| Miś (Teddy Bear) | |
|---|---|
 Poster forMiś | |
| Directed by | Stanisław Bareja |
| Written by | Stanisław Tym Stanisław Bareja |
| Starring | Stanisław Tym Barbara Burska Christine Paul-Podlasky |
| Cinematography | Zdzisław Kaczmarek |
| Music by | Jerzy Derfel |
Production company | Zespol Filmowy "Perspektywa" |
Release date |
|
Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | Poland |
| Languages | Polish English |
Teddy Bear is the English title ofMiś[miɕ], a 1981 Polishcomedy film directed byStanisław Bareja.Teddy Bear, along withThe Cruise(Rejs), was a reflection of contemporary Polish society using surreal humor to somehow get past thecensorship at the time. It gainedcult status in its native country.[1][2][3] Later, the film was reappraised by critics and it has been regarded as one of thebest Polish films ever made.
Rysiek (Stanisław Tym, who also co-wrote the screenplay), the shrewd manager of a state-sponsored sports club, has to travel toLondon before his ex-wife Irena (Barbara Burska) gets there to collect a large sum of money from their joint savings account.
However, getting out of acommunist country is never easy, even for a well-connected operator like Rysiek. After his wife destroys Rysiek'shard-to-get passport, he is stranded in Warsaw, while she's off to London. The circumstances force him to plot aByzantine scheme with the support of his equally cunning friend. Their plan involves a movie production as well as tracking down alook-alike (also played by Tym) to "borrow" their passport.
Hilarity ensues as Bareja gives the audience a guided tour of the corruption, absurd bureaucracy, pervasive bribery and flourishing black market that pervaded socialism in thePeople's Republic of Poland.
The titular (teddy) bear is a nickname given to the main character, but also a big straw-bear used in a corruption scheme. Perhaps playing on the well-establishedRussian Bear trope,Misha is the mascot of the1980 MoscowOlympic Games, the same year as the film.