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Kanal

  • 1957
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
7.7K
YOUR RATING
Kanal (1957)
DramaWar

In 1944, during the Warsaw uprising against the Nazis, Polish Lieutenant Zadra and his resistance fighters use Warsaw's sewer system to escape the German encirclement.In 1944, during the Warsaw uprising against the Nazis, Polish Lieutenant Zadra and his resistance fighters use Warsaw's sewer system to escape the German encirclement.In 1944, during the Warsaw uprising against the Nazis, Polish Lieutenant Zadra and his resistance fighters use Warsaw's sewer system to escape the German encirclement.

  • Director
    • Andrzej Wajda
  • Writer
    • Jerzy Stefan Stawinski
  • Stars
    • Teresa Izewska
    • Tadeusz Janczar
    • Wienczyslaw Glinski
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    7.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Andrzej Wajda
    • Writer
      • Jerzy Stefan Stawinski
    • Stars
      • Teresa Izewska
      • Tadeusz Janczar
      • Wienczyslaw Glinski
    • 34User reviews
    • 36Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 1 win & 3 nominations total

    Photos110

    Kanal (1957)
    Kanal (1957)
    Kanal (1957)
    Kanal (1957)
    Vladek Sheybal in Kanal (1957)
    Wienczyslaw Glinski in Kanal (1957)
    Teresa Izewska and Tadeusz Janczar in Kanal (1957)
    Tadeusz Janczar in Kanal (1957)
    Teresa Berezowska and Vladek Sheybal in Kanal (1957)
    Teresa Berezowska, Emil Karewicz, and Vladek Sheybal in Kanal (1957)
    Vladek Sheybal in Kanal (1957)
    Wienczyslaw Glinski and Stanislaw Mikulski in Kanal (1957)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Teresa Izewska
    Teresa Izewska
    • 'Stokrotka'
    Tadeusz Janczar
    Tadeusz Janczar
    • Ens. Jacek 'Korab'
    Wienczyslaw Glinski
    Wienczyslaw Glinski
    • Lt. 'Zadra'
    Tadeusz Gwiazdowski
    Tadeusz Gwiazdowski
    • Sgt. 'Kula'
    Stanislaw Mikulski
    Stanislaw Mikulski
    • 'Smukly'
    Emil Karewicz
    Emil Karewicz
    • Lt. 'Madry'
    Vladek Sheybal
    Vladek Sheybal
    • Composer Michal
    • (as Wladyslaw Sheybal)
    Teresa Berezowska
    • Halinka
    Zofia Lindorf
    • Old woman looking for her daughter
    Janina Jablonowska
    • Screaming Woman in the Sewer
    Maria Kretz
    • Wounded Woman
    Jan Englert
    Jan Englert
    • Zefir
    Kazimierz Dejunowicz
    Kazimierz Dejunowicz
    • Capt. 'Zabawa'
    Zdzislaw Lesniak
    • 'Maly'
    Maciej Maciejewski
    Maciej Maciejewski
    • Lt. 'Gustaw'
    Adam Pawlikowski
    Adam Pawlikowski
    • SS Man
    Wlodzimierz Bednarski
    Wlodzimierz Bednarski
    • Insurgent
    • (uncredited)
    Zenon Dadajewski
    • Insurgent
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Andrzej Wajda
    • Writer
      • Jerzy Stefan Stawinski
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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.

    • Connections
      Featured in Vieras (1984)

    User reviews34

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Dante in Warsaw
    That this movie was made is a near miracle, since it squeaked out barely 3 years after Stalin died; and the Polish film industry could even begin to suggest that Poles could struggle against the Germans without Soviet "fraternal" help. It looks likely that it was saved from oblivion by the Silver Palm (1957), at least in Poland. My suspicion that this got past the Party censors as a Dantean allegory about the worker and peasant struggles, with each character and episode exposing some lesson. However, like Ashes and Diamonds, much of the real message is just at the surface: regular Poles struggling for a better future.

    The real hidden message of the film is a metaphorical struggle against Soviet oppression. Wajda seems to suggest this by quoting Szczepanski(1944): "... But know this: from our tombstones A victorious new Poland will be born And you will not walk this land You Red Ruler of bestial forces!" (1) Indeed the resolution suggests the Stalinist Inferno is far from over. Those who have tried to bring light to the world suffer a Promethean fate.

    What seems remarkable to me is the positive spirit, humor, and love of life that most of the characters display in the face of their passage into the underworld. There is additional irony (humorous to me), for example, that the composer attempts to play a particularly patriotic Chopin, but is then ordered to play "something with feeling:" an inane dance tune. (By the way, the Beckstein piano that the composer tries to protect was made by a company that provided Hitler with crucial early support.)

    It is also remarkable that such a dark, almost anti-heroic view of combatants was made only 12 years after the event. It is not so far from the spirit of Ernie Pyle, and just think how long it took to make Band of Brothers.

    (1) Interview on www.wajda.pl
    helpful•39
    10
    • rmoba13
    • Jul 16, 2004

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 20, 1957 (Poland)
    • Country of origin
      • Poland
    • Official site
      • Studio Filmowe Kadr (Poland)
    • Languages
      • Polish
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Canal
    • Filming locations
      • Dluga, Sródmiescie, Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland(manhole)
    • Production company
      • Studio Filmowe Kadr
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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