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Written by: Jerzy Andrzejewski (novel), Jerzy Andrzejewski & Andrzej Wajda (screenplay)
Directed by: Andrzej Wajda
Starring: Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyzewska, Waclaw Zastrzezynski
Rated: NR [PG-13]
Watch the trailer
Plot
As World War II and the German occupation ends, the Polish resistance and the Soviet forces turn on each other in an attempt to take over leadership in Communist Poland.
Verdict
It's a great movie, but the average movie watcher isn't going to appreciate it. I like it, and I acknowledge it takes a bit of work to have an understanding of what's going on. Without know the sides and context, you would draw a very different conclusion. Since most people are unlikely to research the context, that takes away a huge aspect of this movie.
It depends.
Review
This is one of those film buff movies that's part of the Criterion collection, and that's the reason I watched it. It's well regarded, and considered one of the greatest Polish films.
I did have to do some research to get a sense of what was happening. The Home Army, comprised of Maciek (Zbigniew Cybulski) and Andrzej (Adam Pawlikowski) in this movie were a resistance movement that attacked German soldiers in Nazi occupied Poland during the war. In the 1950s and 1960s, communist government propaganda portrayed the Home Army as an oppressive and reactionary force. The Polish Workers' Party was communist based and worked with Joseph Stalin. There's a lot written about Poland's history, but I was looking for just enough to understand this movie. I have the benefit of decades of hindsight, when this was released I have to imagine the 'sides' were viewed much differently. The movie, in contrast to the book, tones down the propagandist message where the underground soldiers were depicted as bandits.
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| Zbigniew Cybulski, Adam Pawlikowski play Maciek, Andrzej |
After World War II, political parties vie for control. Former Home Army soldiers Maciek and Andrzej attempt to assassinate a member of the opposite political party, the Polish Workers' Party. They kill two people, but soon discover it was the wrong two people. Without context, we don't know the ideologies of these two parties. Maciek and Andrzej look like killers, but they're fighting for their country. Poland fought on both sides of the war, belying the divided politics. When this movie released, post war Poland had to feel like both sides were fighting for the future, trying to prevent the mistakes of the past.
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| Ewa Krzyżewska, Adam Pawlikowski, Zbigniew Cybulski play Krystyna, Andrzej, Maciek |
While trying to complete the mission, Maciek meets a woman. They like each other but it can't work out. Neither want to commit, and that has to be a commentary on the uncertain future of the country. I'm sure most of the inhabitants had similar misgivings about the future. We watch the couple walking through a bombed out city after a world war, reluctant to let themselves fall in love. Hope has to seem fleeting after what they and the country have endured. Now many see a country that is on the brink of making the same mistakes, feeling compelled to act. These are powerful themes.
Maciek begins doubting the job, but Andrzej invokes their past exploits in the war. Is the fact they're doing the same thing after the war that they did during the war portend Poland doing the same and risking a repeat of their missteps?
This is an amazing movie that portrays and is history, but it's more like a history class than a typical movie. It's a movie that's so much bigger than itself. I can't imagine what the response was like when it released and how that view has evolved over time.
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