Before Steemfest (2): Cult and... hard to understand Polish comedy movies

Hey there, it's @the-veggie-sloth! If you are planning to come to Krakow, Poland on Steemfest3 it is a good idea to get to know a bit of Polish sense of humor. It's specific - just like any other nation.

Every nation has its own specific sense of humor. Jokes that only make them laugh. Films, books or drawings. Often other nations don't see anything funny in these jokes, and they don't understand why the whole auditorium is laughing at the cinema.

Here is a list of 5 Polish cult comedies that may not be funny for you at all, although I hope you will enjoy them and you will find them funny.

1. Teddy Bear (1980)

The plot of this film is quite simple. Ryszard Ochódzki is arrested during a border control because his passport lacks several pages. Ochódzki suspects his ex-wife Irena, who wants to delay his departure and reach London in front of him. You should know, the passport in communist Poland was a luxury good. Sounds quite boring?

"Teddy Bear" by Stanisław Bareja is one of the most Polish cult comedies! Many Poles know this film by heart and like to quote dialogues from it. Not only Ryszard Ochudzki's adventures with the recovery of a passport are funny, but also with a huge number of purely surrealistic situations and dialogues. They show in a distorting mirror the Polish reality in communist times 40 years ago.

It can be difficult for foreigners to understand this film. It has so many linguistic and situational subtleties that it is difficult to grasp what it is all about.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Bear_(1980_film)

2. The Cruise (1970)

The fans of Polish comedies are divided into two groups. For the first of them, the best Polish comedy of all time is “Teddy Bear”, which I mentioned. The second group definitely prefers "The Cruise" by Marek Piwowski. I belong to the first group, but of course, I have to put this film on the list. However, I recommend watching it and checking if the dialogues in this film make you laugh!

A group of people board a cruise ship and sail along the river. That's all. They mainly talk. What about? This is where the problem lies. Some people laugh at their dialogues, others don't. You have to have a specific and quite abstract sense of humor to laugh in this movie.

Here is a cult sentence from this film: "The hens.... ducks.... the road to Ostrołęka... "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cruise_(1970_film)

3. Hydro-puzzle (1971)

Another cult film, Andrzej Kondratiuk’s Hydro-puzzle, is a parody of American films and comics about superheroes. This time the plot is fascinating! As a result of unexplained circumstances, all the water disappeared in the middle of the hot summer in Warsaw, the capital of Poland.

The situation itself is surrealistic, though dangerous. The Ace - a superhero like a comic book - is summoned to help. This film is a complete madness. There is a secret, a bad Dr. Spot and even worse Prince of Kabur.

Although the movie is almost half a century old, dialogues, screenplay, and acting are still funny. I highly recommend to watch it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrozagadka

4. The Wedding (2004)

“The Wedding” directed by Wojciech Smarzowski is basically not a comedy. It is partly a drama film and thriller. There are, however, many funny dialogues and social situations, which are very clear to every Pole. For a foreigner, it may be just a story about the land that he does not want to hand over to his son-in-law. Everything takes place during a typical Polish wedding in the countryside, which in itself is interesting and funny.

Smarzowski is known for his controversial themes in his films, such as the last movie Clergy, which will soon be the most box office film of recent years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wedding_(2004_film)

5. Boys Don't Cry (2000)

The last film on the list is probably the easiest to understand for foreigners. "Boys Don't Cry", directed by Olaf Lubaszenko, is a light comedy about the adventures of a violinist, his friend, a few gangsters, a pretty girl and the boss. It's hard to tell this story in a nutshell, because it changes like a kaleidoscope, and the additional story is full of funny gags and coincidences.

It is a cult film of the younger generation. Their parents quote "The Teddy Bear" or "The Cruise", and for them, the funniest film will surely be "The Boys Don't Cry".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys_Don%27t_Cry_(2000_film)

All these movies are available with English subtitles on Amazon. Some of these are also in VOD services and Youtube.

Peace and love @the-veggie-sloth