How I Unleashed World War II, Part I: The Escape

1970 1h 26m PL

🙌

7.6

BANGER

⭐

IMDB

★7.6TMDB · 66★8IMDB · 4,238

ComedyWarAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On the night of August 31, 1939, Dolas, from a platoon reinforcing a train station on the German border, falls asleep in a train car and unknowingly crosses into Germany. The moment he shoots a German, who he thinks is a saboteur, the German invasion of Poland begins, and Dolas is convinced it was his fault. He is taken to Stalag POW camp, the first destination in his odyssey around Europe.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Marian Kociniak
Franciszek Dolas
Janina Borońska
Elżbieta
Adam Cyprian
Gulke's Brother
Wirgiliusz Gryń
Józek Kryska
Zdzisław Kuźniar
Dimo Stojadinovic
Józef Łodyński
Stoker
Jarosław Skulski
Colonel
Tomasz Zaliwski
Yugoslavian Officer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tadeusz Chmielewski
Writers: Tadeusz Chmielewski
Languages: Serbo-Croatian, German, Polish
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

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

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 3 languages: Serbo-Croatian, German, Polish.

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 Janina Borońska and Adam Cyprian 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 Serbo-Croatian, German, Polish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Serbo-Croatian, German, Polish.
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 Janina Borońska and Adam Cyprian carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0065908 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 66 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Released under 14 different titles around the world.

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: 86 min · 1h 26m
Status: Released
Original language: PL
IMDB: How I Unleashed World War II, Part I: The Escape (1970)
IMDB rating: 8/10 · 4,238 votes

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.