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1983 (TV series)

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1983
GenreCrime drama
Created byJoshua Long
Written byJoshua Long
Story by
Directed by
Starring
Country of originPoland
Original languagesPolish
English
Russian
Vietnamese
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseNovember 30, 2018 (2018-11-30)

1983 is a Polish crime drama web television series created and written by Joshua Long, based on an original idea by Long and Maciej Musiał, set in an alternate timeline in which the fall of the communist Polish People's Republic never happened, and the Iron Curtain is still in place.[1][2] It is Netflix's first Polish original series; eight episodes were produced by Netflix, and was released on 30 November 2018.[3]

Premise

The series is set in 2003; a coordinated terrorist attack on multiple sites took place in Poland in 1983 which altered the course of history. The Iron Curtain is still in place and the Cold War did not end. Law student Kajetan (Maciej Musiał) and Milicja Obywatelska investigator Anatol (Robert Więckiewicz) uncover a conspiracy that could potentially start a revolution.

Setting

1983 was particularly appreciated by critics for its photographs and atmosphere. The directors create a gloomy and cold Warsaw, where old Soviet-style apartment blocks stand side by side with futuristic and imposing government and police buildings, equipped with the most modern instruments of control. The secret services of the SB now use computer surveillance mechanisms, tracking cell phones and digitizing citizens' data (classified according to their "level of danger")[4].

Society is run by the "Party", a privileged elite who enjoy a good education and excellent economic status. The rest of the population is disinterested in politics and devote themselves to consumerism, at least as regards those goods that are not censored or prohibited. Opposing this system is the "Brigade of Light", a group of young people who carry out resistance to the dictatorship in clandestinity.

Poland is then imagined to have seen massive immigration from Indochina, and in particular from the socialist republic of Vietnam. Some night scenes - set in overcrowded Asian neighborhoods - seem like a reference to the Blade Runner movie.

It is curious that there are very few explicit references to communism in the series (no statue of Lenin in the streets, no red star or revolutionary chant). The regime appears to have created an Orwellian state, whose sole ideological goal is the suppression of dissent and the control of individuals.

In this sense, it seems that directors are making a more general criticism of any form of totalitarianism, police regime and society-induced conformism. Agnieszka Holland herself underlines how the contents of 1983 are also current in Western countries, in contingency with the current crisis of democracy and the emergence of what the director describes as "a conservative counter-revolution".[5]

Agnieszka Holland says in the same interview with The Guardian: "But the real questions are: maybe these people are happy? Maybe freedom is overrated?"

Agnieszka Holland, one of the series directors.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [6]
1"Entanglement"
"Uwikłanie"		Agnieszka Holland and Katarzyna AdamikJoshua LongNovember 30, 2018 (2018-11-30)
It is 2003. The cold war never ended after Poland suffered a series of massive bomb strikes in 1983. A young law student and a jaded old detective are starting to discover a new resistance movement.
2"Rollback"Agnieszka Holland and Katarzyna AdamikJoshua LongNovember 30, 2018 (2018-11-30)
3"Alignment"
"Układ"		Katarzyna AdamikJoshua LongNovember 30, 2018 (2018-11-30)
4"Blowback"
"Reperkusje"		Katarzyna AdamikJoshua LongNovember 30, 2018 (2018-11-30)
5"Sanctuary"
"Sanktuarium"		Olga ChajdasJoshua LongNovember 30, 2018 (2018-11-30)
6"Subversion"
"Zdrada"		Olga ChajdasJoshua LongNovember 30, 2018 (2018-11-30)
7"Mayday"Agnieszka SmoczyńskaJoshua LongNovember 30, 2018 (2018-11-30)
8"Requiem"Katarzyna AdamikJoshua LongNovember 30, 2018 (2018-11-30)

Production

On 6 March 2018, Netflix announced that the series was in production, consisting of 8 episodes.[7] On 2 October 2018, the first teaser trailer was released, with the series set to premiere globally on 30 November.[3]

A second season is being considered.[8]

References

  1. ^ "'Dark, dystopian' spy thriller from Agnieszka Holland becomes first Polish series on Netflix". The First News. 4 October 2018.
  2. ^ "1983 on Netflix: UK release date, cast, trailer and plot". Daily Mirror. 29 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "1983: Netflix first Polish original series launches November 30th, 2018". Netflix Media Center. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  4. ^ Lorusso, Leo. "1983: dalla Polonia su Netflix una serie distopica di culto ∂ Fantascienza.com".
  5. ^ Davies, Christian. "Agnieszka Holland: 'Maybe freedom is overrated?'". The Guardian.
  6. ^ "1983 - Episodes Guide and Summaries". Next Episode. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  7. ^ "1983: The first Polish Netflix original series is currently in production". Netflix Media Center. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Powstaje 2. sezon 1983. Czy polski serial Netflix powinien wrócić?" (in Polish). 2019-10-11.
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