The King of Warsaw (Polish: Król) is a Polish crime series directed by Jan P. Matuszyński, based on a 2016 novel of the same name by Szczepan Twardoch. It was produced at the request of Canal+, and premiered on November 6, 2020.[1]
Premise
Jews and anti-semites. Gangsters and boxers. Street fights and political intrigues. 1937. Warsaw is the arena of power struggles between various political factions. A conspiracy at the height of power may change the face of the capital and the entire Second Polish Republic. The city is shaken by a gang led by a Polish socialist Jan Kaplica. One of the leading members is a Jewish boxer, Jakub Szapiro, who dreams of replacing Kaplica and becoming the king of Warsaw. The specter of fascism hangs over Europe.
The shooting period lasted from April to October 1, 2019. Locations of the film set: Warsaw, Modlin, Konstancin, Milanówek, Łódź (the intersection of Piotrkowska and Roosevelta streets, the intersection of Żeromskiego and Próchnika streets, the Reicher synagogue).[2][3]
The plot of the series intertwines both existing and fictional characters, but inspired by real ones. Real politicians from the times of the Second Polish Republic (mainly Sanacja) include Prime Minister Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski, Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz and Colonel Adam Koc.[4] Jakub Szapiro is inspired by pre-war light weight boxer Szapsel Rotholc, for some time a leading player of Makabi Warsaw.[5]
