09 Feb Ashes and Diamonds
(1958) On May 8, 1945, the very day that Germany officially surrendered, a member of the Polish resistance attempts to assassinate the newly arrived Communist Party leader. Reflecting what had been happening to Poland, bulldozed between Germany and the Soviets, absolutely nothing went right.
This Polish film (with English subtitles) is based on a 1949 novel by Polish author Jerzy Andrzejewski. The movie was directed by Andrzej Wajda whose father was murdered by the Soviets in 1940 in the Katyn Massacre.
I was intrigued when I read that this was one of Martin Scorsese’s ten favorite films. I can see why. All I could think of was how desperately the Polish people were trying reclaim their country, how much they had lost. Those who sincerely wanted to do right got caught up in the terrible shifting politics of the times.
The resistance fighter is played by Zbigniew Cybulski, a handsome actor who has been compared to James Dean. His signature in many of his films was the sunglasses he wore, inside and out. He stood out. No one else seemed to be wearing them.
Whenever I watch a movie with subtitles, I find that it’s hard to look away. I’m afraid I might miss something. That wasn’t a problem with Ashes and Diamonds. The camera work and the imagery in so many of the scenes kept my eyes peeled to the screen.
A sad prologue to the story: In 1967, Cybulski fell under a train as he tried to run for it. He was forty years old.
Essential Art House: Ashes and Diamonds at amazon.com
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