Description

Andrzej Wajda's directorial debut, the first film in his compelling war trilogy, marked the beginning of the Polish film renaissance.Wajda, who fought for the Resistance during World War II, offers a strikingly unsentimental appraisal of heroism in the tale of a cocky Polish youth who decides to fight the Nazis after he falls for a pretty Resistance leader. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The First Act...
A tragic yet ultimately hopeful film (in stark contrast to the unrelentingly bleak "Kanal", or fatalistic "Ashes and Diamonds"), "A Generation" follows a young mans progression from niave lover to hardened fighter through his involvement with a woman and, subsequently, the Polish resistance during WWII. The story is told more lyrically than other Wajda films, but the harsh realities of the protagonists situation are never far from mind. Performances are excellent across the board, and Wajda's direction, as always, subtly indicates what is to come: feelings of claustrophobia and inevitability are less blatant than Kanal, but are there none-the-less, and serve as effective counter points to the couple's love story. Altogether a superb film, and an essential first act for those following the thematic arcs of the trilogy as a whole. ... Read more

Description

The central film of Wajda's war trilogy follows Resistance fighters as they descend into Warsaw's sewer system (or kanaly) to escape the Nazis.Based on actual events during the Warsaw uprising in 1944, "this hallucinating picture is a heartfelt reenactment, taut and penetrating" (Variety). ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Crawling through the sewers seeking freedom
Although the film is depressing, it is worth watching. One gains an idea of the conditions of Poland during the war and how the Poles tried to fight back against overwhelming odds. The film itself is very dark, with much of it taking place in the sewers.

In this film, a band of Polish soldiers is ordered to retreat through the sewers. Giving up their holding is disappointing to the men, but they have little choice because they lack the weapons and reinforcements to hold their position any longer. The sewers are a maze in which the soldiers try to find their way to freedom.

"Kanal" (1957) is directed by Andrzej Wajda. This Polish film is in black-and-white, 96 minutes long, and has optional English subtitles.

Spellbinding , But A Bad DVD Transfer!
On August 1, 1944, with the Eastern front moving ever closer, the Polish Resistance in Warsaw took up arms against the German occupation. The goal was to set up a democratic government and take control of the city before the Germans could destroy it or the Russians impose a communist regime. They failed on both counts. For a while, the Resistance, which had superior numbers, were in control of the city, but the cause was lost after the Germans brought in reinforcements, heavy artillery, tanks, and the Luftwaffe. Before the Germans abandonned Warsaw finally in January 1945 (the Russians chose not to interfere for several months with the German butchering of the Resistance), 85% of the city had been destroyed. 200,000 Poles died in the 63-day insurrection alone.

The film "Kanal" begins in late September with the crushing of the remaining remnant of Resistance forces in Warsaw. These men and women then tried to escape through the sewers, to be able to fight another day (hence, the title "Kanal"). The movie tells their story of their desperate escape. To say anything more about the plot would spoil the movie.

This is a very gritty movie and a moving testimony against war, beautifully and sensitively photographed in black & white. To have filmed it in color would have been a sacrilege. The composition and detail of every scene is magnificent. The images of the film will remain with you for years afterward. The film's director, the incomparable Andrzej Wajda, in fact, fought with the Polish resistance as a teenager. If there is a strong sense of realism in the picture, it is because Wajda lived these events or ones very close to them. Don't miss this film.

While I have only praise for this film, my feelings about the DVD transfer are very different. The image is rather soft and the audio signal is so weak that I can barely hear it with the volume on my TV turned to maximum. If occasionally you must listen to a DVD at maximum volume, you may find parts of this film totally inaudible.

The Film deserves five stars, the DVD transfer only one.

The Polish way....
An indescribably wrenching war tragedy depicting the destruction of a group of freedom fighters in the ruins of Warsaw in the last year of WW II.

A year after the Warsaw ghetto is crushed, the Polish resistance, learning that Soviet armies are approaching the city and that the allies have landed in Normandy, order the long-awaited uprising against the Nazis. The battle goes on for 63 days while Stalin halts his army in the suburbs to allow the SS to systematically eliminate the last Polish patriots.

The film depicts the last few days of the uprising. Wajda introduces the varied men and women who make up one resistance group - their ambitions, their loves, their individuality, their vitality, in a context of extreme stress. After a heroic defense of their district, the survivors are ordered into the sewers - the 'Kanal' - to escape the pocket in which they've become trapped. Their captain knows they are doomed yet hopes to save at least the company records for posterity. Before descending, he stoically shares a last cigarette with another group leader. 'You know this fight is pointless, don't you?' 'Yeah... it's the Polish way.'

The second half of the film depicts their final trial of courage in the sewers - where a subterranean Passion and an anonymous Golgotha awaits them.

As the fighters, one by one, slip into a manhole behind a street barricade, they leave behind the rear guard - a twelve year old boy wearing boots way too big for him who cooly checks his rifle in preparation for his solitary defense of this last barrier. Beyond the pile of bricks and furniture a Tiger tank lurches inexorably forward like a threshing machine.

This film manages to scorch a lasting hole in one's soul.

One of the most powerful movies I've seen in 30 years.
I first saw this movie 30 years ago--and feared looking at the video because I though it might not be as great as I remembered it. It's even better. Powerful tales of how peoplel change, for better or worse, under great adversity. Though many of the people come to bleak ends, the movie is not depressing or blackhearted. It's greatest moral lesson, for me, is that courage must be coupled with wide-eyed realism and stamina when the odds are against you. The image that has stayed with me for 30 years: the woman helping the wounded, feverish man through the sewer who reminds him that he's walking through shit and to keep on going when he begins to hallucinate about how beautiful things are. ... Read more

Description

Idealized portrait of young delinquents' lives and rehabilitation.

Cast: Aleksandra Slaska, Tadeusz Janczar, Tadeusz Lomnicki.

1954. B/W. 115 mins. English Subtitles ... Read more

Description

A family saga set in the second half of the 19th century after the failure of the January 1863 Uprising. Unique portrait of an oppressed society, exile, and the confiscation of property through the loves and struggles of the Niechcic family. Full screen letterbox format. Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Film 1977. ... Read more

Description

War drama based on a true story. Legendary Hubal - major Dobrzanski, in spite of Nazi occupation in 1939 does not surrender and fights the aggressor with a group of his faithful soldiers.

1973. Color. English Subtitles ... Read more

Reviews (1)

excellent
First rate Polish war film. ... Read more