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Zbigniew Preisner

Zbigniew Preisner

Composer · Born May 20, 1955 (71) · Bielsko-Biala, Slaskie, Poland

Zbigniew Preisner (born 20 May 1955) is a Polish film score composer, best known for his work with film director Krzysztof Kieślowski. Preisner is best known for the music composed for the films directed by fellow Pole Krzysztof Kieślowski. His Song for the Unification of Europe, based on the Greek text of 1 Corinthians 13, is attributed to a character in Kieślowski's Three Colors: Blue and plays a dominating role in the story. His music for Three Colors: Red includes a setting of Polish and French versions of a poem by Wisława Szymborska, a Polish Nobel Prize-winning poet. After working with Kieślowski on Three Colors: Blue, Preisner was hired by the producer Francis Ford Coppola to write the score for The Secret Garden, directed by Polish director Agnieszka Holland. Although Preisner is most closely associated with Kieślowski, he has collaborated with several other directors, winning a César in 1996 for his work on Jean Becker's Élisa. He has won a number of other awards, including another César in 1994 for Three Colors: Red, and the Silver Bear from the 47th Berlin International Film Festival 1997 for The Island on Bird Street. He was nominated for Golden Globe awards for his scores for Three Colors: Blue (1993) and At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991). In 1998, Requiem for My Friend, Preisner's first large scale work not written for film, premiered. It was originally intended as a narrative work to be written by Krzysztof Piesiewicz and directed by Kieślowski, but it became a memorial to Kieślowski after the director's death. The Lacrimosa from this Requiem appears in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life. The Dies Irae from this Requiem appears in the film La Grande Bellezza, directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Preisner composed the theme music for the People's Century, a monumental twenty-six part documentary made jointly in 1994 by the BBC television network in United Kingdom and the PBS television network in the United States. He has also worked with director Thomas Vinterberg on the 2003 film It's All About Love. He provided orchestration for David Gilmour's 2006 album On An Island as well as additional orchestrations for the show at Gdańsk shipyards at which he also conducted the Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra, this was documented on the album Live in Gdańsk (2008). Silence, Night and Dreams is Zbigniew Preisner's new recording project, a large-scale work for orchestra, choir and soloists, based on texts from the Book of Job. The premier recording, was released in 2007 with the lead singer of Madredeus, Teresa Salgueiro and boy soprano Thomas Cully from Libera.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 20, 1955 (71)
From
Bielsko-Biala, Slaskie, Poland
Works as
Composer
Titles
37 on MovieCove · 80 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 27% in 30 days

What are Zbigniew Preisner's films like?

Across their 34 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama25 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
26%
Bonds
21%
Survival
17%
Morality
14%
Society
8%
Power
7%
Ideas
6%
Family bonds11 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief6 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 34 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 10 · Dark 22

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 19 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 17 · Intense 14

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 14 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 32 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 24 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 9 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 5

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 2 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 22

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 13 · Ambiguous 8

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
24
Tense
23
Dread
10
Contemplative
11
Hopeful
10
Other
20

How their films linger

Bittersweet13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet22
  • Tragic6
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Zbigniew Preisner's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 37 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Zbigniew Preisner's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

80 credits, 37 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Parallel Tales(2026)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Europa Centrale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Composer

  • Haunted Heart(2024)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Stimulants & Empathogens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Assistant Property Master

  • Aprilis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Composer

  • Man of God(2021)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Dear Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Memories of My Father(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Mother Didn't Know (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Lies We Tell(2017)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Angelica(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Valley of Shadows(2017)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • David Gilmour - Live At Pompeii (Bonus Wroclaw 2016) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Actor

  • The Queen of Spain(2016)

    Composer · as Otto Von Fischer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • My Hindu Friend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • Lady of the Dynasty(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Lost and Love(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The History of Eternity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Composer

  • Aglaya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Composer

  • The Tree of Life(2011)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • A Woman in Berlin(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • A Secret(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Sportsman of the Century (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Composer

  • Harry's Daughters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Composer

  • The Beautiful Country(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Strange Gardens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Composer

  • It's All About Love(2003)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Between Strangers(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Weiser (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Composer

  • Aberdeen(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Last September (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Composer

  • Dreaming of Joseph Lees(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Foolish Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Composer

  • FairyTale: A True Story(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Island on Bird Street(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Radetzky March (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

  • Feast of July(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Élisa(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Three Colors: Red(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • When a Man Loves a Woman(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Three Colors: White(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Desire in Motion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Composer

  • On the Edge of the Horizon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • Three Colors: Blue(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Secret Garden(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Damage(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Dismissed From Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Composer

  • Olivier, Olivier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Composer

  • At Play in the Fields of the Lord(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Double Life of Véronique(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Eminent Domain(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Kieslowski: Dialogue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Composer

  • Europa Europa(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • City Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • The Last Boat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • Dekalog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 10 episodes · Composer · Conductor · Score Engineer

  • The Last Schoolbell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Decalogue V (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Decalogue VI (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer · Conductor

  • Decalogue I (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Decalogue II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Decalogue III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Decalogue IV (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Decalogue IX (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Decalogue VII (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Decalogue VIII (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Decalogue X (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • I Love Cinema (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • To Kill A Priest(1988)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • A Short Film About Love(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • A Short Film About Killing(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Escape (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Composer

  • Przez dotyk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Composer

  • Will There Be a War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Composer

  • I Like Bats(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Lullaby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Composer

  • No End(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Weather Forecast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • Psychoterapia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • Requiem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Songs

Career shape

A full career of 80 titles, 79 of them dated from 1983 to 2026.

Biggest box office

When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)

$50M worldwide

Highest rated

A Short Film About Love (1988)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Three Colors: Red (1994)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 80: 1 only acting, 1 with another roleMusic75 of 80: 72 only music, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stOther crew6 of 80: 4 only other crew, 2 with another role

80 titles, 3 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1980s24 · crew1990s24 · crew2000s11 · crew2010s11 · 2 acting · 10 crew2020s9 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Zbigniew Preisner's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 37; across their 34 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Approval · how many liked their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Reach · how many have seen their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Midcredits score across 37 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up16
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 37 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · composer

Lady of the Dynasty (2015)

88th percentile spread · 52% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

A Short Film About Love (1988)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 68/100 in their films, across 31 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 54. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Zbigniew Preisner's work okay for kids?

Across up to 15 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films and violence & gore and profanity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles14–54 · median 29 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity15 titles26–73 · median 51 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles4–45 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles5–38 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles21–68 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Zbigniew Preisner work with?

People who share at least 2 of Zbigniew Preisner's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Krzysztof Kieślowski shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles