Treasure

(Skarb)


1949   >   comedy

The first comedy made in the times of the People’s Republic of Poland, combining the charm of the pre-war cinema with the contemporary topics and gentle propaganda.

A legendary Polish comedy which over the decades has never stopped to entertain the next generations of viewers.

The cast included the most characteristic and renowned actors of the time, with Adolf Dymsza in one of the best roles in his career. The main characters were played by Danuta Szaflarska and Jerzy Duszyński, who after “Zakazane piosenki” were recognized as “the first couple” of Polish cinema.

Witek and Krysia, young newlyweds, desperately look for a room to rent, but Warsaw is only being rebuilt after the war and apartments cost a fortune. Finally, Witek finds a beautiful place in the basement of a ruined tenement house. It turns out that the place is already inhabited by several other people. Due to a comic misunderstanding, the tenants now believe that a treasure has been hidden in one of the walls of the building. Filled with greed, they start their search, completely ignoring the fact that the building is in a very poor condition and might collapse at anytime.

The film was a gigantic box office success. On the day of its premiere, 18,000 viewers watched it in Warsaw alone and the militia had to be called to keep order among people waiting to buy the tickets.

The film director, Leonard Buczkowski, is listed in the credits under a pseudonym in result of a punishment imposed on him by the panel of the fellow filmmakers for his collaboration with Germany.


Crew:

director
Leonard Buczkowski (pseudonym Marian Leonard)
script
Ludwik Starski, Roman Niewiarowicz
d.o.p.
Seweryn Kruszyński, Mieczysław Verocsy
designer
Anatol Radzinowicz
editor
Joanna Rojewska
music
Jerzy Harald
cast
Danuta Szaflarska, Jerzy Duszyński,
Jadwiga Chojnacka, Adolf Dymsza,
Alina Janowska, Ludwik Sempoliński
Materials: SD
Length: 102’

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