KATYN is a film about a crime and a lie. The crime is the slaughter of over 21,000 Polish officers in Stalin's attempt to liquidate the corps in 1940. The lie is the Soviet attempt to place responsibility for this horror on German troops that had supposedly captured the officers. That Stalin would have thousands of officers killed is no surprised, for a few years earlier he had decimated his own officer corps, including a large number of his own generals. Dircetor Andrzej Wajda's father was one of the victims in the forest of Katyn, and he claims he felt compelled to make a film of the incident for any number of reasons. In 1943, the Germans claimed the Russians were responsible, and after the liberation of Poland the Soviets claimed the Germans were. Wajda indicates that he was unable to begin making this film until 1989, although there had been literature on the slaughter for decades. The problem, he indicates, is that the logistics of film making is far more complicated than writing a book and hiding it for decades. Even then, it took over a decade to solidify a screenplay, mostly because younger writer's cultural frame is so unlike that of those living during World War II. Wajda also avoided a documentary format in consideration for the descendants of the slain officers. I need to point out that this is simply one story in a mass of similar actual events that occurred during the war. And, also it need be noted that many Polish officers escaped to other countries in order to fight against the Axis. Most notably were the pilots who made their way to England and managed to compile an outstanding record with the RAF. Note also that Wajda's belief that the chaos in the Polish government before, during, and after the war greased the skids for the atrocities to occur and for the later cover-up. The government before the war seemed inept, that during the was was Nazi, and that after the war was Communist. There were plenty of opportunities for crimes and lies. To paraphrase Wajda, "Those who preach patriotism are least able to handle it." The Left Elbow Index considers seven variables in film making--acting, film continuity, plot, character development, artistry, dialogue, and production sets--on a scale of 10 for very good, 5 for average, and 1 for needs help. The acting in KATYN is above average on all counts. So is the film continuity, which seamlessly weaves the stories of the families of four of the slain officers into an organic whole. The plot has few distractions, and plods on toward the inevitable climax. Character development is way above average with characters being forced to meet ever changing threats during and after the war. The artistry is above average with good camera angles and good use of color. Dialogue is average and appropriate, with the most ironic line delivered by a party member who says "There will never be a Free Poland." The production sets are spectacular, both indoors and out. The LEI average rating for this film is 9.23, which equates to the IMDb rating of 10, or excellent. I strongly recommend this film, especially to those who believe incidents like this can never happen again. KATYN resurrects the crime and the lie, but who will resurrect the dead?
