A high-stakes political confrontation between Deputy Prime Minister Rakowski and union leader Lech Walesa during the Polish crisis. Rakowski uses the threat of Soviet intervention to pressure Walesa into calling off a general strike, while Walesa demands accountability for police brutality against citizens.
RAKOWSKI: While we're standing here the armies of the Warsaw Pact are conducting exercises on Polish soil. Your warning strike was the greatest disruption of work in the history of this country. I mean in the history of the Polish People's Republic. If the general strike goes ahead we could end up with Soviet tanks lined up in the square outside.
WALESA: You've played the Russian card too many times. Blood has been spilled. Twenty-seven citizens of the Polish People's Republic who were not breaking any law have been injured in an assault by the state police in the city of Bydgoszcz. Three of them are in hospital. Does this have your approval?
RAKOWSKI: There will be an investigation, of course.
WALESA: Another card.
Create a free account to explore more
Upgrade to Pro for full access — £6.99/month
Director's Notes
Want expert coaching on this scene?
Browse our curated list of acting coaches, dialect specialists, and more.
Need representation?
Browse verified agents and casting directors in our directory.
How well does this scene match you?
Save your casting profile to see match scores on every scene.
Try Headshot AnalyserGo Pro
£6.99/mo
- ✓ Unlimited scene reading
- ✓ PDF downloads
- ✓ Director's Notes
- ✓ Headshot Analyser
- ✓ Cover Letter Generator
- ✓ Practice Mode
- ✓ Agent Connect
- + 1,000+ scenes
More from Squaring the Circle
The Polish Question
from Squaring the Circle
A Witness uses bread rolls on a cafe table to provide a cynical and rapid-fire history of Poland's shifting borders and partitions. The Narrator observes and occasionally interjects as the Witness illustrates how the country was repeatedly dismantled and reclaimed by neighboring powers leading up to 1945.
The Burden of Leadership — Squaring the Circle
from Squaring the Circle
Kania, the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party, vents his frustrations regarding the impossible political landscape of 1980s Poland. He balances the conflicting pressures of the Soviet Union, the United States, the Catholic Church, and his own fractured party while struggling to maintain order amidst rising trade unions.
Similar Scenes
The Daughter's Warning
from Zero Day
Alexandra confronts her father, a former high-ranking official, about his potential involvement in a controversial government commission following a national crisis. She warns him that he is being used as a figurehead to weaponize the tragedy, while he struggles to balance his sense of duty with her cynical but grounded perspective on modern power dynamics.
The Weight of Knowledge
from Paradise City
President Cal Bradford interviews Agent Xavier Collins for a position as his lead Secret Service agent. The scene explores the President's unconventional, blunt personality and his specific motivations for choosing Xavier, leading to a high-stakes exchange about race, politics, and personal character.