How I Unleashed World War II, Part II: Following the Arms

1970 1h 12m PL

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 76

ComedyAdventureWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After escaping across Europe from Stalag camp, Dolas's ride to Cyprus is stopped when his ship in sunk by an Italian submarine. Although he and some of his fellow sailors are rescued by an Allied ship, they find themselves conscripted into the French Foreign Legion in Beirut, Dolas becoming a cook.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Marian Kociniak
Franciszek Dolas
Krystyna Borowicz
Brothel Madame
Anna Gębicka
Dancer
Piotr Fronczewski
Italian Sodier
Wacław Kowalski
Kiedros
Kazimierz Rudzki
Captain Ralf Peacoock
Jan Świderski
Letoux
Leonard Andrzejewski
Foreign Legion Soldier

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tadeusz Chmielewski
Writers: Tadeusz Chmielewski
Languages: German, Italian, French, Polish, English
Countries: Poland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 72-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 5 languages: German, Italian, French, Polish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "How I Unleashed World War II" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tadeusz Chmielewski, shot by Jerzy Stawicki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jerzy Matuszkiewicz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Janina Niedźwiecka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marian Kociniak and Krystyna Borowicz and Anna Gębicka carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tadeusz Chmielewski directs. Jerzy Stawicki behind the camera. Jerzy Matuszkiewicz scores. Janina Niedźwiecka cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Poland. Dialogue in German, Italian, French, Polish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 72-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 5 languages: German, Italian, French, Polish, English.
4Part of the "How I Unleashed World War II" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Tadeusz Chmielewski, shot by Jerzy Stawicki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Jerzy Matuszkiewicz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Janina Niedźwiecka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Marian Kociniak and Krystyna Borowicz and Anna Gębicka carry the top of the cast.
9Only 76 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jerzy Stawicki
Original score: Jerzy Matuszkiewicz
Editing: Janina Niedźwiecka
Production design: Bolesław Kamykowski
Costume design: Lidia Rzeszewska
Makeup / hair: Janusz Elke
Runtime: 72 min · 1h 12m
Status: Released
Original language: PL

Part of

How I Unleashed World War II

The movie tells the story of a Polish soldier Franciszek Dolas, who, as a result of comical coincidences, is convinced that he started the Second World War. Trying to redeem himself at all costs, he constantly gets into new trouble. In doing so, he finds himself on different war fronts (Yugoslavia, Mediterranean Sea, Near East, Italy) and eventually returns to Poland.