A great film epic from Poland, based on a famous novel by Nobel laureate Henryk Sienwiewicz, taking the 17th Century Ukrainian uprising by Bogdan Khmelnitsky against the Polish Commonwealth as a background, with Poles, Ukrainians and Tatars fighting against each other. My knowledge of Polish history is weak, so I cannot tell how faithful this movie is to the real events it depicts, but as an epic it never fails to entertain. Since this is a Polish film, Poles come naturally the best. Some may complain that the Ukrainian Cossacks are depicted as ignorant brutes, but they are nonetheless great fun to watch. Worst depicted are the Crimean Tatars, as oriental despots (and pederasts, as well, since the Khan is shown as an obvious boy lover). Though this was one of the most expensive films in Polish history, it took just small change to made in comparison with similarly themed Western movies, and the results for the money are impressive. The battles depicted here are great, and the filmmakers took care to involve many people in them, not just a few (presumably, without any aid from computer imagery). There is a great acting, as well (Izabella Scorupco as the beautiful Helena, Alexandr Domogarov as the impulsive Bohun, Ruslana Pysanka as the witch Horpyna, Krzystof Kowalewski as the comic relief Zagluba).
Review of With Fire and Sword
