Ryszard Filipski

Soroka: Kmicic’s companion

Ryszard Filipski played Sergeant Soroka, Andrzej Kmicic’s attendant¹. Soroka offers a perspective from someone who remains with the hero while others judge him. Compare Olbrychski’s expressiveness with Filipski’s reactions: loyalty can also appear through listening and silence.

How was the performance assessed?

In Magazyn Filmowy, Andrzej Luter considered Soroka Filipski’s best role. He emphasised its strength and credibility, combining distance from the world with devotion to the colonel².

A career in historical characters

Filipski (1934–2021) was born in Lwów. He passed an external acting examination in 1958, founded Eref-66 theatre in 1966 and led the Ludowy Theatre in 1975–1979. Before The Deluge he portrayed Major Dobrzański in Hubal; later he played Wisz in Hoffman’s An Ancient Tale³.

A politically disputed biography

Luter also discusses the actor’s links with national-communist propaganda and criticises his ideological choices².

The Deluge guide expands on production and the adaptation’s relation to book and history.

News that interrupts the sleigh ride

Hoffman recalled filming in Nowy Targ and the Strążyska Valley: Soroka interrupts Kmicic and Oleńka’s first sleigh ride with news of the fire in Upita. The director also named Soroka among the characters humming Serocki’s recurring song⁴. His character connects the romance with events in Kmicic’s company.