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 and ...

. 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 man ...

). 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) 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 * Andrzej Kopiczyński – Doctor Pawlicki * – Witalis, Prokop's farmhand * Irena Burawska – Prokop's wife * Genowefa Korska *

Tadeusz Kożusznik ''Tadeusz'' is a Polish first name, derived from Thaddaeus. Tadeusz may refer to: * Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (1895–1966), Polish military leader * Tadeusz Borowski (1922–1951), Polish writer and The Holocaust survivor * Tadeusz Boy-Żele� ...

– Franciszek, butler of the Czyński family * Remigiusz Rogacki *

Bożena Dykiel Bożena Dykiel () (born 26 August 1948) is a Polish theater and film actress. References External links * 1948 births Polish actresses Living people Polish stage actresses Polish film actresses Polish television actresses 20th-centu ...

– Sonia, Prokop's daughter in law * Igor Śmiałowski – Count Czyński, Leszek's father * Maria Homerska – Countess Czyńska, Leszek's mother *

Andrzej Szalawski Andrzej is the Polish form of the given name Andrew. Notable individuals with the given name Andrzej * Andrzej Bartkowiak (born 1950), Polish film director and cinematographer * Andrzej Bobola, S.J. (1591–1657), Polish saint, missionary and ...

– chairman of the court *

Jerzy Braszka Jerzy is the Polish version of the masculine given name George. The most common nickname for Jerzy is Jurek (), which may also be used as an official first name. Occasionally the nickname Jerzyk may be used, which means "swift" in Polish. People ...

* Jerzy Trela – Samuel Obiedziński * Gustaw Lutkiewicz – police leader *

Henryk Dudziński Henryk may refer to: * Henryk (given name) * Henryk, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, a village in south-central Poland * Henryk Glacier, an Antarctic glacier See also * Henryk Batuta hoax, an internet hoax * Henrykian articles The Henrician Art ...

* 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