“People, not fantasy!”, “Someone made a mockery of the plot and atmosphere. Nienacki wrote for children and teenagers, but he did not write fairy tales, only serious stories with a slight hint of a smile” – enumerate Filmweb users who have already they saw. One of them notices that the only thing the film has in common with the book is that it features a character named Mr. Samochodzik, who has a floating car and is looking for the treasure of the Templars. What makes the new version different? The main character is unpleasant and unsympathetic, there is a strange Spanish murderer looking for treasures (a bit like the spy Don Pedro from the Land of the Rain, karamba!), the mystery is dramatically shallower, a lot of supporting characters die, and there is magic that is important to the plot.
They criticize Mr. Samochodzik from Netflix. “Now I’m worried about ‘Quack'”
Profile comments are very emotional. A significant part of the audience points to the lack of compliance with the original novel: “Profanation”, “Dno dna”, “What have you done with Mr. Samozik, I once watched film adaptations with Mikulski and this film does not live up to the standards of either the book or the old film adaptation. It’s a waste of my time”, “I don’t think there’s anything left of Mr. Nienacki”, “It’s watchable, but I would watch this film with Mr. Samochodzik did not name.” “I lasted 18 minutes”, “Drama”, “Let the screenwriter go back to school and the director come back to earth – Mr. Samochodzik is not 007, but the viewers themselves and Netflix themselves – B-class cinematography in full resolution, unfortunately” – others comment .
Even people who are not so indignant at the loose approach to the book, point to plot problems: “The actors themselves are ok, but the ideas for the story, the treasure that can destroy Europe – drama. It would be possible to write a better story, but as TV series, because the film is kind of shortened” – says Julia. The author of the script is Bartosz Sztybor.
Others point out that the creators went way overboard with mixing genres and references to action movies: “I get the impression that there is no script. It’s a lump of long-chewed gum. Quotes from almost every classic from Lara Croft to James Bond, Indiana Jones and Jason Bourne “, “This movie has so much in common with the book … hmm … let me think … the title … that’s what they have in common.” In this light, it is easy to understand this comment: “Now I am worried about ‘Quack'”.
What if you like it? “Mateusz Janicki as Mr. Samochodzik gives advice”
However, there are few enthusiasts: “Nice movie, but it has little to do with the book”, “I envy the fun you had in the production of this movie. Well done!”, “Great movie for holiday viewing!” Roxana writes. And he explains: “Adventure, friendship, nice landscapes. Mr. Samochodzik is a great actor, kids too. Let’s appreciate the new edition, because it’s cool.” “I am also brought up in the spirit of Mr. Nienacki’s books and no film can convey the emotions of a 10-year-old who reads subsequent volumes, but I am glad that new versions of these iconic novels are being created. Maybe thanks to this, someone will reach for the book out of curiosity.. . and that’s so much” – he adds.
“As a child, I probably read all the parts, of course, I also remember the previous series adaptation. But… Mateusz Janicki as Mr. Samochodzik gives advice. The film is different, it’s good to watch. Time passes quickly. What’s a pity is that there was no attempt to set the adventure in modern times” – defends Mrs. Anna.
I see several problems here
The new “Mr. Car and the Templars” is a film that is pleasing to the eye and actually suitable for a casual family screening, but there are several problems with it. First of all, the filmmakers shot themselves in the foot by adopting a book that was successfully filmed by TVP in the 1970s. The series with Stanisław Mikulski was and remains cult, the mass of people who now turn on the fresh filming will unknowingly compare one with the other. It’s really hard to come out victorious from such a clash: Mikulski in the series was a cooler Little Car than the one from the books. Mateusz Janicki was the most accurate choice, but his character in the script is written in such a way that it is difficult to like her: he is an overconfident buffoon and narcissist, just like Karen Petersen. Fortunately, Janicki is cute enough to swallow it somehow, but I really don’t understand why someone decided that it was a good idea to make an unpleasant main character – his transformation into a cool dude was not particularly emphasized in this film.
Secondly, I don’t know who this film was made for, because someone was trying to catch too many magpies by the tail. Viewers attracted by the power of nostalgia naturally rebel against plot twists and genre jumps. Just as I fully understand that in 2022 it’s hard to think about an adventure production without duels, chases and action sequences, I don’t really think the concept of introducing fantasy threads and paraphrasing Indiana Jones is a hit (Mr. 60s, so Steven Spielberg was still a kid at the time).
The strength of Nienacki’s books lay in the fact that there was a lot of situational humor in them, but above all they lay in the adventures of the main character. Those for readers, and then for viewers, became attractive because they were credibly realistic, grounded in reality. The key to solving many puzzles was knowledge, cunning, intelligence, resourcefulness – something that is within the reach of the average person. Lack of understanding of this context means that those who watch out of longing for the 60s or their childhood will not be satisfied.
In addition, there are simplified, slightly infantile dialogues, which were probably supposed to be something that would make it easier for younger viewers to watch. For them, on the other hand, a film with an action set in the time of the sugar-coated Polish People’s Republic may be too abstract or incomprehensible. What about foreign viewers who will not know the context of the film’s creation. Instead, they will see a patchwork of films from various action films and nice costumes and stage sets from the era. Is that enough to keep them interested? And numerous simplifications of the plot and turning up the sensationalism make this new “Mr. Samochodzik” a bit for everyone, and actually for no one. What’s more, I didn’t remember the ending very well, because although I turned on the movie with a militant attitude, I watched it afterwards with benevolent interest.
My worst fear was that this new “Mr. Samochodzik” would completely tarnish what worked so well in the 1971 series with Stanisław Mikulski. But these are really two different things – the creators of the new film did not even try to pretend that they would try to do something even remotely similar, they just went in a completely different direction.
There used to be times, now there are no times
I fully understand the indignation of many viewers who are not satisfied with what they got. Because they were counting on a modern repetition of entertainment, and they got a completely different product with accents focused not on a puzzle, but on action. I saw the classic production from 1971 with my mother more than once and not twice, and I must admit that I love it with passion. The cast was sensational. And I’m not just talking about Mikulski and young Ewa Szykulska. The kids played fantastically, and the prank war between the scouts and Michał (Michał Szewczyk is a great actor) is probably the most agile and efficiently conducted comedy sequence in Polish cinema. In terms of script, the series was even better than Nienacki’s book, and no one can put situational jokes referring to other popular Polish films with such grace.
Examples? The cast of the series included Danuta Szaflarska, who starred in the first high-profile post-war Polish comedy “Treasure” – here she is looking for treasure with her serial husband. In one of the scenes, her character utters this key word during a conversation with her husband, and a camper passing them picks up: – Treasure? I saw it, he says. When asked where, he replies that on TV. The director also did not miss the opportunity to use the episode of Alina Janowska, who played a guide to the castle in Malbork. When Mikulski, who plays Mr. Samochodzik, passes by, she looks at him and wonders how she knows him, and in the background you can hear the musical theme from “Stakes larger than life”. Recall: Janowska appeared alongside him in the episode “Cafe Rose” and had a large role. In general, I would advise all lovers of Mr. Samochodzik to turn on this old series on VOD.
However, maliciously, I will return to the fact that Stanisław Mikulski was a better car than the one from the books. The fictional Mr. Tomasz races in a car, swims in an amphibious vehicle, talks about the fact that he used to train judo, but above all, he is a storyteller who likes to impress the reader with his knowledge and qualities worthy of a real man (remember that Nienacki’s novels were also supposed to be somewhat didactic). He is convinced that he is usually right, and when he talks about women, you can see that Nienacki was such a conservative with a penchant for the stereotypical division of roles. When you read these books years later, you can clearly see that there are a lot of threads that are troublesome from a modern point of view, and Mr. Tomasz really was a bit buffoonish. So this new hero in Janicki’s interpretation is not so far from the model, but everyone got used to the nice Mikulski, who was nice and intelligent, caring, and partner, and resourceful, and cordial, and clever, and at the same time not he was a mean bastard.
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.
