| Miś (Teddy Bear) | |
| Starring: | Stanisław Tym Barbara Burska Christine Paul-Podlasky |
| Director: | Stanisław Bareja |
| Music: | Jerzy Derfel |
| Cinematography: | Zdzisław Kaczmarek |
| Runtime: | 111 minutes |
| Country: | Poland |
| Production Companies: | Zespol Filmowy "Perspektywa" |
| Language: | Polish English |
Teddy Bear is the English title of Miś pronounced as /pl/, a 1981 Polish comedy film directed by Stanisław 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.[1] [2] [3] Later, the film was reappraised by critics and it has been regarded as one of the best 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 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.