This article comprises an analysis and comparison of two film adaptations of the play Ubu roi by Alfred Jarry, made in Central Europe following the fall of communism in 1989 - one was shot in the Czech Republic (Král Ubu, F. A. Brabec, 1996), the other one in Poland (Ubu Król, Piotr Szulkin, 2003). The article explores the motivation behind these adaptations and how it is reflected in their structure and semantics. The significant reception Jarry's work had enjoyed in both cultures in previous decades appears to have been one such stimulus. Furthermore, the source had a potential for being an appropriate foundation for a metaphorical expression of current political and social problems as well as for post-modernist re-writing and variations. Finally, Jarry's play was attractive on account of its provocative nature and drastic humour, which had a potential of drawing audiences. The adaptations differ in the degree to which they stress each of these factors. F. A. Brabec transformed Jarry's play into a universal parable of warning, with a diversity of allusions referring to the state of Czech society at the time of shooting. The director pays equal attention to elaborate visual stylization of the film, while making occasional use of effects related to corporeality and sexuality, which can often be seen to be superficial and pandering. Piotr Szulkin's adaptation is a radically pessimistic reflection on the development and current situation in Poland and the entire world. The film has the form of an eccentric vision mixing elements of grotesque, dystopia, carnival as well as vaudeville. At the same time, it is designed as a complex structure based on repetition and variation.