ASHES AND DIAMONDS

ASHES AND DIAMONDS (POPİÓŁ İ DİAMENT), 1958
Poland | HDD, Black & White, 103’ | Polish, German
Director: Andrzej Wajdaæ
Cast: Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyzewska, Waclaw Zastrzezynski

Set on the final day of World War II, the film’s question is hidden in its title: When the fire is out, will it be diamonds that emerge, or will it only be ashes that remain? Interweaving the moral dilemma of its character with the fate of the country, the film follows a young soldier in the Home Army who receives an order to kill a Communist official. It is not just the character but the country itself that is caught in the period of transition from pre-war to post-war life. The charismatic persona of Zbigniew Cybulski in the leading role earned him the label “the James Dean of Poland”. With its unforgettable monochrome cinematography, the film, based on the novel by Jerzy Andrzejewski, is considered a milestone of Polish cinema.