiga Smosarska