Film and media historian. Professor at the University of Gdańsk. He has published on topics including animation, silent cinema, history of movie-going and graphic novel. Author of four books, including Polska szkoła animacji (Polish School of Animation, 2011), Miki i myszy. Walt Disney i film rysunkowy w przedwojennej Polsce (Of Mickey and Mice: Walt Disney and Animated Cartoons in Pre-War Poland, 2012), and Gorączka filmowa. Kinomania w międzywojennej Polsce (Cinematic Fever: Movie-going in Pre-War Poland, 2019)
The article is devoted to Schulz’s connections to the cinema, both as a viewer and as a writer. S... more The article is devoted to Schulz’s connections to the cinema, both as a viewer and as a writer. Since we do not know much about his experiences as a moviegoer from his art or letters, the author tries to recreate it on the basis of the collective experience of Schulz’s generation which was often heavily influenced by the cinema. The second part of the article focuses on Schulz’s cinematic writing. The author tries to prove that Schulz’s peculiar literary imagination which, according to many scholars and critics, takes its root in the image, not the word, was to some extent inspired by the early cinema or the cinema of attractions. The conclusion is that the interpreter of Schulz’s work has the right to treat his older brother’s movie theater in Drohobych as an important part of Schulz’s private mythology.
Artykuł mierzy się z mitem Walta Disneya jako legendarnego autora filmów dla dzieci. Disney przez... more Artykuł mierzy się z mitem Walta Disneya jako legendarnego autora filmów dla dzieci. Disney przez kilkadziesiąt lat przekonywał dziennikarzy i opinię publiczną, że tworzy kino dla widowni dorosłej, którą zresztą definiował w dość specyficzny sposób. Polemizował ze wszystkimi, którzy zarzucali mu błędy wychowawcze. Tematy wyprodukowanych przez Disneya filmów pełnometrażowych również dowodzą, że przez długie lata nie chciał uchodzić za pedagoga, choć zarazem produkcje te od początku przyciągały najmłodszych kinomanów. Artykuł stawia pytanie, dlaczego ktoś, kto tak radykalnie odżegnywał się od kina dziecięcego, stał się biznesmenem specjalizującym się w rozrywce familijnej. (Materiał nierecenzowany).
Images. The International Journal of European Film, Performing Arts and Audiovisual Communication
When a researcher deals with a film audience, it is easier to study the one that exists and is st... more When a researcher deals with a film audience, it is easier to study the one that exists and is still active. In this case, social sciences and the humanities supply practical tools and relatively easy access to all kinds of data. It is much more difficult to capture experiences, emotions, and rituals of the audiences from many decades ago, working with an impermanent human memory, unreliable personal or press sources. The article discusses the basic methodological problems related to the researching film audiences that no longer exist (especially from the pre-WW2 years). It turns out that the difficulties are not only in how to read the sources and how to evaluate the data. The cinema historian confronts more serious challenges. Do we have access to other people’s experiences without personal contact? Can research focused on subjective and mediated feelings capture an objective image at all? What may result from research with so many unknowns? The article, based on the author’s many...
Artykuł jest próbą opisania kulis realizacji, a następnie recepcji pięciu polskojęzycznych filmów... more Artykuł jest próbą opisania kulis realizacji, a następnie recepcji pięciu polskojęzycznych filmów dźwiękowych, wyprodukowanych w studiu Joinville pod Paryżem. Wcześniejsze publikacje utrwaliły negatywny, a nawet nieco satyryczny obraz współpracy polskich filmowców z Paramountem. Autor sprawdza, czy czarna legenda Wytwórni Babel z Joinville, gdzie realizowano remaki w kilkunastu wersjach językowych, znajduje potwierdzenie w ustaleniach historyków kina oraz tekstach publicystycznych z epoki. Stara się również odpowiedzieć na pytanie, dlaczego żaden polski „talkies” nie odniósł sukcesu komercyjnego, a inicjatywa Adolpha Zukora zakończyła się porażką.
Produkcja filmów jidyszowych w Polsce lat 30. budziła skrajne reakcje wśród twórców, polityków, p... more Produkcja filmów jidyszowych w Polsce lat 30. budziła skrajne reakcje wśród twórców, polityków, publicystów oraz widzów. Reakcje te odcisnęły ślad w przedwojennej publicystyce, we wspomnieniach, wywiadach i tekstach programowych. Na podstawie źródeł w języku polskim, jidysz i angielskim (wiele z nich nie było dotychczas przywoływanych w literaturze przedmiotu) autor zrekonstruował nieformalną dyskusję na temat funkcji, tożsamości i stylu kina żydowskiego w przedwojennej Polsce. Spory koncentrowały się wówczas wokół czterech głównych problemów: do kogo adresować film jidysz i jak uzasadnić jego istnienie w epoce naznaczonej antysemityzmem i groźbą wojny? jak definiować artystyczność filmu jidysz i uciec od odium szundu (żydowskiego kiczu)? jak wpisać się w szerszy projekt nowoczesnej kultury jidysz lub kultury żydowskiej?; jaką strategię obrać wobec kinematografii polskiej, w ramach której powstają filmy jidyszowe? W tekście zostają też poruszone kwestie szczegółowe, jak chociażby re...
The article looks at the campaign of boycotting German films staged by the Anti-Hitlerite Jewish ... more The article looks at the campaign of boycotting German films staged by the Anti-Hitlerite Jewish Youth Committee in the years 1935-1936 against a broad background of Polish-German and Polish-Jewish relations in the late 1930s. The protest, analyzed here chiefly based on unpublished archive materials, had a nationwide scope. The Committee spread information using friendly printed media, printed and distributed posters and leaflets, wrote to cinema operators as well as engaging in urban actions that resembled performances. The boycott drew interest from two ministries, the Polish and German embassies and the local authorities of several provincial capitals. An order was issued to disband the Committee and punish its leaders. The second part of the article is an attempt to explain why the top-level state authorities engaged in suppressing the boycott, which was not illegal as it was a form of passive resistance. The argument focuses on three issues. First, the reasons should be sought in the tense Polish-Jewish relations, especially the aggravating economic conflict. Second, a short time before the boycott, cooperation with the German film industry began with a view to producing a historic saga about Augustus II the Strong. The Polish authorities hoped for financial and propaganda gains, while the radical right milieux expected that to help weaken the position of the Polish film industry, which was predominantly in Jewish hands. Third, the boycott affected Polish-German political relations, in particular the trade negotiations under way at the time.
In the early sound film period, a discussion on dubbing started in Poland. Some believed that thi... more In the early sound film period, a discussion on dubbing started in Poland. Some believed that this was the best way to translate films from one language to another, others criticised dubbing (for a variety of reasons) or considered it as “necessary evil” or a difficult compromise. In his article, the author tries to refer the arguments of both parties. He studies the opinions of filmmakers, film critics, representatives of various artistic disciplines, and the audience. The dispute was not just about artistic or practical issues (such as efficiency of translation methods or the comfort of the audience). In the era of nationalism, dubbing was a political problem. The author also tries to answer the question why dubbing did not spread in the Polish cinema before 1939, despite favourable conditions.
Artykuł jest próbą opisania kulis realizacji, a następnie recepcji pięciu polskojęzycznych filmów... more Artykuł jest próbą opisania kulis realizacji, a następnie recepcji pięciu polskojęzycznych filmów dźwiękowych, wyprodukowanych w studiu Joinville pod Paryżem. Wcześniejsze publikacje utrwaliły negatywny, a nawet nieco satyryczny obraz współpracy polskich filmowców z Paramountem. Autor sprawdza, czy czarna legenda Wytwórni Babel z Joinville, gdzie realizowano remaki w kilkunastu wersjach językowych, znajduje potwierdzenie w ustaleniach historyków kina oraz tekstach publicystycznych z epoki. Stara się również odpowiedzieć na pytanie, dlaczego żaden polski „talkies” nie odniósł sukcesu komercyjnego, a inicjatywa Adolpha Zukora zakończyła się porażką.
When the doctrine of socialist realism was proclaimed in Polish cinema in November 1949, the prod... more When the doctrine of socialist realism was proclaimed in Polish cinema in November 1949, the production of animated films was only taking its first steps after World War Two. The industry lacked human resources, equipment, buildings, celluloid sheets, distribution system and success. Animators were forced to achieve new goals that were often both ambitious and contradictory. In this new reality, cartoons and puppet films had to be realistic and subordinated to the dominant political doctrine. Addressed to children exclusively, they presented educational and didactic features and were focused on several contemporary topics such as the construction of communism or official propaganda. At the same time, they were supposed to be artistic, technically perfect, addressed to the millions and compatible with Soviet animation practice from Soyuzmultfilm (which was the most important animation studio in the Soviet Union). This article identifies how Polish filmmakers strived to achieve these ...
For Children Only. The Short Story of “Bolek i Lolek”
The article is a brief history of the most... more For Children Only. The Short Story of “Bolek i Lolek”
The article is a brief history of the most popular and the longest animated series in the history of Polish cinema and television: Bolek i Lolek (in English distributed as Jym & Jam or Bennie & Lennie), produced in Bielsko-Biala. The paper describes the origin of the cycle – from initial ideas, through a stage of designing the characters, to the premiere of first episode in 1964. Article also characterizes particular seasons of the show, reveals its evolution and reception, both in Poland and abroad. The paper presents series against the background of historical events in the People’s Republic of Poland as well as in the political context, as Bolek i Lolek played an important role in the discussion about duties and poetics of film art for children in communist system. At the end the article describes unsuccessful attempts to continue the series in a democratic Poland (including gay pride scandal)
The first part of the text is devoted to Walt Disney’s involvement in the struggle against commun... more The first part of the text is devoted to Walt Disney’s involvement in the struggle against communism, including his testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities and breaking a strike in his Burbank studio in 1941, allegedly inspired by the Communist Party. I also try to find out, if his suspicions ware reasonable and how to explain Disney’s aversion to the communism. The second part of the text is devoted to Walt Disney’s fascination with socialism, derived from his family home and the Great Depression times. I also focus on Disney’s relations with Soviet filmmakers and Soviet film market, trying to find traces of these fascinations in animated cartoons (especially in those who are considered to support president Roosevelt’s leftist policy). Third part of the text relates to the business strategy of The Walt Disney Company after 1989, when the head of the studio tried to reconcile the communist ideology with the capitalism, especially on Chinese market, where Disney films and artifacts are distributed.
International Journal of European Film, Performing Arts and Audiovisual Communication, 2015
Scientist and Wizard. The Vicissitudes of Maestro Starewicz The article is devoted to Wladyslaw S... more Scientist and Wizard. The Vicissitudes of Maestro Starewicz The article is devoted to Wladyslaw Starewicz (aka Ladislas Starewitch or Starevich), an animated film pioneer and independent filmmaker of Polish origin working for Russian, French and German cinematographies. The author attempts to explain why this multitalented artist and one of the most signifi cant puppet animators in film history did not achieve the commercial success he deserved, and shortly aft er WWII was almost totally forgotten. The article focuses on three aspects of Starewicz’s biography: his struggles with twentieth-century history, his fight for artistic and financial independence, and his eccentric personality. Finally, he is presented as a tragic figure who represents a model biography of an animator in Eastern Europe trying to achieve success in the Western world before 1945.
The article is devoted to Schulz’s connections to the cinema, both as a viewer and as a writer. S... more The article is devoted to Schulz’s connections to the cinema, both as a viewer and as a writer. Since we do not know much about his experiences as a moviegoer from his art or letters, the author tries to recreate it on the basis of the collective experience of Schulz’s generation which was often heavily influenced by the cinema. The second part of the article focuses on Schulz’s cinematic writing. The author tries to prove that Schulz’s peculiar literary imagination which, according to many scholars and critics, takes its root in the image, not the word, was to some extent inspired by the early cinema or the cinema of attractions. The conclusion is that the interpreter of Schulz’s work has the right to treat his older brother’s movie theater in Drohobych as an important part of Schulz’s private mythology.
Artykuł mierzy się z mitem Walta Disneya jako legendarnego autora filmów dla dzieci. Disney przez... more Artykuł mierzy się z mitem Walta Disneya jako legendarnego autora filmów dla dzieci. Disney przez kilkadziesiąt lat przekonywał dziennikarzy i opinię publiczną, że tworzy kino dla widowni dorosłej, którą zresztą definiował w dość specyficzny sposób. Polemizował ze wszystkimi, którzy zarzucali mu błędy wychowawcze. Tematy wyprodukowanych przez Disneya filmów pełnometrażowych również dowodzą, że przez długie lata nie chciał uchodzić za pedagoga, choć zarazem produkcje te od początku przyciągały najmłodszych kinomanów. Artykuł stawia pytanie, dlaczego ktoś, kto tak radykalnie odżegnywał się od kina dziecięcego, stał się biznesmenem specjalizującym się w rozrywce familijnej. (Materiał nierecenzowany).
Images. The International Journal of European Film, Performing Arts and Audiovisual Communication
When a researcher deals with a film audience, it is easier to study the one that exists and is st... more When a researcher deals with a film audience, it is easier to study the one that exists and is still active. In this case, social sciences and the humanities supply practical tools and relatively easy access to all kinds of data. It is much more difficult to capture experiences, emotions, and rituals of the audiences from many decades ago, working with an impermanent human memory, unreliable personal or press sources. The article discusses the basic methodological problems related to the researching film audiences that no longer exist (especially from the pre-WW2 years). It turns out that the difficulties are not only in how to read the sources and how to evaluate the data. The cinema historian confronts more serious challenges. Do we have access to other people’s experiences without personal contact? Can research focused on subjective and mediated feelings capture an objective image at all? What may result from research with so many unknowns? The article, based on the author’s many...
Artykuł jest próbą opisania kulis realizacji, a następnie recepcji pięciu polskojęzycznych filmów... more Artykuł jest próbą opisania kulis realizacji, a następnie recepcji pięciu polskojęzycznych filmów dźwiękowych, wyprodukowanych w studiu Joinville pod Paryżem. Wcześniejsze publikacje utrwaliły negatywny, a nawet nieco satyryczny obraz współpracy polskich filmowców z Paramountem. Autor sprawdza, czy czarna legenda Wytwórni Babel z Joinville, gdzie realizowano remaki w kilkunastu wersjach językowych, znajduje potwierdzenie w ustaleniach historyków kina oraz tekstach publicystycznych z epoki. Stara się również odpowiedzieć na pytanie, dlaczego żaden polski „talkies” nie odniósł sukcesu komercyjnego, a inicjatywa Adolpha Zukora zakończyła się porażką.
Produkcja filmów jidyszowych w Polsce lat 30. budziła skrajne reakcje wśród twórców, polityków, p... more Produkcja filmów jidyszowych w Polsce lat 30. budziła skrajne reakcje wśród twórców, polityków, publicystów oraz widzów. Reakcje te odcisnęły ślad w przedwojennej publicystyce, we wspomnieniach, wywiadach i tekstach programowych. Na podstawie źródeł w języku polskim, jidysz i angielskim (wiele z nich nie było dotychczas przywoływanych w literaturze przedmiotu) autor zrekonstruował nieformalną dyskusję na temat funkcji, tożsamości i stylu kina żydowskiego w przedwojennej Polsce. Spory koncentrowały się wówczas wokół czterech głównych problemów: do kogo adresować film jidysz i jak uzasadnić jego istnienie w epoce naznaczonej antysemityzmem i groźbą wojny? jak definiować artystyczność filmu jidysz i uciec od odium szundu (żydowskiego kiczu)? jak wpisać się w szerszy projekt nowoczesnej kultury jidysz lub kultury żydowskiej?; jaką strategię obrać wobec kinematografii polskiej, w ramach której powstają filmy jidyszowe? W tekście zostają też poruszone kwestie szczegółowe, jak chociażby re...
The article looks at the campaign of boycotting German films staged by the Anti-Hitlerite Jewish ... more The article looks at the campaign of boycotting German films staged by the Anti-Hitlerite Jewish Youth Committee in the years 1935-1936 against a broad background of Polish-German and Polish-Jewish relations in the late 1930s. The protest, analyzed here chiefly based on unpublished archive materials, had a nationwide scope. The Committee spread information using friendly printed media, printed and distributed posters and leaflets, wrote to cinema operators as well as engaging in urban actions that resembled performances. The boycott drew interest from two ministries, the Polish and German embassies and the local authorities of several provincial capitals. An order was issued to disband the Committee and punish its leaders. The second part of the article is an attempt to explain why the top-level state authorities engaged in suppressing the boycott, which was not illegal as it was a form of passive resistance. The argument focuses on three issues. First, the reasons should be sought in the tense Polish-Jewish relations, especially the aggravating economic conflict. Second, a short time before the boycott, cooperation with the German film industry began with a view to producing a historic saga about Augustus II the Strong. The Polish authorities hoped for financial and propaganda gains, while the radical right milieux expected that to help weaken the position of the Polish film industry, which was predominantly in Jewish hands. Third, the boycott affected Polish-German political relations, in particular the trade negotiations under way at the time.
In the early sound film period, a discussion on dubbing started in Poland. Some believed that thi... more In the early sound film period, a discussion on dubbing started in Poland. Some believed that this was the best way to translate films from one language to another, others criticised dubbing (for a variety of reasons) or considered it as “necessary evil” or a difficult compromise. In his article, the author tries to refer the arguments of both parties. He studies the opinions of filmmakers, film critics, representatives of various artistic disciplines, and the audience. The dispute was not just about artistic or practical issues (such as efficiency of translation methods or the comfort of the audience). In the era of nationalism, dubbing was a political problem. The author also tries to answer the question why dubbing did not spread in the Polish cinema before 1939, despite favourable conditions.
Artykuł jest próbą opisania kulis realizacji, a następnie recepcji pięciu polskojęzycznych filmów... more Artykuł jest próbą opisania kulis realizacji, a następnie recepcji pięciu polskojęzycznych filmów dźwiękowych, wyprodukowanych w studiu Joinville pod Paryżem. Wcześniejsze publikacje utrwaliły negatywny, a nawet nieco satyryczny obraz współpracy polskich filmowców z Paramountem. Autor sprawdza, czy czarna legenda Wytwórni Babel z Joinville, gdzie realizowano remaki w kilkunastu wersjach językowych, znajduje potwierdzenie w ustaleniach historyków kina oraz tekstach publicystycznych z epoki. Stara się również odpowiedzieć na pytanie, dlaczego żaden polski „talkies” nie odniósł sukcesu komercyjnego, a inicjatywa Adolpha Zukora zakończyła się porażką.
When the doctrine of socialist realism was proclaimed in Polish cinema in November 1949, the prod... more When the doctrine of socialist realism was proclaimed in Polish cinema in November 1949, the production of animated films was only taking its first steps after World War Two. The industry lacked human resources, equipment, buildings, celluloid sheets, distribution system and success. Animators were forced to achieve new goals that were often both ambitious and contradictory. In this new reality, cartoons and puppet films had to be realistic and subordinated to the dominant political doctrine. Addressed to children exclusively, they presented educational and didactic features and were focused on several contemporary topics such as the construction of communism or official propaganda. At the same time, they were supposed to be artistic, technically perfect, addressed to the millions and compatible with Soviet animation practice from Soyuzmultfilm (which was the most important animation studio in the Soviet Union). This article identifies how Polish filmmakers strived to achieve these ...
For Children Only. The Short Story of “Bolek i Lolek”
The article is a brief history of the most... more For Children Only. The Short Story of “Bolek i Lolek”
The article is a brief history of the most popular and the longest animated series in the history of Polish cinema and television: Bolek i Lolek (in English distributed as Jym & Jam or Bennie & Lennie), produced in Bielsko-Biala. The paper describes the origin of the cycle – from initial ideas, through a stage of designing the characters, to the premiere of first episode in 1964. Article also characterizes particular seasons of the show, reveals its evolution and reception, both in Poland and abroad. The paper presents series against the background of historical events in the People’s Republic of Poland as well as in the political context, as Bolek i Lolek played an important role in the discussion about duties and poetics of film art for children in communist system. At the end the article describes unsuccessful attempts to continue the series in a democratic Poland (including gay pride scandal)
The first part of the text is devoted to Walt Disney’s involvement in the struggle against commun... more The first part of the text is devoted to Walt Disney’s involvement in the struggle against communism, including his testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities and breaking a strike in his Burbank studio in 1941, allegedly inspired by the Communist Party. I also try to find out, if his suspicions ware reasonable and how to explain Disney’s aversion to the communism. The second part of the text is devoted to Walt Disney’s fascination with socialism, derived from his family home and the Great Depression times. I also focus on Disney’s relations with Soviet filmmakers and Soviet film market, trying to find traces of these fascinations in animated cartoons (especially in those who are considered to support president Roosevelt’s leftist policy). Third part of the text relates to the business strategy of The Walt Disney Company after 1989, when the head of the studio tried to reconcile the communist ideology with the capitalism, especially on Chinese market, where Disney films and artifacts are distributed.
International Journal of European Film, Performing Arts and Audiovisual Communication, 2015
Scientist and Wizard. The Vicissitudes of Maestro Starewicz The article is devoted to Wladyslaw S... more Scientist and Wizard. The Vicissitudes of Maestro Starewicz The article is devoted to Wladyslaw Starewicz (aka Ladislas Starewitch or Starevich), an animated film pioneer and independent filmmaker of Polish origin working for Russian, French and German cinematographies. The author attempts to explain why this multitalented artist and one of the most signifi cant puppet animators in film history did not achieve the commercial success he deserved, and shortly aft er WWII was almost totally forgotten. The article focuses on three aspects of Starewicz’s biography: his struggles with twentieth-century history, his fight for artistic and financial independence, and his eccentric personality. Finally, he is presented as a tragic figure who represents a model biography of an animator in Eastern Europe trying to achieve success in the Western world before 1945.
Artykuł ukazuje, na szerokim tle epoki, kulisy zawiązania słynnego duetu oraz powstania dwóch eks... more Artykuł ukazuje, na szerokim tle epoki, kulisy zawiązania słynnego duetu oraz powstania dwóch eksperymentalnych filmów Waleriana Borowczyka i Jana Lenicy dla ZAF „Kadr”. Filmy te, czyli Był sobie raz… (1957) i Dom (1958), zrealizowane poza ówczesnym systemem produkcji filmów rysunkowych i kukiełkowych, uchodzą za symboliczny początek tzw. polskiej szkoły animacji. Okazały się również przepustką dla obu autorów do międzynarodowej kariery. Na podstawie nowych dokumentów autor rekonstruuje artystyczny program Lenicy i Borowczyka, którzy w 1957 r. spisali swój artystyczny manifest. Próbuje ponadto wyjaśnić, dlaczego obie krótkometrażówki powstały w zespole zajmującym się produkcją pełnometrażowych filmów aktorskich, dlaczego zostały powitane jako przełom w dziedzinie kina animowanego oraz jakie były konsekwencje festiwalowych sukcesów tego duetu. Na marginesie autor ukazuje kulisy pracy nad niezrealizowanym projektem filmu średniometrażowego – adaptacją Kolonii karnej według Kafki.
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generation which was often heavily influenced by the cinema. The second part of the article focuses on Schulz’s cinematic writing. The author tries to prove that Schulz’s peculiar literary imagination which, according to many scholars and critics, takes its root in the image, not the word, was to some extent inspired by the early cinema or the cinema of attractions. The conclusion is that the interpreter of Schulz’s work has the right to treat his older brother’s movie theater in Drohobych as an important part of Schulz’s private mythology.
The article is a brief history of the most popular and the longest animated series in the history of Polish cinema and television: Bolek i Lolek (in English distributed as Jym & Jam or Bennie & Lennie), produced in Bielsko-Biala. The paper describes the origin of the cycle – from initial ideas, through a stage of designing the characters, to the premiere of first episode in 1964. Article also characterizes particular seasons of the show, reveals its evolution and reception, both in Poland and abroad. The paper presents series against the background of historical events in the People’s Republic of Poland as well as in the political context, as Bolek i Lolek played an important role in the discussion about duties and poetics of film art for children in communist system. At the end the article describes unsuccessful attempts to continue the series in a democratic Poland (including gay pride scandal)
generation which was often heavily influenced by the cinema. The second part of the article focuses on Schulz’s cinematic writing. The author tries to prove that Schulz’s peculiar literary imagination which, according to many scholars and critics, takes its root in the image, not the word, was to some extent inspired by the early cinema or the cinema of attractions. The conclusion is that the interpreter of Schulz’s work has the right to treat his older brother’s movie theater in Drohobych as an important part of Schulz’s private mythology.
The article is a brief history of the most popular and the longest animated series in the history of Polish cinema and television: Bolek i Lolek (in English distributed as Jym & Jam or Bennie & Lennie), produced in Bielsko-Biala. The paper describes the origin of the cycle – from initial ideas, through a stage of designing the characters, to the premiere of first episode in 1964. Article also characterizes particular seasons of the show, reveals its evolution and reception, both in Poland and abroad. The paper presents series against the background of historical events in the People’s Republic of Poland as well as in the political context, as Bolek i Lolek played an important role in the discussion about duties and poetics of film art for children in communist system. At the end the article describes unsuccessful attempts to continue the series in a democratic Poland (including gay pride scandal)