Eugeniusz Bodo: the tragic face of Polish capitalism

Abstract

This article presents the career of Eugeniusz Bodo who was the greatest Polish male movie star of the interwar period, examines the character he created on screen and its connection to Bodo's off-screen persona. It also examines his position in Polish cinema after his death, especially during the period following the fall of state socialism, what is described here as 'poststardom' . It argues that Bodo owed his success to two principal factors. One of them was the conducive circumstances in the Polish film and entertainment industry and his ability to exploit them to the full. Another factor was the match between his artistic persona and certain traits of Polish national character and, especially, the fit between the ideas Bodo embodied in some of his films and the image Poland tried to create during the same period. It also claims that after 1989 Bodo's appeal was augmented because the details of his death, revealed in this period, rendered him the perfect tragic artist.Eugeniusz Bodo was the greatest Polish male movie star of the interwar period. This opinion survived to the present day and was even recently strengthened, as demonstrated by the biographical series Bodo, broadcast on Polish state television in 2016. In this article I intend to examine the specificity of his stardom at the time he was alive and after his death, especially during the period following the fall of state socialism, what I describe as Bodo's 'post-stardom' . I argue that Bodo owed his success to two principal factors. One of them was the conducive circumstances in the Polish film and entertainment industry and his ability to exploit them to the full. Another factor was the match between his artistic persona and certain traits of Polish national character and, especially, the fit between the ideas Bodo embodied in some of his films and the image Poland tried to create during the same period. I also claim that after 1989 Bodo's appeal was augmented because the details of his death, revealed in this period, rendered him the perfect tragic artist and a model for the new generation of Polish actors.In my article I draw on Bodo's biography, Polish political and cinematic history, and work on stardom. I am particularly indebted to Barry King's division of stars into those who adapt their acting to the roles they play and those who adjust the roles to their personalities (King 2003) and the work of authors who consider 'national stars' , such as that by Stephen Gundle on Sophia Loren (Gundle 2004), who argue that they embody 'national values' at specific political and cultural moments. My investigation is based on incomplete