A fine silent movie with a timeless message

Two Men and a Wardrobe (1958)
Starring: Jakub Goldberga, Henryk Cluba, Barbara Lass, Stanislaw Milchalski, and Roman Polanski
Director: Roman Polanski
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A strange pair of men emerge from the sea (Goldberga and Cluba), carrying a wardrobe. They try to get along with the people on land, but are rejected everywhere they go.

"Two Men and a Wardrobe" is a story that's equal parts amusing, sad, and infuriating. It also features a heavy dose of surreal fantasy in the form of our mysterious protagonists--the men and the wardrobe of the title--but the magic and joy that seems like it's trying to emerge in the film is, instead, crushed over and over by the vicious or indifferent citizens of the seaside town. The men are either rejected for their strangeness or outright abused. The only ray of positivity that remains by the end of the film is that the men from the sea that not had their kind natures blunted by the abusive townsfolk... but it's a nonetheless bittersweet conclusion, because the town will not benefit from it.

The message of "Two Men and a Wardrobe" isn't delivered in a subtle fashion, but it is still entertaining and clever. It's also a timeless message that is just as worth taking to heart and paying attention to--it's worthwhile to be attentive and considerate of immigrants or visitors who find themselves in a strange land or culture where they don't understand the "rules". If no one is willing to take the time to engage with them and explain what they are doing wrong or how they might be able to fit in, whatever contributions those individuals might be able to make will be lost. 

This is an early film from writer/director Roman Polanski that's well-worth the 15 minutes it will take to watch it. There are a few badly executed edits (exclusively involving the scenes by the seashore), but otherwise it's an effective and entertaining silent film 

 

  

Roman Wives #1: Barbara Lass

Barbara Lass was born Barbara Kwiatkowski in a small country village during the German occupation of Poland in 1940. At the age of 17, she won a beauty contest and landed the starring role in "Eve Wants to Sleep" (1958). 

Barbara left Poland in 1959, changed her last name to the more-internationally-friendly "Lass" and found success in the broader European film market. Throughout the 1960s and into the 1990s, she appeared in German, French, and Italian films. Staunchly opposed to the Communist dictatorship in her country of origin, Barbara also lent her voice to Polish-language broadcasts of censorship free news by Radio Free Europe.

Barbara met future superstar writer/director Roman Polanski in 1958, while he was wrapping up film school and she was wrapping up "Eve Wants to Sleep". They were married in 1959, in Paris.

The union between Lass and Polanski was short-lived. The couple divorced in 1962, after roughly two-and-a-half years. Some sources state that Lass cheated on Polanski with a French actor, but others imply that it was Polanski's wandering eye toward young girls that caused the split.

Barbara Lass suffered a brain hemorrhage and passed away in 1995 at the age of 54.

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 This post was part of the Shades of Gray Roman Polanski Month.