The Doll, one of Poland's best-known novels, is returning to the screen in two competing adaptations this September, more than 130 years after 19th-century writer Bolesław Prus published it. Netflix released Paweł Maślona’s six-part series on September 16, presenting the story of merchant Stanisław Wokulski, played by Tomasz Schuchardt, and aristocrat Izabela Łęcka, played by Sandra Drzymalska, as a contemporary reinterpretation with new plotlines and altered characterizations. A theatrical version directed by Maciej Kawalski follows on September 30, with Marcin Dorociński as Wokulski and Kamila Urzędowska as Łęcka. The novel was serialized from 1887 to 1889 and was previously adapted by Wojciech Jerzy Has for film in 1968 and by Ryszard Ber for television in 1977. The unusual arrival of two new versions in one month has generated the informal nickname “Dollheimer,” a phenomenon explored in TVP World’s earlier look at the productions. Elaborate period sets built in central Warsaw also drew crowds during filming, turning parts of the modern capital into Prus’s 19th-century city.
