Kanal (1957)

Director:

Andrzej Wajda

Writers:

Jerzy Stefan Stawinski (screenplay)
Jerzy Stefan Stawinski (story)

Release Date:

20 April 1957 (Poland)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

A symbolic depiction of hell on Earth, set in the last days of the Warsaw uprising in 1944. Lieutenant...

Plot Keywords:

Sewer | 1944 | Warsaw Uprising | Uprising | Resistance

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Teresa Izewska	...	Stokrotka
Tadeusz Janczar	...	Ens. Jacek 'Korab'
Wienczyslaw Glinski	...	Lt. 'Zadra'
Tadeusz Gwiazdowski	...	Sgt. 'Kula'
Stanislaw Mikulski	...	Smukly
Emil Karewicz	...	Lt. 'Madry'
Vladek Sheybal	...	Michal 'Ogromny', the composer (as Wladyslaw Sheybal)
Teresa Berezowska	...	Halinka
Zofia Lindorf	...	Old woman looking for her daughter
Janina Jablonowska	...	Woman
Maria Kretz	...	Wounded Woman
Jan Englert	...	Zefir
Kazimierz Dejunowicz	...	Capt. 'Zabawa'
Zdzislaw Lesniak	...	Maly
Maciej Maciejewski	...	Lt. 'Gustaw'

Also Known As:

Canal (International: English title) (informal literal title)
Kanał (Poland)
Kanal (USA)
They Loved Life

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Dluga Street, Warsaw, Poland

Company:

Zespól Filmowy "Kadr"

Trivia:

Director Andrzej Wajda was himself a fighter in the Polish resistance movement against the Nazis in World War II and several scenes in the film were based on his experiences.

Quotes:

Narrator: These are the tragic heroes: watch them closely in the remaining hours of their lives.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Andrzej Wajda: On Kanal (2005) (V)

A Few Additional Notes

I think everyone who saw this film knows that it's a masterpiece, but maybe not everyone knows how authentic the film is. The writer of the screenplay - Jerzy Stefan Stawinski - is in fact the Lieutenant Zadra responsible for his platoon. Stawinski wrote down his own war experiences here with impressing honesty.

Another thing that may be interesting in this film is the main female character - Daisy. She isn't supposed to be a superwoman as some suggested. In fact there were several thousands of women fighting in this uprising. All of them that survived it were given the status of soldiers by Germans. It was the first time in the world's history when women received such a status. During the uprising many of them were carrying mail via sewers, so Daisy is rather a typical character in this role. It would be more surprising if the guide was a man.