This poster promotes the film ‘Man of Iron’ by Andrzej Wajda. The film was produced between 1980 and the proclamation of Martial Law in December 1981, during a period of more moderate censorship in communist Poland. The film tells a story of a strike leader from the Gdansk Shipyard and a journalist torn between good (the strike) and evil (the political authorities). The film contains many references to Solidarity and is edited using fragments from documentary chronicles of the strike in the Gdansk Shipyard in 1980 when the Free Trade Unions were founded. The poster depicts a white shirt with blood stains forming the shape of a cross. The cross is a common motif in Solidarity iconography. It refers to the significant role which the Catholic Church played in the struggle for democracy since the Polish Pope, John Paul II was elected in 1978 and started to actively support the anti-communist movements. The symbol of the cross also has much to do with a Polish romantic spirit going back to the 19th century when Poland was under the rule of foreign powers. This sensibility began to flourish again during the struggle against the communism. One of the most significant elements of this romantic spirit was a discourse of martyrdom which, in the context of Solidarity, was interpreted as a martyrdom of workers. The title ‘Man of Iron’ is depicted using the ‘Solidarics’ typeface based on the Solidarity logo designed by Jerzy Janiszewski in 1980. This use of lettering reveals the power of the logo and its grounded position in people’s minds.

Solidarity, founded in September 1980, was the first free trade union in an Eastern Bloc country. It became the leading political force opposing the communist regime in Poland. Eventually the Polish Government was forced to negotiate with the Solidarity-led opposition, resulting in semi-free elections on 4th June 1989. This marked a crucial stage in the democratic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe.