The film directed by Tadeusz Chmielewski has been one of the most popular comedies for over 50 years. The story of Frank Dolas or Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz from Chrząszczyrzewoszyce in the district of Łękołydy won the hearts of viewers. During the production, however, the director encountered many problems not only with the cast, but also with the then authorities.
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“How I Unleashed World War II”. In the main role Młynarski instead of Kociniak
Today we cannot imagine another Frank Dolas. However, it was not Marian Kociniak who was supposed to play the main role. Tadeusz Chmielewski initially wanted to cast her
He was very popular at the time, he had a brilliant comic vis. I put him in a uniform, he looked very good. I was about to sign a contract with him, but then some doubts began to arise in me.
– Chmielewski in the book “How I unleashed Polish film comedy”. Młynarski was in demand, and shooting for the film was planned for at least a year. The director preferred not to risk conflicts.
He invited Jan Englert and Jerzy Kamas for further test shots. But it got the role of Frank Dolas. Thanks to her, he gained great fame, although he himself admitted that he felt pigeonholed by her. – I already have a completely gray head, but the next generations will recognize me mainly as Dolas – Kociniak in 2011 in an interview with the portal naszemiasto.pl. – At first, I whined a bit – he confessed in an interview with TVP Info. “But then I got used to it and I’m happy about it.”
A serious injury almost crossed out the role of Kociniak. “I was afraid they would kill me”
During the filming abroad, Kociniak suffered a serious accident. The injury immobilized him for a long time. “I couldn’t walk or even stand. In the hospital in Odessa, instead of getting me back on my feet, the doctors treated me so much that I was afraid they would kill me he betrayed. In the hospital, he contracted shingles. It was so bad that he considered quitting the role. Chmielewski also had problems with extras. “They just wanted to stat where they like. They didn’t like the uniforms, the roles – years later.
The authorities did not like the title of the film. “Why do we need these things?”
The cast was not the only problem that Tadeusz Chmielewski had to face. Years later, he himself recalled that there were so many problems that there were fears about finishing the production. Officials were reluctant to grant funding for the film. They also did not like the fact that the project grew from two parts to four. For financial reasons, it was finally limited to three. The authorities did not like the title either. During the opening ceremony, Wincenty Kraśko, head of the Department of Culture of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party, directly suggested that we return to the title of Kazimierz Sławiński’s book, “The Adventures of Dolas the Gunner”.
I do not know whether we should use such expressions, because our enemies could treat it as a suggestion that Poles will admit their guilt, and why do we need such things?
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
