Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz’s “The Quack” was first made into a film in 1937, but today perhaps only a few people have seen it. However, the 1982 film, directed by Jerzy Hofmann, has become a classic of Polish cinema. She became his icon. So why take something that was perfect, improve it, change it, and try to prove that you can do better? How do you compare with both the then director and actor, Jerzy Bencicki? This attempt seems doomed to failure, and certainly to many criticisms, because Hoffmann’s “Quack” is feelings, memories and even a family tradition watching on holidays or Sundays the story of a doctor who lost his memory and who became a doctor who heals people in the countryside.
Leszek Leshota as Anthony Kosyba in the movie “Quack”
I myself have probably watched the 1982 movie “The Quack” at least 20 times. For some people, Easter without this movie might be like Christmas without Home Alone, but the value of the movie is completely different. And despite those 20 times, there was always the same emotion, the same expectation when Pyotr Fruntzevsky, who played Dobranitsky, said the same line: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Professor Rafael Wilchor.”
This was also the case the day before the 2023 premiere of “Quack,” directed by Michal Gazda. In the evening I watched the film adaptation of the novel, directed by Jerzy Hoffmann, to find out what to compare, what to refer to, where to find negatives and where possible shortcomings. And finally, to honestly answer the question: Which version of “The Quack” is better – the 40-year-old version or the current version?
And… I was disappointed, because it became clear from the first minutes, when Leszek Lichota appeared on the screen as Rafał Wilczor, that there were no logical comparisons. And for this I would like to thank the creators of “Quack” 2023, because I had the feeling that no one was racing against anyone, no one wanted to prove anything to anyone, no one wanted to be better, and even more so, no one wanted to tickle those who were loyal to the version The year is 1982, and they, like me, are watching the new “Quack Man” film that emphasizes criticism rather than curiosity.
Anna Szymańczyk as Zośka in the movie “Quack”
Michal Gazda rubbed my nose in my face and I’m very happy about it. “The Quack” with the excellent (and what a great) role of Leszek Lichota feels like a completely new story. You might think you’ve seen this somewhere, but not actually. You can wait for scenes that you know well from the previous adaptation, but you won’t see them, and if you do see them they will be told in a completely different way. They seem similar, but they are far from each other. This is a great advantage of this film for film professionals like me, who absorb the film with their emotions and do not judge it from the position of a film expert. This distant similarity allowed me to put all comparisons and expectations towards this painting out of my mind. The creators quickly point out that this doesn’t make any sense.
As the film’s producer, Magdalena Szudkovic, said just before the premiere – it’s a film about the relationship between a father and his daughter. — My father was a heart surgeon in the small town of Kolobrzeg. He helped people. Sam died of a heart attack on Christmas Eve… She said: “I dedicate this film to him.” Grazyna Torbica stressed that it is rare for a producer to talk about his film in such a private and intimate way. It’s hard to disagree, whether with the producer or the other creatives, that their hearts and all their talents were put into this film.
Leszek Leshota and Miroslav Haniszewski in the new film “Quack”.
“The Imposter” by Michal Gazda is still the story of the professor. Rafał Wilczor, but in fact it is a completely different story from Jerzy Hoffmann’s “The Imposter”. – I decided to direct this film because of the last sentence in the script – said Michel Gazda.
And for the last sentence said by Piotr Fronczewski, I would happily watch Jerzy Hoffmann’s “The Quack”, and then immediately watch its new adaptation on Netflix, and for that other (and very similar) last sentence, because of the grandmaster in the role. . Wilczur Leszek Lichota and the wonderful Anna Szymańczyk as Zośka. I will not compare these two films. Honestly, I don’t advise you to do this either.
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