Ashes and Diamonds (film)
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| Ashes and Diamonds | |
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| Directed by | Andrzej Wajda |
| Written by | Jerzy Andrzejewski |
| Starring | Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyzewska, Waclaw Zastrzezynski |
| Distributed by | Janus Films |
| Release date(s) | October 3, 1958 |
| Running time | 110 min. |
| Language | Polish |
| IMDb profile | |
Ashes and Diamonds (Polish: Popiół i diament) is a 1958 film directed by Polish film director, Andrzej Wajda, based on the novel by Polish writer Jerzy Andrzejewski.
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[edit] Plot
The film takes place on May 6, 1945, the last day of fighting World War II in Poland. Maciek (Zbigniew Cybulski) is a soldier assigned to terminate Szczuka (Zastrzezynski), but starts to second guess whether he should complete his mission.
[edit] References to the Warsaw Uprising
The main character, Maciek, has to wear a sunglass all the time, since he was in the Warsaw Uprising, which took place between August 1 and October 2 (63 days in total), and where insurgents used the Warsaw sewers to move between the Old Town and the Downtown of Warsaw. Maciek being part of the uprising explains his hatred of the Soviets, who were on the other side of the Vistula but did not help the insurgents at all. He also mentions Warsaw as a beautiful memory to the porter, obviously referring to the almost total (85%) destruction of Warsaw by the Germans following the uprising.
[edit] Interesting shots in the film
There are several interesting shots in the film:
- The shot where Maciek lights a vodka glass for each of his dead mates, symbolising brotherhood and remembrance
- The shot where the cross is hanging upside down, symbolising the disillusionment of people in God
- The shot when Maciek is shot and covers himself in the white laundry, effectively painting the Polish flag (white+red), symbolising national pride
- The shot where Maciek is shot and dies on the top of a heap of trash, symbolising the value of life
[edit] Interpretation
The meaning of the film can essentially summarised in poem from which the title came from:
"So often, are you as a blazing torch with flames of burning rags falling about you flaming, you know not if flames bring freedom or death. Consuming all that you must cherish if ashes only will be left, and want Chaos and tempest Or will the ashes hold the glory of a starlike diamond The Morning Star of everlasting triumph." (Poem by Norwid)
The poem is read by Krystyna, on the wall of crypt they visit with Maciek.
The film asks several important question from the viewer: Is death, no matter how you try to justify it, senseless? Is it better to live, while on your knees or die standing straight? Are ideals worth dying for?
There are, of course, no answers in the film. In fact, if anything, the film tries to convey that nothing is black or white, and even the 'bad guys' are people and they have lost comrades in the war, too - this dialog is parallel to the dialog with the burning vodkas.
[edit] External links
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