Teddy Bear (1980 film)

Teddy Bear is the English title of Miś [miɕ], a 1980 comedy Polish film directed by Stanisław Bareja. Teddy Bear, along with The Cruise (Rejs), was a reflection of contemporary Polish society using surreal humor to somehow get past the censorship at the time. It gained cult status in its native country.[1][2][3] However, the film was reappraised by critics and it has regarded one of the best Polish films ever made.

Miś (Teddy Bear)
Poster for Miś
Directed byStanisław Bareja
Written byStanisław Tym
Stanisław Bareja
StarringStanisław Tym
Barbara Burska
Christine Paul-Podlasky
Music byJerzy Derfel
CinematographyZdzisław Kaczmarek
Production
companies
Zespol Filmowy "Perspektywa"
Release date
1980
Running time
111 minutes
CountryPoland
LanguagePolish
English
Quotation from film 'Bear' advertising XXXIV Polish Film Festival in Gdynia 2009

Plot

Rysiek (Stanisław Tym, who also co-wrote the screenplay), the shrewd manager of a state-sponsored sports club, has to get to London before his ex-wife Irena (Barbara Burska) goes to collect an enormous sum of money from a savings account the two used to share in happier days.

But getting out of a communist country is never easy, even for a well-connected operator like Rysiek. It seems that Irena has destroyed Rysiek's hard-won passport to strand him in Warsaw while she's off to London, forcing him to craft a Byzantine scheme which involves the production of a movie with his friend. He uses this as an opportunity to track down his look-alike "borrowing" his passport to stop his wife.

Hilarity ensues as Bareja gives the audience a guided tour of the corruption, absurd bureaucracy, pervasive bribery and flourishing black market that pervaded socialism in the People's Republic of Poland.

The bear is a nickname of the main character, but also a big straw-bear used in a corruption scheme.

Cast
  • Stanisław Tym as Ryszard Ochódzki and Stanisław Paluch
  • Barbara Burska as Irena Ochódzka
  • Krystyna Podleska (Christine Paul-Podlasky) as Aleksandra Kozel
  • Krzysztof Kowalewski as Jan Hochwander
  • Bronisław Pawlik as Stuwała
  • Ewa Bem as herself
  • Zofia Czerwińska as Irena Siwna
  • Stanisław Mikulski as "Captain Ryś" a.k.a. "Wujek Dobra Rada" ("Uncle Good-Advice")
  • Wojciech Pokora as Włodarczyk
  • Eugeniusz Priwieziencew as a militiaman
  • Hanna Skarżanka

See also

Sources
  1. Draniewicz, Anna B. (2011). Cut off by the 'Iron Curtain' (PDF) (MPhil). University of Bradford. hdl:10454/4927.
  2. Abelis, Ona (17 April 2015). "15 Eastern European Cult Classic Films You Should Know About". Flavorwire. Archived from the original on 21 April 2015.
  3. Haltof, Marek (2015). Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema (2nd ed.). Rowman & LIttlefield. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-4422-4472-6.
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