The “phenomenon” among Polish viewers is huge. The first pre-war film adaptation of Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz’s book was so popular that two more parts of the story were quickly shot. When Jerzy Hoffman released his version in cinemas in the 1980s, viewers, despite the fact that war, they bought so many tickets that the production was included in the list of the 10 most watched cinema productions in Poland (including foreign ones) in the 1980s. To date, broadcasts on television attract millions to the screens. In its reports, the National Broadcasting Council reported that, e.g. In the first quarter of 2020, 1,395,203 viewers watched “Znachora” on TVP2. In 2012, when the film was broadcast on TVP1 in the same period, it was watched by 4,094,644 people.
The most famous text in the history of Polish cinema is not included in the new “Quack”.
Why do people love “The Quack” from the 1980s so much, even though critics at the time slammed the production? The reasons are many and complex, they could be listed for a long time. First of all, let’s just say it’s down to the great cast. It’s impossible not to love Anna Dymna as Marysia Wilczurówna, young Tomasz Stockinger was delightful as the romantic count and lover, and Jerzy Bińczycki, who already in “Nights and Days” proved that he has incredible charisma, here created a total creation.
Let us also add that the script of that film adaptation was significantly modified compared to the pre-war original. For example, in Hoffman’s case, Professor Rafał Wilczur’s wife does not abandon him for her lover (for which, of course, she is punished by fate, because the lover dies in a tragic car accident), but because she is unable to live in the shadow of such an outstanding doctor as her husband and feels that makes her terribly guilty.
Another thing is the fact that, just as in Dołęga-Mostowicz’s case and in the pre-war film, Professor Dobraniecki – Wilczur’s assistant – is a careerist whose wife is especially keen on his appanages and encourages him to engage in nefarious plots, in Hoffman’s case the hero was played by Piotr, who is liked by the audience. Fronczewski. His character was written in such a way that during Wilczur’s trial, his surgical talent is praised to the skies, and then he becomes Kosiba’s savior, in whom he recognizes his mentor from years ago.
Fronczewski expresses his key line for a happy ending with such power and charisma that even if Robert De Niro had practiced it in front of a mirror for a hundred years, he wouldn’t have been able to do it with such stunning effect. One of my favorite memes about “Quack” is the one with a cute dog crying with emotion and the caption “Your old man, when he finds out for the 15,456th time that this is Professor Rafał Wilczur.” So I was waiting for this scene in “The Quack” with great tension, because if it had turned out badly, it would have spoiled the WHOLE movie. It’s also hard to imagine that she won’t be there. What a surprise I experienced during the screening.
‘This is Professor Rafał Wilczur’ via paczaizm.pl
I have even greater respect for the scriptwriters of the new adaptation of “The Quack”, because they turned a story known to Polish viewers into something truly original. They kept all the necessary plot elements and character traits that made us love this story so much. And at the same time, they allowed them to do slightly different and new things. This is a very clever solution, because in this way they easily escaped the burden of comparisons with Hoffman’s film. “Quack”, directed by Michał Gazda, does not try to remake the previous painting, it paints its own landscape.
[UWAGA, niżej pojawia się streszczenie fabuły]
So, ladies and gentlemen, in Netflix’s “Quack”, it is not Professor Dobraniecki who causes a sensation in the courtroom when he thunders before the prosecutors and the audience that the entire trial makes no sense because the accused is a brilliant surgeon. Here, Dobraniecki, perfectly played by Mirosław Haniszewski, is a cowardly scoundrel who, out of jealousy, abandoned his beaten friend on the street and then took over his position. Years later, he recognizes Wilczur in Kosiba, but he doesn’t want it to be revealed and does everything he can to prevent his crimes from coming to light. That’s why when testifying in court, he talks and suggests amnesia therapy.
The scriptwriters presented the plot of the key scene revealing Kosiba’s true identity in an even more touching way than Hoffman’s. Here, Marysia Wilczurón, after years of separation, finally receives enough clues to understand that Antoni Kosiba, who saved her life by performing a miracle operation with stolen tools, is her real father. She appears in the courtroom at the climax, introduces herself to the audience as Maria Jolanta Wilczukrzywna and says: “And this is my father.” Marysia Kowalska, who plays this character, has something hypnotizing, touching and credible about her. It’s such a powerful scene that it’s hard to stay calm, especially when you look at how Lichota played the moment when he realizes it’s true. That he found the daughter he had been looking for for 15 years, even though he didn’t remember anything from his previous life. Thanks to this scene, it also turns out that the English title of the production, “Forgotten Love”, which sounds stupid to some, is not so stupid after all and makes a lot of sense. I highly recommend it.
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.
