The Quack ( pl, Znachor) is a 1982 Polish drama film directed by

Jerzy Hoffman Jerzy Julian Hoffman (; born 15 March 1932) is a Polish director, screenwriter, and producer. He received the Polish Academy Life Achievement Award in February 2006. Hoffman is best known for his works in ''The Deluge'' (1974) and ''With Fire an ...

. The screenplay was written based on the novel by Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz written in 1937. The first adaptation of the book was filmed the same year the book was written ( ''The Quack'', directed by

Michał Waszyński Michał Waszyński (29 September 1904 – 20 February 1965) was first a film director in Poland, then in Italy, and later (as Michael Waszynski) a producer of major American films, mainly in Spain. Known for his elegance and impeccable m ...

). The film was shot near

Bielsk Podlaski Bielsk Podlaski ( be, Бельск Падляскі, , yi, ביעלסק, Bielsk) is a town in eastern Poland, within Bielsk County in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 24,883. Geography Bielsk Podlas ...

Plot

Professor Rafał Wilczur ( Jerzy Bińczycki) was a successful surgeon in Poland in the early 20th century, whose wife leaves him with their small daughter for another man. Wilczur meets a man named Samuel who asks Wilczur to help him financially. The two men go to a bar and get drunk. Wilczur gets robbed and beaten up and loses his memory after hitting his head. Suffering from amnesia, he ends up in a small village, working as a farm laborer for years and is known there as Kosiba. He eventually starts healing the other villagers, and performs surgery on an injured young woman Maria ( Anna Dymna). The existing doctor in the area (

Andrzej Kopiczyński Andrzej Kopiczyński (15 April 1934 – 13 October 2016) was a Polish actor. He appeared in more than 50 films and television between 1958 and 2016. Selected filmography * '' Copernicus'' (1973) * ''Czterdziestolatek'' (1974-1977) * '' Kor ...

) sues Wilczur for using the doctor's surgical instruments. In court for this case, he is recognized as the missing famous surgeon by an expert witness Dobraniecki in the case (

Piotr Fronczewski Piotr Fronczewski (born 8 June 1946 in Łódź, Poland), is a Polish actor and a cabaret and theatre singer. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most popular actors of his generation. Life and career He was born to a Polish mother, Bogna D ...

), and he then begins to retain his memory. He then realizes that the young woman he saved is his daughter, and the two are reunited. He is told that his former wife died of tuberculosis shortly after leaving him, and the daughter ended up in an orphanage. Maria then marries Leszek ( Tomasz Stockinger), the son of a local nobleman.

Cast

* Jerzy Bińczycki – Professor Rafał Wilczur / Antoni Kosiba, aka The Quack * Anna Dymna – Maria Jolanta Wilczur and Beata Wilczur * Tomasz Stockinger – Leszek Czyński * Bernard Ładysz – Prokop *

– Professor Dobraniecki * – Zenek *

Artur Barciś Artur Barciś (; born 12 August 1956) is a Polish actor. His television appearances include Krzysztof Kieślowski's anthology series ''Dekalog'' (1989), the soap opera '' Aby do świtu...'' (1992), and '' Kurierzy'' ("Couriers"). From 2006 to 201 ...

– Wasylko, son of Prokop *

– Doctor Pawlicki * – Witalis, Prokop's farmhand * Irena Burawska – Prokop's wife * Genowefa Korska * Tadeusz Kożusznik – Franciszek, butler of the Czyński family * Remigiusz Rogacki * Bożena Dykiel – Sonia, Prokop's daughter in law * Igor Śmiałowski – Count Czyński, Leszek's father * Maria Homerska – Countess Czyńska, Leszek's mother * Andrzej Szalawski – chairman of the court * Jerzy Braszka *

Jerzy Trela Jerzy Józef Trela (14 March 1942 – 15 May 2022) was a Polish actor. In 2003 he starred in the film '' An Ancient Tale: When the Sun Was a God'' under Jerzy Hoffman. He is also known for ''White'' (1994), ''Quo Vadis'' (2001) and '' Ida'' (2013 ...

– Samuel Obiedziński *

Gustaw Lutkiewicz Gustaw Lutkiewicz (29 June 1924 – 24 February 2017) was a Polish actor and singer. He was born to a Polish family in Kaunas. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 1970, the Officer's Cross in 1985 and the ...

– police leader * Henryk Dudziński * Włodzimierz Adamski – Zenek's comrade * Arkadiusz Bazak – public prosecutor

External links

* 1982 drama films 1982 films Medical-themed films Polish drama films Films directed by Jerzy Hoffman Films based on works by Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz 1980s Polish-language films {{Poland-film-stub