The War Trilogy-Three Films By Andrzej W — The War Trilogy( Blu Ray Boxset)

Here’s a Blu-Ray set bringing together three films from Polish director Andrzej Wajda focusing on the Polish Resistance movement during World War II and just after it. The films are all from the 1950s, and remain both powerful and decidedly affecting today - featured are A Generation (Pokolenie), Kanał, Ashes and Diamonds (Popiół i diament).  

The boxset appears on Second Run- one of the key labels releasing world & arthouse cinema. The region-free set presents each film in its own stand-alone blu ray case, with an around twenty-page inlay booklet for each title, with the whole thing presented in a card slip. Each of the pictures has been given a classy, clean and crisp 4k scan, with a good selection of extras and excellent commentaries.  

Andrzej Wajda was born  in 1926, in Suwalki, Poland. His mother, Aniela Wajda, was a teacher at a Ukrainian school. And his father, Jakub Wajda, was a captain in the Polish infantry. The director has said his early childhood in the countryside was pretty idyllic until the outbreak of WWII. In 1939, Poland was invaded by both Germany and Soviet Union. And sadly In 1940, Wajda's father was killed by Stalin's agents. Aniela survived the Second World War with his mother and his brother in Nazi-occupied Poland. In 1942, he joined the Polish resistance serving in it until the war ended. By 1946 he moved to Kraków to attend the Academy of Fine Arts- where he studied painting. From 1950-1954 he studied film directing at the High Film School in Lódz. In total, he helmed forty-three feature-length films between the mid-1950s & late 2010s. Much of his work focused on WWII- though at times he step outside of this influence for the likes of 19th romantic drama Siberian Lady Macbeth (1962), 13th-century religious drama Gates to Paradise (1968), music drama The Conductor (1980), and period comedy The Revenge (2002).

The first film featured here is Wajda’s feature-length debut A Generation (Pokolenie). This was made in the year 1955- it focuses on a group of Polish youths living in & around Warsaw in the year 1939- when the nazi had occupied the country. The film is captured in well-defined black and white stock- with it being a mix of drama, intriguing, and trouble war-based action.

The film's key focus is teenage boy Stach (Tadeusz Lomnicki) who lives in a shanty town on the outskirts of Warsaw. When we first meet him he’s discussing the very basic & poor life he lives, then pretty soon he and his friends are jumping on a train to steal German coal- with one of his friends gunned down. Fairly soon Stach gets a job as an apprentice in a small factory, where as part of their work make beds for the nazi camps. On his first day, he’s really battered from billow to post, but in time he gets used to the work & makes friends.
During his work, Stach becomes aware that the factory is been used to store illicit guns for the Polish Underground Army. Fairly soon he gets connected with an organization of youth fighters- which is led by an impassioned young woman Dorota(Urszula Modrzynska).  As the film unfolds Stach and Dorota get closer, and the nazis increases their presence- removing all Jewish people, as well as burning their houses.

To begin with, Stach is trying to do the best with his situation/ Nazi occupation, but as he starts the job, and then meets Dorota his focus moves onto wanting to do the best for his country. The film is largely a fairly glum, and often tense affair- with the fear of the Nazis & what they’ll do next heavy in the film's reels- though there are moments of brighter more hopeful moments from time to time.

The largely young cast is very good- with the two leads of Lomnicki and Modrzynska, being very believable & relatable. The tone of the film moves from largely grey drama, onto growing romance- this is dotted with moments of action, which at times can be fairly troubling. With one very memorable scene occurring on a spiral staircase, as someone is shooting holes at the plaster- and those chasing keep gaining. 

The film is powerful, at points very moving with the focus on trying to keep hope & focus even in the most terminal and grim situation. Clearly, as the director himself had been in the Polish resistance himself- this was a very personal film. And surprisingly it doesn’t look its age- and if I did know I’d say it was from the mid to late 60s.

On this first disc we get a commentary track by film historian/ polish film expect Michael Brooke- and this is most wonderfully researched, informative, and fact-packed. He begins by discussing why the film to hand is a fascinating transition film made during a time of great state control. He talks about the opening credits shot and points out notable buildings/streets in the panning shot- moving on to comment about the whole unbroken shot that takes up the credits & the first few minutes of the film. We find out most of the actors in the film were theatre actors- as basically, the film industry stopped during/ just after the war. He talks about how the director packs each frame with visual detail. Later on, he discusses Jewish areas featured in the film and their relevance. He talks about the film's score, and who created it. He points out both some of the more sinister, to light humorous shots utilising animals. We find out the film features one of the first-ever use of a squib, and much more. Easily a track one could play several times. Next, we get an introduction to the film from critic, curator and scholar Michał Oleszczyk(15.49)- he talks about the historic importance of the film. The book it was based on, and how it varies/compares to the book. And general discussion about the film & its theme. Next, we get a few archive things- an onscreen interview with the director about the film (7.49), and a 1951 short by the director The Bad Boy.

 

The next film in the set is Kanal, this was Wajda second film, it’s from the year 1957, and is a powerful, at points terminally grim look at the hopelessness of war. The film was shot in the war-ruined and battered Warsaw, and this of course instils the whole thing with both authenticity grit and intensity.

The film credits feature shots of crumbling, battered and burning city buildings with a brash if foreboding orchestrated score playing underneath. As the film begins, we get the first and only use of a man's voice over- as we’re told we’re in the last days of the Warsaw uprising against the Nazis in 1944. And we get introduced to Polish Lieutenant Zadra (Wienczyslaw Glinski), and his resistance troop of forty-three men and women- their number has been halved in the last few days. As Mr voiceover is finishing he points out key members of the troop, we are told this is the last few hours of the troop's lives- so a decidedly doomy start to proceedings.

As the film unfolds we follow the ragtag band of men and women- with some really very impressive lengthy and slow pans of the troop as they make their way through the ripped-apart, tangled, and dusty remains of the city. To begin with, we focus mainly on the moustached Lieutenant Zadra – a man in his mid-thirties who is focused on putting the last of his spirit and energy into beating back the invaders from the city. As we move on and the group settle in the ruined luxury of an upmarket house- we meet other members of the troop- there’s Michal( ladek Sheybal) a musical composer who is trying to make his way back his partner who is trapped in another part of the city. The troop's key female member Stokrotka(Teresa Izewska) a tough and largely unphased blond hair woman in her late twenties/ early thirties. And her thirty-something partner Ens. Jacek 'Korab'(Tadeusz Janczar).

For the first half or so of the films one hour and thirty-eight minutes, the group make their way through the sun-battered and dusty city- stopping where they can to open fire on the invaders- and having a few successes damaging the enemies' tanks, and killing their soldiers. But it becomes more and more clear that it’s hopeless, and the invaders are overwhelming both the troop and the ruined city.

So in the last forty or so minutes of the film, they head into the cities sewers- with the tone moving from sweat and dusty, to wet and grimy. As the group carry on the Nazi gas the sewers, the group split up, and things turn decidedly grimmer. With the orchestrated soundtrack becoming effectively warped and wonky with pitch shifting.

Throughout the whole cast really give their all to their roles, with real depth and realism to their portrayals. At times the actors generally look as if they were put at risk- with explosions going off right nearby them, the crumbling unsafe buildings, and the watery/effluent of the sewers.

It goes without saying Kanal is very far from an easy or light watch- but the whole thing is very well realized, captured and acted. With the film really focusing in on the power of the human spirit, and of course the true hopelessness of war.

Extras wise on this disc we get another commentary track from Mr Brooke, and once again it’s pretty wonderful. He starts by discussing why the pictures seen as one of the greatest Polish films, as one of the greats of the world cinema. He talks about the film's title with the straight English translation been sewer- and the different titles around the world, with only Japan going for the literal translation.  We find that shockingly 80 to 90 per cent of Warsall was lost during WWII. He talks about the impressive long pan shot, and the difficulties of setting this scene up. He discusses actors as they appear, going into quite detailed bios for some. He points out the moments of jet-black humour in the film, and we find out that the film's first UK release saw it getting an X cert. He discusses how the film got made & how its production varied from the first film on the set. He talks about how the Polish film industry crew in general. Later on, he chats about the film's controversy when it was first released in Poland and very critical press from the time. We find out that when the film played at the Cann film festival it got the special jury award. We find out some of the real historic detail of the uprising, and how its portrayal of hell on earth is very impressive. He discusses moments of surrealism in the film, and that the film sold 4.2 million tickets in ’ its first year of playing in Poland. Truly a must-play track. 
Otherwise, Michał Oleszczyk gives an intro to the film(14.20) where he discusses the film's impact, the original story it was based on, and his general impression on the film. And on the archive side, we get an interview with director Andrzej Wajda regarding the film(10.19), and another short from the director Ceramics From Iłża (9.53) which is from the year 1951.

 

 

Finally, we have Ashes And Diamonds aka Popiól i diament. This is from the year 1958, and largely takes place in Wroclaw, Poland on the last day of WWII- when a resistance fighter, is ordered to kill a Communist district leader, in order to swing the control of the coming out-of-war country. The film is captured in wonderful atmospheric black & white stock- with certainly later on some noir-like elements coming into play, both visually and theme-wise. 
 
The film opens in a surprisingly lazy and laid-back manner, as we see two men chatting on a sun-warmed grass bank near a church. Then suddenly they are up and drawing guns as down the near road comes a vehicle- the pair gun down the jeep, with the dead and bloody driver and passenger crashing their vehicle into the bank. The two shooters are Maciek Chelmicki(Zbigniew Cybulski) who is a shades-wearing, military jacketed, and hair-quaffed younger man. And Andrzej(Adam Pawlikowski) an unsmiling, smarter middle age man- who we find out later is Chelmicki's superior officer in the Polish resistance.
 
After their hit is done the pair make their way to the southwestern Polish city of Wroclaw. Fairly soon after another car arrives at the church, and within is Szczuka(Waclaw Zastrzezynski) an ageing, stocky, and grey slicked backed haired man- who was the pair intended hit, as he the Communist party district leader.
 
As the day moves into the night in the city of Wroclaw, and preparation for a big party in the hotel where Chelmicki & Andrzej are staying is set up. During this preparation, the pair realised they killed two innocents and not their target. So Chelmicki is tasked with being a solo assassin- but as times grows closer he starts to get second thoughts about his life path- which is partly due to him meeting Krystyna (Ewa Krzyzewska) who is a barmaid in the hotel, he becomes besotted with. 
 
The films setting moves between the hotel which has more than a few characters, like a sleepy ageing male desk clerk who also sells cigarettes- Hungarian or American. And a few slowly get boozed up characters, getting more than ready for the nights party. Later we go out into the shadowy, bomb-damaged city- with some really visual capturing shots/ set-up like a rumble-piled church with a steady swing upside crucifixion, and a very noir-like stalking/ watching scene. 
 
Ashes And Diamonds is not as emotionally impactful as the other two films here, but it’s more of a thought-provoking and atmospheric experience. Though there are still elements of pathos and regret weaved throughout the film. But it’s just as impactful, effective, and talentedly scoped/ acted film.
 

Finally, on this last disc extras-wise, Mr Brooke returns once again for another excellent track. He begins by discussing the book the film was based on, and how impactful/ popular the book was in Poland- this was the 5th attempt to adapt the book to the screen. He talks about the reason why Maciek Chelmicki wears shades in the film. He discusses the use of subtle religious imagery in all of Andrzej Wajda's films. He talks briefly about the film's location, and one of the reasons it was chosen was to be a distance away from the state censors. He discusses the historic reason/ background behind the film's assignation focus. Later on, he discusses how barmaid & Maciek Chelmicki are very connected. The amount of Poles that moved to the UK after the war, and its impact. He discusses the films/book's title, and its meaning- and how it appears in both the film & book. A really wonderful track, that I will most certainly return to. Otherwise on the extras front- Michał Oleszczyk gives an intro to the film(15.28) he starts off by talking about how the film prefect captured the contradiction & tragedies of Polish history. Moving on he discusses the book the film was based on, and the film itself. On the archive side we have an onscreen interview with the director about the film(15.28), and a short by the director from 1953 While You’re Sleeping (10.37).
 
 
In conclusion, The War Trilogy is a very impactful, thought-provoking and at times moving collection of Polish films. Each picture individual stands as some of the most potent films from within the war film genre, and together they make for a truly devastating trilogy- each looking at the damage war does from different angles. As we’ve come to expect from Second Run- this is a wonderful curated and realized boxset- with beautiful prints for each film, and an excellent selection of extras. If you have an interest in powerful world film/ and or the war film genre, this set is most certainly a must-buy release!.