1670 is a Polish mockumentarysatiricalcomedy television series. The first season was released on Netflix on 13 December 2023. The series has been renewed for a second season set to premiere in 2025.[1]
Jan Paweł Adamczewski, a nobleman who owns half of the village of Adamczycha, is determined to become the most famous Jan Paweł (a reference to Pope John Paul II) in Polish history. He receives a letter inviting him to a territorial assembly (sejmik), where he plans to sabotage the proposed tax increases by his enemy, Andrzej, who owns the larger half of Adamczycha. At the assembly, Jan Paweł opposes all of the proposed motions and, due to liberum veto, they are all nullified. Jan Paweł considers the assembly a great success.
2
"The Estate" (Folwark)
31 min
13 December 2023 (2023-12-13)
Because of profit sharing, Andrzej's peasants are happier and his estate (folwark) yields more crops than Jan Paweł's. Jan Paweł, who believes in corporal punishment and trickle-down economics, tries other methods to motivate his peasants, but they are unreceptive. Aniela is determined to recruit the peasants to her cause to fight climate change. Initially, Maciej makes fun of her, but eventually joins the cause. Jakub finds a peasant who he mistakenly believes to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Zofia is skeptical and asks the peasant to walk across water, but the peasant drowns. Stanisław announces his engagement to Jadwiga, a girl from the city.
3
"Spring" (Wiosna)
35 min
13 December 2023 (2023-12-13)
Jadwiga and her parents visit Adamczycha to meet Stanisław's family. Zofia is initially cold to Jadwiga's mother, Rozalia, but later develops a romantic attraction to her. Jan Paweł becomes annoyed when his family shows more interest in Jadwiga's cultured father, Ciesław. While showing off his sabre (szabla), Jan Paweł accidentally cuts off Rozalia's finger, effectively ending their children's engagement. It is later revealed that Zofia took Rozalia's missing finger as a romantic token. At a party to commemorate the annual drowning of Marzanna, Aniela and Maciej get drunk and dance together.
4
"Equality March" (Marsz równości)
34 min
13 December 2023 (2023-12-13)
After Stanisław goes missing, Jakub, seeing a chance to inherit Jan Paweł's estate, tries to set up romantic opportunities between Maciej and Aniela in the hopes of getting her disowned. A march celebrating freedom and equality of religion is being organized, much to the dismay of Jan Paweł. Bogdan is kidnapped by Tatars and held for ransom. Maciej overhears fabricated gossip about Aniela's supposed engagement to a wealthy nobleman and is heartbroken.
5
"The Plague" (Dżuma)
29 min
13 December 2023 (2023-12-13)
A traveling theatrical troupe arrives in Adamczycha to perform a stage play and Maciej is asked to assist in the performance. Jan Paweł learns about the Great Plague of London and becomes worried about his own health. Bogdan eats a bag of magic mushrooms and hallucinates that he is a son of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Aniela investigates suspicious letters that her mother has been receiving. The leader of the troupe offers Maciej an opportunity to leave the village and join them.
6
"The Duel" (Pojedynek)
34 min
13 December 2023 (2023-12-13)
As abandoning one's estate is a crime punishable by hanging, Maciej devises a plan to escape Adamczycha and join the theater troupe. Jan Paweł challenges Jeremi, Andrzej's cousin, to a duel. Aniela is convinced that her mother is having an affair with Ciesław, but later finds out that Zofia has actually been volunteering at a shelter for single mothers. Aniela feels sorry for suspecting her mother's infidelity, not realizing that Zofia has actually been having an affair with Rozalia. Maciej abandons his escape plan when he overhears Aniela confessing her feelings for him. Jan Paweł withdraws from the duel and selects a peasant as his stand-in, who promptly kills Jeremi.
7
"The Hunt" (Polowanie)
30 min
13 December 2023 (2023-12-13)
Henryk Lubopolski, the son of a wealthy nobleman, is found injured in the woods. Jan Paweł and Andrzej, sensing an opportunity to improve their social status, begin campaigning for one of their daughters to marry Henryk. Aniela, however, is repulsed by the idea of an arranged marriage. During a hunt, Andrzej and Jan Paweł continue their bid for Henryk's favor, but the hunt ends abruptly when Jan Paweł and Andrzej simultaneously shoot and kill Henryk after mistaking him for a moose.
8
"The Wedding" (Wesele)
37 min
13 December 2023 (2023-12-13)
A peasant wedding is taking place in Adamczycha and everyone is invited, including Ciesław and Rozalia. Andrzej is forced to sell his half of Adamczycha to Jan Paweł to avoid paying taxes. Father Żmija arrives to investigate the disappearance of Henryk. Jadwiga and Rozalia have a falling out and their romantic affair ends without either of their husbands finding out. Bogdan agrees to take the blame for Henryk's murder, and it is later revealed that Henryk was a wanted man, leaving Bogdan with a hefty reward. Aniela and Maciej finally share a kiss.
Production
Jan Paweł's manor house at the Museum of Folk Culture in Kolbuszowa
Screenwriter Jakub Rużyłło was inspired to write the series after reading Fantomowe ciało króla: Peryferyjne zmagania z nowoczesną formą by sociologist Jan Sowa [pl].[2][3] After learning the premise of 1670 from Rużyłło, producers Ivo Krankowski and Jan Kwieciński collaborated to create the series. The team reached out to several broadcasters who rejected the series before it was ultimately greenlit by Netflix. Bartłomiej Topa, Katarzyna Herman, Andrzej Kłak, and Dobromir Dymecki were all cast without an audition.[4]
Adamczycha, a village of about 100 residents, was chosen as the series' setting after director Kordian Kądziela saw it on a map and liked the name.[5][6] Although the series is set in Adamczycha, it was filmed in the open-air Museum of Folk Culture [pl] in Kolbuszowa in 2022.[7][8] Several scenes were also filmed at St. Paraskevi Church in Radruż.[9]
Only when I entered the set did I realize how sensitively and precisely this world had been created. The set was not made of plywood, plasterboard and a piece of wall pretending to be a cottage. We had an open-air museum in Kolbuszowa, to which several buildings were added, which created our village of Adamczycha. It looked so authentic that you basically just had to enter that space and play.
The series was renewed for a second season in early 2024, with a scheduled premiere date of 2025.[11] Filming for the second season occurred on the Croatian island of Vir during September 2024.[12]
Release
A teaser trailer for the series was released on 5 October 2023.[13][14] The official trailer was released on 8 November 2023.[15][16] As part of the series' marketing, Polish influencers were sent bags of hay branded with the 1670 logo.[17][18]
Reception
Polish critics generally reacted favorably to the series, much to the surprise of director Kordian Kądziela.[19] Magdalena Drozdek of WP Teleshow wrote, "There was a high probability that the mocking series about the Polish nobility would be such a festival of embarrassment that we would want to forget about it quickly. But the creators of 1670 serve this embarrassment so well that you will have a great time."[20] Małgorzata Major of Wirtualne Media wrote, "Playing with history and tradition is something that does not always gain mass admiration, but for fans of absurd humor and crossing boundaries in comedy, the series 1670 is a must-see."[21]
Ola Gersz of NaTemat.pl gave the series four out of five stars, commending its humor, costuming, and production design. She further wrote, "There has never been anything like this in Poland. Finally, we learn to laugh at ourselves and we can be politically correct, but with class, humor, edge and... brains. It will be a hit."[22] Marta Wawrzyn of Serialowa noted that, although the mockumentary format could be seen as outdated, the series was well-produced and had plot potential. She further wrote, "Polish series still have a lot of catching up to do compared to global ones, but it seems that 2023 is a breakthrough year for our creators."[23]
Natalia Nowacka of Radio Eska called 1670 "a masterpiece" and "the series this country needed."[24] Katarzyna Ulman of Świat Seriali called the series "perfect" and commended its writing and performances, particularly that of Bartłomiej Topa.[25]Bartosz Węglarczyk [pl] of Onet.pl called the series "the funniest Polish thing I've seen in a long time."[26]
Tomasz Zacharczuk of Trojmiasto.pl wrote, "To point out Poles' national vices and ridicule the most frequently repeated stereotypes, using the story of 17th-century mustachioed Sarmatians and using the mockumentary formula typical of productions such as The Office or What We Do in the Shadows? Madness. It could only end in two ways—either a spectacular flop or a spectacular triumph... It is with clear relief, but above all with the feeling of a great time spent, that we can officially announce the second one. 1670 is the best Polish comedy production of recent years."[27]
Jacek Cieślak of Rzeczpospolita compared the series to the 1981 film Teddy Bear, writing, "The series will be funny for some and painful for others because it does not recognize taboos."[28]
On the other hand, reviewing the series' first episode, Joel Keller of Decider wrote, "The first episode of 1670 is designed to be a laugh-a-minute mockumentary, but it barely elicited a chuckle from us. The reason why isn't the language barrier, it's the fact that the satire is over-the-top and unfocused." He also stated that "1670 has the potential to be a good ensemble comedy, but the comedy it aims for is way too broad to be sustainable."[29] Anna Szczepańska of Do Rzeczy also criticized the series, calling it "painfully embarrassing" and "a collection of memes and unfunny jokes wrapped in an eye-pleasing landscape of szlachta Poland at the end of the 17th century."[30]
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