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6.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Jasnie pan szofer remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you’ve got a soft spot for pre-war Polish cinema or if you just really want to see what people were wearing in 1935. It’s light, it’s fluffy, and it doesn't try to solve the world’s problems. If you hate old-school theatrical acting or slow-moving plots, you’re going to be reaching for your phone within ten minutes.
Eugeniusz Bodo has this way of holding a cigarette that tells you he knows exactly how handsome he is. He’s the star here, playing a chauffeur who is basically too smart for his own good. Watching him navigate the high-society antics is the whole point of the exercise.
There’s a specific kind of polish to this film that feels like a polished shoe you're afraid to scuff. The sets are all very ornate, lots of velvet curtains and heavy furniture. Sometimes the blocking feels like a stage play that got lost on its way to the theater. Nobody just walks across a room; they glide, they pause, they deliver a line like it’s a gift to the audience.
I couldn't help but think about how different this is from something like Two Arabian Knights. That one has a certain manic energy, but Jasnie pan szofer is much more interested in the way people talk around things instead of saying them. It’s all about the glances. If you miss a glance, you miss half the plot.
Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it a good way to spend a rainy afternoon? Maybe. There’s a scene near the middle where the humor just kind of stops dead for a bit of singing. It’s charming, but also a bit jarring if you aren't ready for a musical detour. 🎶
Don't look for deep meaning here. It’s just people in nice clothes making mistakes in nice rooms. And honestly? That's fine by me. Sometimes a movie just needs to be a nice room.