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Teddy Bear (1981 film)
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Wikipedia article
in Gdynia 2009
'Teddy Bear' is the English title of 'Mi' , a 1981 comedy Polish film directed by Stanisaw Bareja. 'Teddy Bear', along with 'The Cruise' '(Rejs)', was a reflection of contemporary Polish society using surreal humor to somehow get past the censorship at the time. It gained cult status in its native country. Later, the film was reappraised by critics and it has been regarded as one of the best Polish films ever made.
Plot
Rysiek (Stanisaw Tym, who also co-wrote the screenplay), the shrewd manager of a state-sponsored sports club, has to travel to London 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 a communist country is never easy, even for a well-connected operator like Rysiek. After his wife destroys Rysiek's hard to get passport he is stranded in Warsaw while she's off to London. The circumstances force him to plot a Byzantine scheme with support of his equally cunning friend. Their plan involves a movie production as well as tracking down a look-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 the People'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-established Russian Bear trope, Misha is the mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, the same year as the film.
Cast
* Stanisaw Tym as Ryszard Ochdzki and Stanisaw Paluch
* Barbara Burska as Irena Ochdzka
* Krystyna Podleska (Christine Paul-Podlasky) as Aleksandra Kozel
* Krzysztof Kowalewski as Jan Hochwander
* Bronisaw Pawlik as Stuwaa
* Ewa Bem as herself
* Zofia Czerwiska as Irena Siwna
* Stanisaw Mikulski as "Captain Ry" a.k.a. "Wujek Dobra Rada" ("Uncle Good-Advice")
* Wojciech Pokora as Wodarczyk
* Eugeniusz Priwieziencew as a militiaman
* Hanna Skaranka
See also
*Cinema of Poland
*List of Polish language films
Sources
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