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Drama horror film

The Third Part of the Night (1971): Cast & Plot

The Third Part of the Night (1971) movie poster

The Third Part of the Night is a 1971 drama horror film directed by Andrzej Żuławski, starring Leszek Teleszyński as Michał, Jerzy Goliński and Anna Milewska. It runs 1 hour 47 minutes.

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The Third Part of the Night (1971) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 47m (107 min)
Genres
Drama , Horror , War
Original language
Polish
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is The Third Part of the Night About?

The premise of The Third Part of the Night without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

During the Nazi occupation of Poland, Michał watches the brutal murder of his mother, wife and child. Shattered, he is thrust into a bizarre existence that feels alien, roaming a nightmarish landscape filled with trapdoors, doppelgängers, wormholes and shifting realities that echo his trauma and loss.

The Third Part of the Night Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • lice
  • nazi occupation
  • nun
  • dead child
  • philosophy
  • bible
  • world war two
  • insanity
  • experiment
  • death
  • father son relationship
  • surrealism
+38 more
  • blood
  • experimental film
  • avant garde
  • woman giving birth
  • resistance
  • horseback riding
  • syringe
  • sex scene
  • chase
  • sexuality
  • psychological torment
  • psychological experiment
  • psychological abuse
  • mental illness
  • religion
  • police state
  • lost identity
  • hell
  • heaven
  • flashback
  • angel
  • alternate reality
  • afterlife
  • testing
  • survival
  • staircase
  • shooting
  • horse
  • holocaust
  • doppelganger
  • birth
  • allegory
  • female rear nudity
  • violence
  • rear nudity
  • vision
  • spiral
  • female nudity
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Cast & crew

The Third Part of the Night Cast & Characters

Leszek Teleszyński leads the cast as Michał, with Jerzy Goliński as Michał's Father and Anna Milewska as Sister Klara. Directed by Andrzej Żuławski; 22 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in The Third Part of the Night

· 18 more
Show all 22 cast members
From the director

More from Andrzej Żuławski

More films directed by Andrzej Żuławski: Fidelity, Szamanka, The Blue Note and Boris Godounov.

Full filmography
Plot

The Third Part of the Night Plot Summary

What happens in The Third Part of the Night from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 6-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

During the Nazi occupation of Poland, a young man Michał bears witness to a brutal slaughter at his family villa—the murder of his wife, his child, and his mother. He and his father Michał’s Father manage to hide in a nearby forest and watch as the tragically intimate violence unfolds. This shock marks the beginning of a grim, brutal journey through a city under siege, where daily life is reorganized by fear, hunger, and the ever-present threat of brutality.

Full summary

The whole story of The Third Part of the Night, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Videos

The Third Part of the Night Videos

3 videos: 3 clips.

"Trzecia część nocy"/"The Third Part of the Night"
  • Clip The Third Part of the Night 1971
  • Clip Chase scene
Quiz

How Well Do You Know The Third Part of the Night?

9 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 9

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered

What tragic event does Michał witness at his family villa at the beginning of the film?

Seen The Third Part of the Night?

FAQ

The Third Part of the Night FAQ: Cast & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast, post-credit scenes and language of The Third Part of the Night, each answered in a sentence.

How long is The Third Part of the Night?

The Third Part of the Night runs 1 hour 47 minutes (107 minutes).

When was The Third Part of the Night released?

The Third Part of the Night was released on September 6, 1971.

Who directed The Third Part of the Night?

The Third Part of the Night was directed by Andrzej Żuławski.

More films by Andrzej Żuławski

Who is in the cast of The Third Part of the Night?

The Third Part of the Night stars Leszek Teleszyński as Michał, Jerzy Goliński as Michał's Father and Anna Milewska as Sister Klara, among 22 credited actors.

Does The Third Part of the Night have a post-credit scene?

No. The Third Part of the Night has no extra scene during or after the credits.

What language is The Third Part of the Night in?

The original language of The Third Part of the Night is Polish.

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