Olbrychski's Kmicic: how the casting of "The Deluge" caused a national scandal in communist Poland

Today it is hard to imagine any Kmicic other than Daniel Olbrychski. However, before the adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz's "The Deluge" was made in the early 1970s, director Jerzy Hoffman's choice aroused enormous emotion.

Where the outrage came from

Hoffman had already made "Pan Wołodyjowski", in which Olbrychski played Azja Tuhajbejowicz. Some viewers and commentators thought that, since that character died by impalement in the film, the actor should not appear in the next instalment in a different role. The public would also have preferred Marek Perepeczko as Kmicic.

The director himself said that Olbrychski was his first and firm candidate. According to his account, two newspapers, "Express Wieczorny" and "Życie Warszawy", came out against the actor. Hoffman pointed to the journalists Janusz Czapliński and Stanisław Grzelecki as the instigators of the witch-hunt. The actor reportedly received hundreds of anonymous letters full of abuse.

Threats and pressure

According to accounts cited by WP Film, the actor was verbally abused in the street at the time. People reportedly got off trams when they saw him, and in bars there were threats of a beating. Hoffman recalled that Olbrychski was on the verge of a breakdown.

According to the same accounts, he also talked about coping with the pressure with a Hollywood actor. That actor was reportedly surprised that a single role could cause such a storm across the whole country. He allegedly added: "If you think you can do it, play the part." The sources available to us do not make clear who this was, so we are not giving a name.

The outcome

Hoffman did not back down. Critics and part of the film community predicted failure for him, and he himself spoke of a real hell. Even so, the film was a success: according to WP Film, 27 million viewers saw it, and the production received an Oscar nomination. The author of the book "Gwiazdy kina PRL" ("Stars of Communist-era Polish Cinema") judges that Olbrychski performed so well that his opponents fell silent.

Stanisław Grzelecki was also said to have been among the opponents. According to accounts, years later he approached the actor and apologised for his part in the witch-hunt.

Hoffman and Olbrychski later also worked together on "Ogniem i mieczem" ("With Fire and Sword"), in which the actor played Tuhaj-bej. The director said he could not imagine that film without him.

The story of "The Deluge" is an example of how a controversial casting decision can look obvious years later. For many Poles in the UK who grew up on Sienkiewicz adaptations, the film is still part of a shared cultural memory.