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Polish literary classic 'The Doll' returns to the big screen

29.09.2026 20:00
A star-studded premiere at Warsaw's Grand Theatre-National Opera has marked the launch of a new film adaptation of "Lalka" ("The Doll"), one of the most anticipated Polish films of the year, based on the 19th-century novel by Bolesław Prus.
The premiere of Lalka (The Doll), a new film adaptation of the classic Polish novel by Bolesław Prus, was held at Warsaws Grand Theatre-National Opera on Monday.
The premiere of "Lalka" ("The Doll"), a new film adaptation of the classic Polish novel by Bolesław Prus, was held at Warsaw's Grand Theatre-National Opera on Monday.Photo: Ministry of Education via X

Directed by Maciej Kawalski, the film features a cast of prominent Polish actors, including Marcin Dorociński as Stanisław Wokulski, Kamila Urzędowska as Izabela Łęcka and Marek Kondrat as Ignacy Rzecki.

Dorociński described it as a major production and a universal story, saying it was "about life, love in wartime, how blind love can be, selfless kindness, and what we think money is worth."

Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said the adaptation would allow audiences to see the city as it looked at the end of the 19th century.

Education Minister Barbara Nowacka expressed hope that the film could prompt a debate about "what is truly Polish, because there is both Romanticism and Positivism in us," referring to the two great literary movements that shaped 19th-century Polish culture.

The film was shot at locations across Warsaw, including Krakowskie Przedmieście, where an elaborate set was built to recreate Wokulski's shop, as well as the Royal Łazienki Park, the Old Town and the Powiśle district.

The film is released nationwide on 30 September.

"Lalka" was first published in 1887, serialised in a Warsaw newspaper before appearing in book form.

Set in Warsaw in 1878-79, the novel centres on the ill-fated love of the impoverished merchant Stanisław Wokulski for the aristocratic Izabela Łęcka, against the backdrop of the waning idealism of Poland's Positivist movement.

The film follows Netflix's six-part series adaptation of the novel, which was released on 16 September with a different cast.

(ał)

Source: PAP, IAR