[5] The first cinematic adaptation occurred in 1917, when Vsevolod Meyerhold brought A Strong Man to the screen, drawn to Przybyszewski's expressionist themes.

[8] The film's director, Henryk Szaro, co-wrote the screenplay with Jerzy Braun, a writer, editor, and publisher of Kraków's Gazeta Literacka [pl].

The literary adaptation of the screenplay was overseen by Andrzej Strug, who admitted in interviews that he updated the story's message: "The goal was to throw the protagonist into a contemporary setting, modernize his psyche, and strip away his demonic traits".

[10] Artur Piskorz, in a retrospective article, described the film's visual aspect (a result of the mentioned editing) as a manifestation of the creators' fascination with urban life: "The even flicker of neon lights, the steady ticking of clocks, the clatter of carriages on cobblestone streets, the hum of a printing press... City, machine, mechanization".

[10] Szaro juxtaposed scenes set in dim light or bright daylight with those taking place in dark interiors, contrasting the demonic image of the city with the idyllic view of the countryside that Bielecki visits with Nina.

[10] Robert Birkholc noted that "the state of consciousness of the main character is conveyed through a full range of techniques: point-of-view shots, expressive montage contrasts, superimposed images, angles, and camera movements".

[8] Additionally, the director chose to forgo conventional intertitles during the most dramatic moments of the film, placing titles directly within the frame and giving them movement.

Janusz Maria Brzeski, writing for Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny, admired the portrayal of Poland's capital: "Warsaw throbbing with life, with its skyscrapers, full of the lights and shadows of a big city.

Warsaw, with its never-sleeping streets, full of cars and omnibuses – elegant couples – painted girls – café hooliganism, and all those contrasts that foreign directors so skillfully operate".

[13] Similarly, Karol Ford in Głos Prawdy [pl] wrote: "The crowd scenes could serve as a model for many a foreign filmmaker, and the technical side could impress even overseas studios".

[15] In a retrospective article, Natasza Korczarowska-Różycka emphasized that "the modernist anachronisms of the plot were overshadowed by the mastery of the cinematography", though in fact, Szaro's film remained "isolated" in its success within interwar Polish cinema.