Popiól i diament

Andrzej Wajda (1958)

This famous film, widely regarded as Wajda’s finest, is based on a novel by Jerzy Andrzejewski.  The action takes places over a 24-hour period, beginning on the morning of 8 May 1945, the day of the German surrender that ended World War II in Europe.   Ashes and Diamonds tells the story of a Polish resistance soldier who is assigned to kill a high-ranking communist and whose growing misgivings about carrying out his mission are the dramatic motor of the story.   The film is meticulous in the working out of its themes and imagery.   It’s also unsurprising, except for the electrifying performance of Zbigniew Cybulski in the main role.

8 May 2008