Trzebiatów is a place young people flee from to find work and a better life in the big city.
The most-important figure, and the centre of life for all residents here, is the titular Sergeant Władysław Lichniak, played by Józef Nowak, adored and admired by all.
Wiosna, panie sierżancie/It’s Spring, Sergeant is a warm-hearted story about a Sergeant of Milicja Obywatelska, who finally decides to take his school-leaving examination (Matura). This turns the life of the whole little town upside down. The friendly atmosphere is frequently disturbed by various twists and turns in the lives of some of the residents, which the Sergeant must help solve, instead of learning in peace and quiet.
The scenic Nieszawa
The town of Trzebiatów portrayed in the film is, in fact, Nieszawa, where virtually the entire film was shot.
In one of the shots we can see the Old Town – ul. 3 Maja, and other charming little streets located in the centre of the town.
In addition, we can see the wharf of the Vistula River and the legendary Vistula River ferry, the latter of which was also used in the film by Rafał Kapeliński entitled Fundacja Kultura (The Cultural Foundation), and in Excentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy ( eccentricity, or on the sunny side of the street) by Janusz Majewski.
Trivia
- Tadeusz Chmielewski originally planned to make the film in 1959, but it took 15 long years for the film to finally hit the cinemas. Initially, it was intended to shoot the film in Szydłowiec and cast Elżbiera Czyżewska, among others, to play in it.
15 years later, Tadeusz Chmielewski changed the script and the cast, and decided to make the film in Nieszawa. - Censorship cut some of the scenes taking place in Nieszawa, for example all the shots taken in the tenement houses on the corner of the Old Town, and the contemporary ul. 3 Maja, were thrown away.
- Some of the residents still remember that when he was done for the day playing Sergeant Lichniak, Józef Nowak would go fishing by the Vistula River with a number of people from Nieszawa.
- When shooting the film, Jan Himilsbach would frequently go to a local café to get Bambino ice-creams.
- The film became popular, thanks to the so-called “moonshine from Kujawy”, a traditional product of the Province of Kujawsko-Pomorskie, registered on the List of Traditional Products. It originates from a tradition of moonshine production invented in Nieszawa and its environs. It was passed from generation to generation, among local residents. The name of the product makes reference to the fact that this alcohol is usually manufactured at night. In one of the scenes in the film, a recipe for making this alcoholic beverage is given.
- As a child, Tadeusz Chmielewski went on a trip to Nieszawa and fell in love with it.
- Some of the shots were also taken in Ciechocinek, where the whole film crew spent a night during filming.
Information on the film
Wiosna panie sierżancie / It’s Spring, Sergeant
Poland 1974, 98′
Directed by: Tadeusz Chmielewski
Screenplay: Tadeusz Chmielewski
Cinematography: Jerzy Stawicki
Music: Jerzy Matuszkiewicz
Produced by: Studio Filmowe Kadr
Cast: Józef Nowak, Małgorzata Pritulak, Tadeusz Fijewski, Tadeusz Kwinta, Ryszard Markowski, Ryszard Nawrocki, and others.
