Bareja, Stanisław

(1929-1987)

   Director-scriptwriter, known principally for his popular cult comedies. He began his career in the mid-1950s, working as assistant and second director. In 1961 he made his first film, the comedy The Husband (Mąz swojej zony), followed by his only venture into another genre, the well-received crime film Touch of the Night (Dotknięcie nocy, 1961), the first Polish postwar crime film. In the 1960s, Bareja produced several unpretentious comedies such as The Wife for an Australian (Żona dla Australijczyka, 1964), Marriage of Convenience (Małzeństwo z rozsądku, 1966), and An Adventure with a Song (Przygoda z piosenką, 1968). Beginning with Wanted (Poszukiwany, poszukiwana, 1972), he started to infuse his films with bitter observations of everyday political reality. His best films, political satires such as What Will You Do with Me when You Catch Me (Co mi zrobisz jak mnie złapiesz, 1978) and Teddy Bear (Miś, 1981), reveal more about that period than the whole roster of politically oriented Polish cinema. Both films portrayed situations that were surrealist in spirit, people whose stupidity was of epic proportions, and an everyday existence that was kitschy, ridiculous, and painful. The same portrayal can be found in Bareja's television series from the 1980s—Alternative Street, No. 4 (Alternatywy 4, 1983, premiere in 1986/1987) and Replacements (Zmiennicy, 1986). His earlier television film, The Extraordinarily Quiet Man (Niespotykanie spokojny człowiek, 1975), has been voted the best television film in a plebiscite organized by weekly Polityka. A documentary film by Agnieszka Arnold, Bare-ism (Bareizm, 1997), deals with the Bareja's career and his exceptional popularity among young viewers in particular.

   Other films: Captain Sowa Investigates (Kapitan Sowa na tropie, TV series, 1965), There Is No Rose without Fire (Nie ma rózy bez ognia, 1974), The Dark-Haired Man during the Evening (Brunet wieczorową porą, 1976).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof