“1670”. This John Paul seriously may become the most famous John Paul among Netflix viewers [RECENZJA]

A word of introduction: How much I respect the idea of ​​screenwriter Kuba Rurzałło that his main character should be called John Paul and from the very beginning he would tell the audience straight that he wants to become “the most famous John Paul in Polish history” and at the same time pose for his royal portrait. You hear something like that from Bartłomiej Topa, who is deadly serious in this message, and you already know that it’s going to be harsh. We start with a thick pipe and the pace doesn’t slow down until the very end. I swear, each subsequent episode of “1670” only gets better and more packed with jokes that are cleverly predictable and shamelessly funny.

“1670”. It was worth waiting eight years since the launch of Netflix in Poland for such a series

I won’t hide the fact that when I heard “a Polish comedy series about a 17th-century nobleman”, a red flag went off in my head. No one in this country has tried to talk about the Sarmatians other than through the prism of Sienkiewicz. Of course, even with all my aversion to this “first-rate, second-rate writer” (as Gombrowicz used to say), I cannot deny that Zagłoba is a hilarious character. But an entire comedy series in the tone he sets would be simply unbearable.

The approach to making this genre in Poland is so market-based that it follows several widely divergent patterns. When you see the term “comedy series”, you might expect something extremely cheeky, unpleasantly cabaret, exaggerated, forced and therefore simply unfunny. In addition, not all Polish productions met my expectations and I was basically afraid that the result would be a supposedly Polish product, but in fact made “for everyone”, so for no one. None of my fears came true.

I watched subsequent episodes and simply couldn’t believe what I saw on the screen. I laughed, clapped, said to myself “I don’t believe they did that, no, it’s not happening”, etc. In short, about “1670”: we have a fantastic script by Kuba Rurzałło, humor based on stereotypes, but using them with sensitivity and maintaining “reason and human dignity”, offensively intelligent and yet clearly presented jokes, excellent actors and actresses, beautiful costumes made really richly and delightful set design. That’s still not all, because there are also props from the era that are epic in their ingenuity, captivating and truly artful music, fast-paced narration, very good direction and almost artistic arrangement of frames. Even the extras are chosen so that a fly doesn’t land. In addition, there is a lot of fun with various film conventions and genres, very successful editing (I have the impression that most ‘hopeful’ productions often emphasize this element) and a lot of great fun.

I’m very tempted to throw in some quotes and describe my favorite scenes, but I will limit myself only to those dialogues that have already been said in the trailers, so as not to spoil anyone’s fun of discovering the creators’ ideas on their own. I was delighted when the main character asked his brother-in-law Bogdan “What starts with ‘ż’ and silently rules Poland?” He says what we all expect, and John Paul replies with such a beautiful sense of superiority that he meant RYE. Or when he says to the blacksmith’s assistant that “he is his own man” and then adds that he was joking, because we know that if he is a serf, he is his man. Or when John Paul says that he achieved everything himself thanks to the hard work of his peasants, and one of the noblemen explains: “God, honor, homeland – the three most common causes of death of Polish noblemen”, it is also homely, although perverse. Of course, many of the gags are somehow predictable, but the secret lies in how they were delivered by the actors. This is just ridiculous. There is a good chance that viewers who are very conservative and attached to traditional values ​​may not understand this sense of humor. Their loss.

Usually, we get basically all the best moments in trailers and teasers, and in this case, none of the trailers were able to fully reflect what was happening in the episodes. And it’s happening, oh it’s happening. Using the example of the story of John Paul and his family, we basically get the essence of Polishness: our advantages, disadvantages, various stereotypes and patterns of behavior – supposedly from the 17th century, but there is a lot of what we do today. Despite the very historical background (really, really beautiful, elaborate costumes and scenography – we finally have a series that doesn’t look like it was made of plywood or props from the school drama club), the whole thing is presented in a modern and dynamic way. It is also worth noting that directors Maciej Buchwald and Kordian Kądziela made something very original, natural and Polish. Because it’s the 17th century, no one pretends that there are cameras there, our heroes simply break the fourth wall and speak straight to the viewer – but this convention is transparent, it serves the full action and all kinds of jokes.

Our main character may be a good-natured, but impossibly stupid nobleman convinced of his eminence. He is not joking when he says “We, the Sarmatians, are the chosen people. By the express will of the Creator, we have the greatest minds, hearts and phalluses.” Bartłomiej Topa plays him wonderfully: he never seemed to me to be someone who was good at comedy, but here he is on fire. But in fact, EVERYONE is wonderful here: Katarzyna Herman as his pious wife Zofia, Michał Balicki as the unruly son Stanisław, Martyna Byczkowska as the progressive daughter Aniela, Michał Sikorski as the mercantile priest and younger son Jakub (strong associations with Black Adder), etc. He is wonderful Dobromir Dymecki played the role of Bogdan’s Sarmatian brother-in-law, I was also charmed by Waldek Złotopolski in his episode, sorry, Andrzej Nejman. Seriously, even the extras there are perfect.

I understand why “1670” lay in the creator’s drawer for several years and it took several years before someone was ready to implement this ambitious project. It was worth it, oh it was worth the wait. Dear Santa Claus (or dear Netflix): I really hope that there will be another season of this production, because “1670” is the purest gold, a rare diamond and simply fantastic fun.