Ashes and Diamonds

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.