Marysia and Napoleon

The romance between Maria Walewska and Napoleon Bonaparte has repeatedly inspired filmmakers—the most famous example remains the 1937 Hollywood film Lady Walewska, starring Greta Garbo and Charles Boyer, presented as a melodrama. The creators of Marysia and Napoleon, Andrzej Jarecki and Leonard Buczkowski, approached this story with a twinkle in their eye, allowing themselves a free interpretation of the facts and a light, comedic tone. The film’s action shifts to Poland in the second half of the 20th century. Napoleon Beranger, a French scientist, on his way to a conference in Warsaw, accidentally ends up in Walewice, where he meets a charming student named Marysia in the local palace—she bears a striking resemblance to the original Lady Walewska. Fascinated, he begins to weave fantasies in which he takes on the role of Napoleon Bonaparte himself, and Marysia becomes his beloved. This playful blending of history and imagination gradually brings the two contemporary protagonists closer together, creating a light and ironic variation on the famous romance.