Adapted from a classic stage farce by Aleksander Fredro, this lighthearted tale follows a pair of 17th-century patrician families who, because of their falling fortunes, are forced to share a moldering manor. While scheming to gain control of the castle, the two feuding patriarchs (Janusz Gajos and Andrzej Seweryn) delight in making each other miserable. Roman Polanski has a field day playing craven courtier Józef Papkin.