| Zapomniana melodia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Konrad Tom Jan Fethke |
| Written by | Jan Fethke Napoleon Sądek Ludwik Starski |
| Produced by | Jan Breit (production manager) |
| Starring | Helena Grossówna Aleksander Żabczyński Antoni Fertner |
| Cinematography | Jerzy Sten |
| Edited by | Jerzy Sten |
| Music by | Henryk Wars |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | Poland |
| Language | Polish |
Zapomniana melodia (Forgotten melody) is a Polish musical comedy from 1938 directed by Konrad Tom and Jan Fethke, featuring three well-known songs by Ludwik Starski with music by Henryk Wars: Ach, jak przyjemnie! and Już nie zapomnisz mnie, along with an elaborate arrangement of the song Frère Jacques. The film's protagonists are the lovers, boarding school student Helenka Roliczówna (Helena Grossówna) and Stefan Frankiewicz (Aleksander Żabczyński). The young man sings the titular "forgotten melody" (Już nie zapomnisz mnie), but when a series of misunderstandings arise between the couple, their feelings fade and they forget the lyrics of the song. However, they happily come to an understanding, Stefan remembers the song's lyrics, and the lovers live happily ever after. Helenka's father, Bogusław Rolicz (Antoni Fertner) – the president of a cosmetics company – uses the "forgotten melody" to remember the recipe for his invention and protect it from theft by a competitor in the industry, Roxy.
Zapomniana melodia was a box office success, and its accompanying songs became hits. Interwar critics had mixed opinions about the film; while most viewed the production positively, there were also very negative reviews in the trade press. In later years, film scholars and historians praised the production. Jerzy Toeplitz wrote that it was "the only successful cultural musical comedy in the entire pre-war Polish film industry (...) ", which "had a well-constructed plot, humor, and charm".[1]
- ^ Toeplitz (1969, p. 390)