Directed by Andrzej Wajda • 1958 • Poland
On the last day of World War II in a small town somewhere in Poland, Polish exiles of war and the occupying Soviet forces confront the beginning of a new day and a new Poland. In this incendiary environment we find Home Army soldier Maciek Chelmicki, who has been ordered to assassinate an incoming commissar. But a mistake stalls his progress and leads him to Krystyna, a beautiful barmaid who gives him a glimpse of what his life could be. Gorgeously photographed and brilliantly performed, ASHES AND DIAMONDS masterfully interweaves the fate of a nation with that of one man, resulting in one of the most important Polish films of all time.
Up Next in Voices of Protest
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Youth in Fury
Directed by Masahiro Shinoda • 1960 • Japan
An alienated young man flirts with extremism during a major student protest. Directed by Masahiro Shinoda.
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The Children Were Watching
Directed by Robert Drew and Richard Leacock • 1961 • United States
In this Drew Associates classic, Richard Leacock photographs the first week of school integration in November 1960 in New Orleans. As black students enter their new schools under the escort of U.S. Marshals, their classmates’ whi...
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Crisis
Directed by Robert Drew • 1963 • United States
CRISIS: BEHIND A PRESIDENTIAL COMMITMENT provided filmmaker Robert Drew, his crew and his audience the rare opportunity to watch a President of the United States deal with a national crisis. In this case, the crisis of the title was the attempted in...
