Fresh
Only Wajda, though, could muster such a mood, with everyone feeding on smoke and booze, and the assembled company, at the end, dancing to a cracked polonaise.
Anthony Lane, New Yorker
Ashes and Diamonds
Touched with the fire and rebellion of a new generation of Polish film makers
1958 · 1h 43m · Not Rated
Drama, Romance, War
Directed by
Andrzej Wajda
Overview
A young academy soldier, Maciek Chelmicki, is ordered to shoot the secretary of the KW PPR. A coincidence causes him to kill someone else. Meeting face to face with his victim, he gets a shock. He faces the necessity of repeating the assassination. He meets Krystyna, a girl working as a barmaid in the restaurant of the "Monopol" hotel. His affection for her makes him even more aware of the senselessness of killing at the end of the war. Loyalty to the oath he took, and thus the obligation to obey the order, tips the scales.
Director and cast
- Andrzej Wajda Director
- Zbigniew Cybulski as Maciek Chelmicki
- Ewa Krzyżewska as Krystyna
- Wacław Zastrzeżynski as Szczuka
- Adam Pawlikowski as Andrzej
- Bogumił Kobiela as Drewnowski
- Jan Ciecierski as portier hotelowy
- Stanisław Milski Cast
- Artur Młodnicki Cast
- Halina Kwiatkowska Cast
- Ignacy Machowski Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
96%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Taut thriller about immediate postwar Poland also has a heavier theme of the futility of killing and violence. Its technical knowhow, fine acting and directorial prowess make this an above average drama.
Variety Staff, Variety
Fresh
Zbigniew Cybulski as the hero is sensitive, attractive and alert -- a lad with humor and compassion. One is strongly drawn to him.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Fresh
Wajda tends toward harsh and overstated imagery, but he achieves a fascinating psychological rapport with his lead actor, Zbigniew Cybulski.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Fresh
Honest, brutally powerful and often shocking.
TIME Magazine
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