With the exception of the opening essay examining the shaping of the Polish mother as a paradigm of femininity in Polish culture as a whole, all of the 11 contributions to this work examining the treatment of women's issues in Polish film from a feminist perspective were penned by either Mazierska (contemporary cinema, U. of Central Lancashire, UK) or Ostrowska (film, U. of Alberta, Canada). The first set of essays is dedicated to analysis of the main types of women represented in Polish films, including the Polish mother, the Stalinist "New Woman," the more individualist characterizations of the 1950s, postcommunist portrayals, and Polish Jewish women. The final four essays in the book focus on women filmmakers, examining the works of Wanda Jakubowksa, Barbara Sass, Agnieszka Holland, and Dorota Kedzierzawska. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)