Chmielewski, Tadeusz

(1927-)

   Scriptwriter-director whose name became synonymous with comedy, although he also worked in other genres. His first film, Ewa Wants to Sleep (Ewa chce spać, 1958), featuring Barbara Kwiatkowska and Stanisław Mikulski, became one of the most successful Polish comedies. The film relied on absurdist, situational humor and lyricism in the spirit of Rene Clair. Although saturated with thinly veiled references to Polish reality, this film belonged to a group of the first postwar Polish pictures that were produced for pure entertainment. Chmielewski's later films included popular war comedies such as Where Is the General? (Gdżie jest generał? 1964), starring Jerzy Turek and Elżbieta Czyżewska, and How I Started World War II (Jak rozpętałem II wojnę światową, three parts, 1970), with Marian Kociniak. Equally enjoyed by audiences were contemporary comedies, such as I Hate Mondays (Nie lubię poniedziałku, 1971) and It's the Spring, Sergeant (Wiosna panie sierżancie, 1974). Chmielewski also directed a moody thriller set in the 1920s, Silent Night (aka In the Still of the Night, Wśród nocnej cisży, 1978), and an adaptation of Stefan Zeromski's novel about an anti-Russian uprising in 1963, Faithful River (Wierna rżeka, 1983). He is one of the founders and head of film studio Oko in Warsaw, which was established in 1984.

   Other films: Jack of Spades (Waletpikowy, 1960), Two Gentlemen "N" (Dwaj panowie "N," 1961), There Is No Free Lunch (Pieczone gołąbki, 1966).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof