How I Unleashed World War II

How I Unleashed World War II (Polish: Jak rozpętałem drugą wojnę światową) is a 1970 Polish comedy film directed by Tadeusz Chmielewski and based on Kazimierz Sławiński's novel "Przygody kanoniera Dolasa" (The Adventures of Dolas the Cannoneer). It was shot in Sochi, Baku, Poświętne and Łódź, among other places.

How I Unleashed World War II
Polish DVD cover
Directed by	Tadeusz Chmielewski
Screenplay by	Tadeusz Chmielewski
Based on	The Adventures of Dolas the Cannoneer by Kazimierz Sławiński
Produced by	Ludgierd Romanis
Starring	Marian Kociniak
Cinematography	Jerzy Stawicki
Edited by	Janina Niedźwiecka
Music by	Jerzy Matuszkiewicz
Production company	Zespoły Filmowe
Release date	2 April 1970 (1970-04-02)
Running time	224 minutes
Country	Poland
Languages	Polish German Serbo-Croat Greek English French Italian Russian

Franek Dolas' route

Synopsis

The film was divided into three parts:

• Część I: Ucieczka (Part I: The Escape)
• Część II: Za bronią (Part II: Following the Arms)
• Część III: Wśród swoich (Part III: Among Friends)

Originally filmed in black and white, it was digitally colorized in 2001 by the Hollywood company Dynacs Digital Studios, as requested by the Studio Filmowe "Oko" and TV Polsat.^[1]

The film tells the story of a Polish soldier Franciszek (Franek) 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, Middle East, Italy) and eventually returns to Poland.

In a particularly famous scene, Dolas is questioned by a German-speaking Gestapo officer in Austria and answers that his name is "Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz"; the officer gets increasingly frustrated trying to write the fictitious Polish name.^[2][3]

Cast

• Marian Kociniak – Franek Dolas
• Wirgiliusz Gryń – Józek Kryska
• Leonard Pietraszak – airman in stalag
• Stanisław Milski – German general
• Kazimierz Talarczyk – Woydyłło
• Jerzy Block – stationmaster
• Andrzej Gawroński – Helmut, Gestapo man
• Emil Karewicz – Gestapo officer
• Henryk Łapiński – Władzio Wachocki
• Andrzej Herder – Hans, Gestapo man
• Leon Pietraszkiewicz – Herbert Gulke
• Jerzy Rogalski – Jędrzej Grzyb, peasant
• Mirosław Szonert – gendarme
• Mieczysław Stoor – Gestapo man
• Jarosław Skulski – colonel in the Polish embassy in Belgrad
• Tomasz Zaliwski – Yugoslav officer
• Elżbieta Starostecka – singer in the inn
• Jerzy Moes – lieutenant Regulski
• Andrzej Krasicki – French ship's captain
• Wojciech Zagórski – the Turk enrolling on the German ship
• Janina Borońska – Elżbieta
• Ludwik Benoit – innkeeper
• Janusz Kłosiński – innkeeper
• Jan Paweł Kruk – sailor
• Zdzisław Kuźniar – Dino Stojadinović (Yugoslav ship's captain)
• Józef Łodyński – stoker on the Yugoslav ship
• Krystyna Borowicz – the brothel owner
• Piotr Fronczewski – Italian soldier
• Wacław Kowalski – Kiedros, sergeant in French Foreign Legion
• Jan Świderski – Letoux, captain in Foreign Legion
• Leonard Andrzejewski – soldier in Foreign Legion
• Kazimierz Rudzki – captain Ralf Peacoock
• Lech Ordon – sergeant Hopkins
• Zdzisław Maklakiewicz – Italian soldier
• Jerzy Duszyński – Italian soldier
• Marian Rułka – British soldier
• Joanna Jędryka – Teresa
• Małgorzata Pritulak – Mirella
• Kazimierz Fabisiak – father Dominik, prior in a monastery
• Konrad Morawski – Matula
• Zygmunt Zintel – father Sebastian
• Halina Buyno-Łoza – Jóźwiakowa
• Stanisław Gronkowski – partisan "Wilk" (Wolf)
• Aleksander Fogiel – Jóźwiak
• Eugeniusz Kamiński – Gestapo man
• Ludwik Kasendra – brother Florian