1670 (2023-)

I was going to post about The Artful Dodger (2023-) today, but last night my boyfriend and I were aimlessly scrolling through the options for that evening’s entertainment, when we stumbled across a new Polish series that just dropped on Netflix, 1670 (2023-) and I decided that Dodge can wait until next week, because we REALLY have to talk about this series!

It’s set in 1670, in the Polish village of Adamczycha, and is a mockumentary of a reality show a’la The Osbournes. But, you know, set in a remote Polish village in 1670.

Quick note about the “village.” The show is filmed at the Museum of Folk Culture in Kolbuszowa, so the sets are hyper-authentic.

I was watching the English dubbed version, which is surprisingly good, and made paying attention to the costuming a lot easier. And the costumes, my friends … THE COSTUMES ARE SO GOOD.

I NEED TO KNOW WHERE I CAN GET ALL THE FABRICS IN THIS SCENE.

The show centers around John Paul, who is a nobleman and co-owner of Adamczycha. It’s John Paul’s ambition to be “most famous John Paul in history.” He’s also kind of an idiot.

His wife, Zofia, is a religious zealot. Her costumes are hard to get images of because they’re so dark, and my computer monitor is not up to the task of getting smooth images of them. But you can tell they’re silk satin and beautifully embellished.

They have three children. Stanisław (far right) is the eldest and John Paul’s heir. Then there’s Jakub, the middle child (far left) who is a sociopath destined for the church. And the youngest is Aniela, the smartest of the bunch and who is obviously not taken seriously as a woman. She is devoted to promoting progressive feminist ideas in the village.

Then there’s Bogdan, Zofia’s brother who was thought to be dead, but turns up in the village after his career as a hussar didn’t pan out. He’s wearing a pair of ratty battle wings, which have to be one of the coolest accessories of European armor ever.

Here’s an extant example of the wings with the armor from the National Museum in Krakow.

I’m obsessed with everything John Paul wears. I love his coats so much.

Another thing I love about this show is just how rich every scene is. Whether it’s in a peasant hovel or John Paul’s lavish home, it’s just a feast for the eyes with so much visual texture.

The lace on Zofia’s collar and cuffs is really good, but again, I had a hard time getting a good shot of it.

The fabric reads modern, but the overall look is correct for the late-17th century.

I’m only half-way through the series, so I may add another post if anything else amazing turns up in future episodes, but I definitely think this is worth a watch!

Have you seen 1670 (2023-)? Tell us about it in the comments!