(Czlowiek z zelaza)

Man of Iron depicts the Solidarity labour movement and its first success in persuading the Polish government to recognize the workers' right to an independent union. The film tells the story of Maciej Tomczyk, the son of Mateusz Birkut, the protagonist of Wajda's earlier film, Man of Marble. Here, Maciej is a young worker involved in the anti-Communist labour movement, described as "the man who started the Gdańsk Shipyard strike", and a journalist working for the Communist regime's radio station, who is given a task of slandering Maciej. The young man is clearly intended as a parallel to Lech Wałęsa who appears as himself in this critically acclaimed film.