Movies on a Big Screen…the blog!

Here’s the second installment of filmmaker interviews by Galen Howard! If you went to the MOBS screening of The Man Who Would Be Polka King, you’ll be able to see it again via Netflix later this summer. And if you missed it, then make sure to check it out!

One would not likely expect the relentlessly optimistic world of polka music to be the setting for a sordid crime drama, but that is exactly the case with the documentary The Man Who Would Be Polka King from directors John Mikulak and Joshua von Brown. The film’s subject, Grammy-nominated polka bandleader Jan Lewan, immigrated from Poland in the 1970’s and ultimately settled in Pennsylvania where he would build his prominent “polka empire.” Offering fans guided European tours and a high-end gift store to compliment his regular concert schedule, Lewan funded his enterprise through a long and elaborate investment scam that resulted in losses nearing $10,000,000. Mikulak and von Brown show Lewan as a consummate performer and perpetual opportunist whose pursuit of his own wide-scope version of the American dream ultimately destroyed the lives of he and his family along with his many investors. The film toured festivals in 2009, around the end of Lewan’s five-year prison sentence.

Galen Howard: How did you initially become aware of Jan Lewan and ultimately decide to make a film of his story?

John Mikulak: Well, to make a long story short…I had been in Manhattan for about ten years. I got my MFA in filmmaking at NYU and then found myself drifting into the world of advertising. So I decided to make a drastic break. I quit my job at the ad agency and moved out of the city to the mountains of Pennsylvania where I had relatives. The plan was to live a kind of bohemian lifestyle, working on scripts and doing some spec commercial spots for my reel.

It was while I was out in that region of Pennsylvania that I heard about Jan Lewan. He was this flamboyant and charismatic individual; very well known in his region. He actually approached me about doing a book about his life story because he heard that I was a writer/director from New York. At the time, however, it seemed to be just a story of an immigrant who came here and found success. It was fun and interesting…but I wasn’t compelled. About a year later, Lewan approached me again. This time he told me that he was probably going to jail. Wow! Now THERE was a hook: A beloved polka king who defected to this country, built up a polka empire, and then had it all crumble – with lives ruined and jail time, etc. It seemed like an amazing tragedy. So I asked if he’d be interested in participating in a documentary. To his credit he agreed – even when I told him it would tell the good, the bad and the ugly side of his life story.

GH: Did you have any difficulties gaining or maintaining the involvement of your interview subjects?

JM: Yes, it was a constant struggle to get victims to come forward and tell their story. Many were furious that I even contacted them because the memory of Lewan’s betrayal was so painful to them. Also, others were just plain embarrassed and didn’t want to appear on camera. And others were actually scared. They feared that Lewan would come after them after he left prison, which was a paranoid fear but real to them nonetheless.

I also had to walk a tightrope between the two Lewan camps – between those who were still devoted to him and those who despised him. It was difficult to convince everyone that I didn’t have an ulterior motive, that I was just interested in hearing both sides of the story.

Another problem was arranging a jailhouse interview. I had spent months getting that approved by the state of Delaware, only to have Lewan’s lawyers cancel it a few days before we were scheduled to shoot. I was devastated at the time, but now feel it worked out fine.

GH: How did you come to collaborate on the film with your co-director Joshua von Brown?

JM: Josh is an old NYU buddy of mine. I had spent years shooting (the film) on my own. Josh was aware of the project and even helped early on in cutting a promo for it. Over the years he approached me a couple times about potentially doing it as a doc for Court TV. I turned the idea down until they made an offer that would allow us to do both a TV and feature version. At that point, Josh came aboard to head up the post-production and edit the project. He basically became so instrumental in creatively helping to craft the structure that I felt he deserved equal credit as co-director.

GH: Beyond practical narrative purposes, what was the idea behind the fictional narrator character Stan Tadrowski?

JM: Well, we had already done the version of the documentary for Court TV/TruTV. Joshua and I realized that we had to have a voice-over to tie certain elements of the narrative together (for the expanded feature), but we wanted to do something different, something other than the traditional TV VO narration. So we came up with the idea of creating this polka “everyman” who narrates the story from a small American Legion hall in Northeastern PA. We felt if fit the setting and mood and introduced a little flavor to the narration. The actor Greg Korin did a really nice job of nailing the Northeastern PA accent. We actually held auditions in New York and no actor came as close to capturing that feel.

GH: How much does the feature differ from the Court TV version?

JM: The main difference would be the inclusion of additional footage – a few more story points – and the tone, which is much more “indie.” It has more a more casual and folksy flavor because of the actor portraying Stan Tadrowski. Also, the writing of the narration isn’t as “signposted” as the TV version (which is something the networks want you to do to lead the audience through the story).

GH: The incidents in Jan’s story range from absurdly comic to deeply tragic. How did you balance these extremes throughout the documentary?

JM: That was a major concern of ours throughout the edit. And it was difficult because the documentary does have elements that are hilarious and absurd (as you say) while also detailing very tragic events. Honestly, we just tried to keep an overall perspective that the tone pretty much needs to echo the tone that Jan’s life story took. I mean, he’s a guy whose life encompassed great highs and lows. You can’t tell his story without reveling in the colorful aspects of the polka world or Jan’s over-the-top showmanship. And this is what makes the dark, self-destructive undercurrents that lead to his ruin and the financial destruction of his victims so much more poignant and fascinating. I’ve always said that this is more than a polka documentary, that it’s a classic tragedy. I guess the polka backdrop and Lewan’s larger-than-life persona made it necessarily a tragicomedy.

GH: What has the response to the film been like, both within and outside the polka community? How has Jan and his family responded to the film?

JM: I think the response has been largely positive. There’s definitely a range of opinions on whether Lewan was malicious or just foolish. The family – in general – believes I did a fair job. I always told them that I wasn’t going to pull punches. So I think they respected my honesty with them throughout the process. And I do have to thank them for cooperating in terms of supplying tons of archival photos and allowing me to use Lewan’s music, etc.

I know that Lewan, himself, feels that I left out parts of his side of the story. But he has to understand that what is important to him isn’t always objectively important to the overall narrative. You can’t get bogged down in minutiae or you will lose your audience.

All in all, Jan Lewan knows that the documentary has kept his name alive and provided publicity. So deep down, I think his ego likes the fact that a documentary was made on his life…and that it has played in festivals around the world and on national TV. He’s working on a book, so I think he figures it can help him get that published.

I know that some people within the polka community felt that the documentary shed a negative light on polka. I think a lot of people outside the polka community are just blown away by the whole Jan Lewan phenomenon and how he was able to create such a wild reality. He pretty much created his empire by force of will…and the help of his Ponzi scheme, of course.

GH: I read that upon Jan’s release last year, he said that his heavy exposure in prison to rap music has inspired him to fuse it with polka. Does this seem to you in keeping with his overall character?

JM: Oh yeah. And I’ve heard him perform one of the rap songs. It’s hilarious. He’s going to include a few on his next album. It’s totally in keeping with Jan to look at a situation and see how he can turn it into an advantage. He is, for better or worse, an incurable optimist. And he’s not one to stand still and bemoan his fate. He just moves on. I’m sure he has tons of projects in mind at this moment. I know he has been performing whenever he can.

The Man Who Would Be Polka King will be available from Netflix later this summer.