Ashes and Diamonds (1958)

As WWII and the German occupation ends, the Polish resistance and the Russian forces turn on each other in an attempt to take over leadership in Communist Poland.

Director:

Andrzej Wajda

Writers:

Jerzy Andrzejewski (novel), Jerzy Andrzejewski (screenplay)

Stars:

Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyzewska, Waclaw Zastrzezynski

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zbigniew Cybulski	...	Maciek Chelmicki
Ewa Krzyzewska	...	Krystyna
Waclaw Zastrzezynski	...	Szczuka
Adam Pawlikowski	...	Andrzej
Bogumil Kobiela	...	Drewnowski
Jan Ciecierski	...	Portier
Stanislaw Milski	...	Pieniazek
Artur Mlodnicki	...	Kotowicz
Halina Kwiatkowska	...	Staniewiczowa
Ignacy Machowski	...	Waga
Zbigniew Skowronski	...	Slomka
Barbara Krafftówna	...	Stefka (as Barbara Kraftówna)
Aleksander Sewruk	...	Swiecki
Zofia Czerwinska	...	Barmaid Lili (as Z. Czerwinska)
Wiktor Grotowicz	...	Franek Pawlicki (as W. Grotowicz)

Storyline

Maciek, a young Resistance fighter, is ordered to kill Szczuka, a Communist district leader, on the last day of World War II. Though killing has been easy for him in the past, Szczuka was a fellow soldier, and Maciek must decide whether to follow his orders.

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Plot Keywords:

resistance movement | world war two | wrong person assassinated | warsaw poland | wake | 

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Taglines:

A Drama of Political Assassination

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Release Date:

29 May 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ashes and Diamonds

Filming Locations:

Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zespól Filmowy "Kadr"

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 95 min (original: 108')

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Citizen Kane (1941) - and Gregg Toland's cinematography in particular - was a huge influence on Andrzej Wajda at the time. Like Toland, the first thing the film's cinematographer Jerzy Wójcik did was convince production designer Roman Mann to include ceilings in all the sets.

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Goofs

In the scene where Maciek is running away from Drewnowski and then the Russian soldiers, a train above them passes by. In one shot it is going to the left of the screen. Then in the next shot it is going to the right, then to the left again.

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Quotes

Krystyna: 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...
Maciek Chelmicki: ...Or will the ashes hold the glory of a starlike diamond... /The Morning Star of everlasting triumph.

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Connections

Referenced in Tatarak (2009)

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Soundtracks

Czerwone maki
(Red Poppies) (uncredited)
Music by Alfred Schütz and lyrics by Feliks Konarski
Performed by Grazyna Staniszewska

User Reviews

" ...or will the ashes hold the glory of a starlike diamond..."

ASHES AND DIAMONDS is a war drama, which describes, in a realistic way, the situation in a small town in Poland on the last day of World War II. The film was based on the 1948 novel by Polish writer Jerzy Andrzejewski.Inhabitants of a provincial town are trying to adjust to peacetime life. However, the conflict between the new communist government and members of the war resistance is inevitable. A young war veteran, who has joined the resistance, has received an order to assassinate a communist official. His enthusiasm for the task starts to weaken, when he meets a young girl and falls in love ....

Mr. Wajda has artfully presented symbols of the ruined country and lost youth in the war. These symbols are visible in almost every scene. Glasses of brandy on fire, love in ruins, a vulgar feast, Polonaise in false, a bloody sheet and a young man who dies in spasmodic twitches at the dump are just some of them. The faces of the protagonists are colored with uncertainty. The story, which is tense, cynical, melancholic and shocking, is accompanied by vivid images of lost people and dilapidated buildings.

Characterization is very good and it is reflected through greed, self-satisfaction, consistency, serenity and compassion.

Zbigniew Cybulski as Maciek is a certain version of James Dean. He is an appealing and sensible young man, who is on the verge of despair. He insights tranquility and love, and yet, his life is only one segment in a nasty political rut. Ewa Krzyżewska as Krystyna is a hotel barmaid. She is perhaps too polite and somewhat insecure in love.

War and political psychology rarely accept ordinary life questions.