Teddy Bear (1981 film)
{{Short description|1980 Polish comedy film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox film
|name = Miś (Teddy Bear)
|image =Mis_Teddy_Bear_poster_1980.jpg
|caption = Poster for Miś
|writer = Stanisław Tym
Stanisław Bareja
|starring = Stanisław Tym
Barbara Burska
Christine Paul-Podlasky
|director = Stanisław Bareja
|music = Jerzy Derfel
|cinematography = Zdzisław Kaczmarek
|released = {{Film date|1981}}
|runtime = 111 minutes
|country = Poland
|production_companies =Zespol Filmowy "Perspektywa"
|language = Polish
English
}}
File:Quotation from film 'Bear' advertising XXXIV Polish Film Festival in Gdynia 2009.jpg in Gdynia 2009]]
Teddy Bear is the English title of Miś {{IPA|pl|miɕ|}}, a 1981 Polish comedy 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.{{cite thesis |url=https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10454/4927/MPhilAnnaDraniewicz.pdf?sequence=1|title=Cut off by the 'Iron Curtain' |date=2011 |last=Draniewicz |first=Anna B. |type=MPhil |hdl=10454/4927 |publisher=University of Bradford}}{{cite web |url=http://flavorwire.com/514527/15-eastern-european-cult-classic-films-you-should-know-about/5 |title=15 Eastern European Cult Classic Films You Should Know About |date=17 April 2015 |first=Ona |last=Abelis |work=Flavorwire |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421080956/http://flavorwire.com/514527/15-eastern-european-cult-classic-films-you-should-know-about/5 |archive-date=2015-04-21}}{{cite book |title=Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema |first=Marek |last=Haltof |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2015 |edition=2nd |isbn=978-1-4422-4472-6 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wReMBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA4 4]}} Later, the film was reappraised by critics and it has been regarded as one of the best Polish films ever made.
Plot
Rysiek (Stanisław Tym, who also co-wrote the screenplay), the shrewd manager of a state-sponsored sports club, has to travel to London before his ex-wife Irena (Barbara Burska) gets there to collect a large sum of money from their joint savings account.
However, getting out of a communist country is never easy, even for a well-connected operator like Rysiek. After his wife destroys Rysiek's hard to get passport he is stranded in Warsaw while she's off to London. The circumstances force him to plot a Byzantine scheme with support of his equally cunning friend. Their plan involves a movie production as well as tracking down a look-alike (also played by Tym) to "borrow" their passport.
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 titular (teddy) bear is a nickname given to the main character, but also a big straw-bear used in a corruption scheme. Perhaps playing on the well-established Russian Bear trope, Misha is the mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, the same year as the film.
Cast
- Stanisław Tym as Ryszard Ochódzki and Stanisław Paluch
- {{ill|Barbara Burska|pl}} as Irena Ochódzka
- Krystyna Podleska ({{ill|Christine Paul-Podlasky|pl}}) as Aleksandra Kozel
- Krzysztof Kowalewski as Jan Hochwander
- Bronisław Pawlik as Stuwała
- {{ill|Ewa Bem|pl}} 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
- {{ill|Eugeniusz Priwieziencew|pl}} as a militiaman
- {{ill|Hanna Skarżanka|pl}}
- Kent Washington as basketball player
See also
Sources
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=0082755|title=Teddy Bear}}
- {{Rotten tomatoes|teddybear|Teddy Bear}}
{{Teddy bears}}
{{Stanisław Bareja}}
Category:Films directed by Stanisław Bareja