tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post2824122390641689581..comments2024-03-11T08:31:04.022-04:00Comments on Bieganski the Blog: Bieganski in Sweden? "Morkt Vatten" or "Dark Water"D Goskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-3248291601996722792012-06-25T12:05:15.827-04:002012-06-25T12:05:15.827-04:00If we have to live with the Bieganski stereotype, ...If we have to live with the Bieganski stereotype, then I prefer the 'Poles - bad guys" scenario than the 'Poles - subject of scorn' alternative. If there is any. At least as, shall we say, sociopaths they are independent agents rather than mindless subjects of ridicule - I think that Dr Goska mentioned the Polish-American couple in "Bruce Almighty" (2003) in her book.<br /><br />Interestingly, video games tend to present Poles as the former (and in a comparatively positive light) rather than the latter. Is it possible that mocking is more fun to watch across the fourth barrier than to directly participate in?<br /><br />B.J. Blazkowicz (http://wolfenstein.wikia.com/wiki/B.J._Blazkowicz) is a Polish-American WWII hero and a protagonist in the best-selling first-person-shooter (FPS) series "Wolfenstein". Michael Zelazny (http://deusex.wikia.com/wiki/Michael_Zelazny) is a first-generation Polish-American ex-soldier that likes to quote the Bible and take justice in his own hands in the commercially successful and critically acclaimed "Deus Ex: Human Revolutions" from 2011. In the game's universe, he is on the good side and may even help the leading character.<br /><br />Incidentally, Deus Ex was developed in Canada - just like the Shrine.<br /><br />Ideally, Poles and Polonians should overcome the crisis in Polonian leadership, organization and vision that Dr Goska identified (http://bieganski-the-blog.blogspot.com/2011/11/crisis-in-polonian-leadership.html). In the meantime, should Poles and Polonians hope for the decline of the film industry and the rise of interactive entertainment? Perhaps they should.<br /><br />Follower (that is still doing his research and learning a lot from this blog)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-13385725716658562662012-06-24T20:06:18.523-04:002012-06-24T20:06:18.523-04:00Danusha you write that the film makers "went ...Danusha you write that the film makers "went out of their way to locate the film in Poland". All films are constructions but how do you know they "went out of their way" to set it in Poland? Unless you know what was said at the script conferences you have no evidence about them "going out of their way" I've read your book and am well aware of your argument about the connection between the "white trash" stereotype and the Brute Polak stereotype. It's an important connection. <br /><br />"Films with negative manifestations of religion are associated with EE". This is not true. for example, there is a whole sub-genre of films, often referred to as Nunsploitation, that are usually set in Italy or some other western Catholic country or films like Witchfinder General, that is set in mid 17th century England and in which religion has a negative portrayal.<br /><br />i am not arguing that the Shrinedoes not rely on the Bieganski ST but that setting is not enough to categorise it that way.Peter Rechniewskinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-12387740979949897842012-06-24T12:04:09.696-04:002012-06-24T12:04:09.696-04:00Here's another Canadian movie for your conside...Here's another Canadian movie for your consideration: "Sure Shot Dombrowski". I believe the filmmaker actually won an award for this, though it never received wide release (thankfully)<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6deYpX_iSA<br />http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1553371/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-68062489863210458932012-06-24T11:33:21.999-04:002012-06-24T11:33:21.999-04:00Another detail:
"the name of the place (Alva...Another detail:<br /><br />"the name of the place (Alvaina) doesn't even sound Eastern <br />European"<br /><br />Total ignorance of the REAL EE is very much part of the Bieganski stereotype. <br /><br />An example: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1Z787F2FURRQJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1568496435&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-62307560950987456822012-06-24T10:36:44.060-04:002012-06-24T10:36:44.060-04:00"The Shrine" relies on the Bieganski ste..."The Shrine" relies on the Bieganski stereotype and is a manifestation of it. <br /><br />I'm careful about what I post here and what I say. I have to be. I get a fair amount of hate mail from people who have a problem with this project. <br /><br />Regular readers know that. Previous posts, and my reviews on Amazon, argue, for example, against demonizing Jan Tomasz Gross. An Amazon review says good things about his book "Fear." <br /><br />In short, not all books, films, songs, newspaper articles, etc, that say bad things about Poles or other EE are examples of "Bieganski." <br /><br />***<br /><br />"The Shrine" is an example of Bieganski. Read reviews on IMDB, read the Wikipedia page devoted to the film, and view the clips available on youtube.<br /><br />The filmmakers are Canadian. they are operating with a low budget. They went out of their way to locate their film in Poland, to spend money to create sets replicating their idea of Poland, and to have actors speak Polish. <br /><br />Why? Because part of the Bieganski, Brute Polak stereotype is an idea of EE as a dark, primitive, weirdly and darkly religious place. All the negative manifestations of religion are associated with EE. Examples of this stretch from "Dracula" to "The Painted Bird." this is part of our cultural baggage. <br /><br />"Deliverance" is an American film set in America that perfectly demonstrates my point. In the introductory chapter of "Bieganski," I talk about the relationship of the "Bieganski" stereotype to the "white trash" / "trailer trash" / "redneck" / "hillbilly" stereotype in the US. Thus, "Deliverance." <br /><br />Ditto "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." <br /><br />Other horror films not set in scary rural / alien locales heighten features of more familiar locals with which the viewer is uncomfortable. "The Stepford Wives" took our discomfort with the sterility, pleasantness, and sameness of conventional suburbia and heightened that to horror proportions.D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-62020555152955314922012-06-24T10:26:01.182-04:002012-06-24T10:26:01.182-04:00Sorry, can't accept that The Shrine depends on...Sorry, can't accept that The Shrine depends on the Bieganski stereotype. The "bad guys" look Nordic, the name of the place (Alvaina) doesn't even sound Eastern European and many examples of this type of film have been made set in different parts of the world not least in parts of the United States. We can go back to Deliverance others include The Hills have Eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Devil's Rejects and literally many, many more. <br /><br />Mieszko, if you've seen this film then perhaps you can answer the following question : what elements that the public at large identify as Polish (if any) does the film present to the viewer as essentially Polish and which could not be transplanted to any other country/region? Only when that question is answered can we assess if this film deploys the Bieganski stereotype.Peter Rechniewskinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-17782183546087538832012-06-24T08:51:56.627-04:002012-06-24T08:51:56.627-04:00Mieszko, thank you. Here is an imdb thread devoted...Mieszko, thank you. Here is an imdb thread devoted to the film "The Shrine" about human sacrifice in modern-day Poland. <br /><br />http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1341710/board/flat/183738585D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-88882982343354687362012-06-24T00:16:25.194-04:002012-06-24T00:16:25.194-04:00I have another Bieganski-themed movie for You,this...I have another Bieganski-themed movie for You,this time from Canada: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shrine_(film)<br />portraying a Polish village as s.th akin to...lets say, an Amish settlement....have a look atMieszkonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-86501705241615421072012-06-22T03:47:53.959-04:002012-06-22T03:47:53.959-04:00And - also on the positive side - there is the lov...And - also on the positive side - there is the lovely Kochanski in the brilliantly funny sci-fi TV series "Red Dwarf". If you haven't seen it, you need to see it from the start, as it has a series of running jokes that get funnier and funnier. Pity about this Swedish movie though. I don't know whether this is a result of the American media constantly signalling who is "uber" and who is "unter" in PC terms or not. And that is the problem - the political agenda is muddying the waters so much. I couldn't and wouldn't complain about Poles sometimes being portrayed as the villains, if it weren't for that agenda. So I don't know if this is a deliberate drop of poison - or not.Sue Knight's Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12597157298218651144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-2169348263030936092012-06-21T19:39:22.170-04:002012-06-21T19:39:22.170-04:00I watched the trailer and read a few Swedish revie...I watched the trailer and read a few Swedish reviews (courtesy of Google Translate). This may be the Bieganski stereotype incarnated, but it seems to be so grotesque that I find the whole thing rather amusing :)<br /><br />Poles as uncouth blue collar psychopaths determined to harass well-educated, graceful Nordics. Cute :) <br /><br />FollowerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-25280460271995194582012-06-21T19:29:07.060-04:002012-06-21T19:29:07.060-04:00Echoes of the 'sleazy' Poles we saw in &qu...Echoes of the 'sleazy' Poles we saw in "the Fugitive". On a slightly better note, in the superb BBC series "Five Days" (series 1), the witty, intelligent forensic examiner is one Dr. Tobolska.Peter Rechniewskinoreply@blogger.com