Polish comedies created by Bareja, are they understandable for non Polish people ?

Yesterday I watched "Co mi zrobisz jak mnie złapiesz", an old Polish comedy, from 1978. I wonder if the sense of this movie is understandable for people who has no relation with "old times" in communistic Poland. This comedy ridicules the old Polish system. What is your opinion ?

I have tried and while conceptually I get the jokes, the humour isn't there.

I think it may be difficult to grasp for people who didn't live in Poland during those times. Probably the situation were to abstract for others to get it.

there is a one genial scene in the movie that happens when the main prothagonists drinks in a pub in Hungary and retells to some Hungarian lad he's drinking with (the Hungarian is already dead drunk) the story of Otello (he was at a 'Otello' spectacle in a Budapest theatre that day) - he grabs the waiter's neck to show how Otello strangled Desdemona and the panicked waiter (a Hungarian too obviously) gives back the change from the notes he just received from the Polish guy

... - the scene starts at 1:45 more or less

Yes but they're still tenth rate...

This movie is a miscellany of genial scenes. In general this commedy consists of many threads, which consists of few scenes at each thread. This is one big impression (parody) for the communism in PL, I believe it was hard censored, but still shows a the real face of the old system.

Stanislaw Bareja created also few another comedies in that style e.g. Miś, Brunet wieczorową porą and also serials like Alternatywy 4 or Zmiennicy. I can't imagine how can he fund and publish their movies in that time, as far as I know he fought with censors very hard. "Alternatywy 4" has been published in TV few yeard after they completed it.

Another interesting thing is that all best actors have played in Bareja's movies. I believe that everyone wanted to take a part in the parody of the hated political system.

genial =/= genialny (you can find that meaning in the dictionary but it's outdated and I've never heard a native use it that way)

genial = sympatyczny (meaning for native speakers of english)

Due to changing social mores and political systems Bareja's movies are probably funnier for non-Poles who knew something of Poland then than for younger Polish people.

You are right, thank you.

Brilliant is a good (US) equivalent of genialny, not sure about British usage where it's often used to mean something like 'great' or 'awesome'.

Bareja is a little hit or miss for me and he gets some really bad ideas (esp with any non-white character) but at his best he had a better understanding of the day-to-day Polish national character (and how to deflate it) than anyone else.

Are there any with English subtitles, please? links? I grew up reading Don Camillo, written originally in Italian and featuring the little wars between the communist mayor and the village priest. I suspect there may be some similarities? it's a very dry humour. Also, I find what I have seen of Polish humour that is is not dissimilar to British humour, which a lot of Americans find impenetrable. It is a feature of American humour to have a 'wise guy' who puts other people down with sharp humour. British humour, on the other hand, tends to be very dry and understated, and focuses on the little guy, often even on a loser as the central character, who somehow manages to come out on top, sometimes by accident. Longin in 'Ogniem i Mieczem' is just this sort of character, he is under geas of his vow of celibacy, and by playing it straight to Zagloba's [sorry I have no dark l] clowning, he manages to be a comedic character [he even makes Jurko laugh and reveal those delectable dimples]. And because he is a gently humorous and loveable character it adds impact and meaning to his heroic death. Much of British humour is about the absurdity of life, and how one carries on carrying on through whatever happens [and Poland surely has had a lot of 'whatever' happening.].

Probably not. Just like they aren`t to Polish youngsters. When I play some funniest scenes to my students, they remain completely indifferent. That is why I feel so old in school today.

A chance to learn Polish with a scene from Bareja film:

A guy demands his coat from the restaurant cloakroom but it isn`t there coz another guy retrieved it before. The cloakroom staff rudely handles the annoyed guest (intryga jest głębsza ale nie chce mi się tego pisać po angielsku).
I am the manager of this cloakroom. Do not shout at our worker! We don`t possess your coat and what can you do to us????