Ashes and Diamonds (film)
A 1958 Polish drama about a conflicted anti-Communist assassin.
Andrzej Wajda’s 1958 drama *Ashes and Diamonds* (Polish: *Popiół i diament*) stars Zbigniew Cybulski and Ewa Krzyżewska. It is based on Jerzy Andrzejewski’s 1948 novel and completes Wajda’s trilogy of war films, which began with *A Generation* (1954) and *Kanal* (1956). Set in 1945 just after World War II, the story follows Maciek Chełmicki, a former Home Army soldier now part of the anti-Communist underground. He is ordered to kill Szczuka, the local secretary of the Polish Workers’ Party, but as the plot unfolds, Chełmicki begins to question whether the mission is worthwhile.
Although the novel openly supported Poland’s postwar Communist system, Wajda made subtle changes to the source material. He sympathized with soldiers of the Polish independence underground, so he focused the film on Chełmicki. Over three months of development, Wajda, with help from assistant director Janusz Morgenstern and lead actor Cybulski, drastically altered the original script. The film only received permission for distribution after Andrzejewski personally intervened with the authorities. It was not allowed into the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival, but it did screen at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI prize.
Initially, *Ashes and Diamonds* was well received by critics in Poland and abroad. After the Revolutions of 1989, however, it faced criticism for distorting the collective memory of Polish partisans. Despite this, the film remains one of the most famous Polish motion pictures ever made.
**Plot**
On May 8, 1945, as World War II ends, former Home Army soldiers Maciek, Andrzej, and Drewnowski set up an ambush near a small country church to kill Konrad Szczuka, a political opponent and secretary of the Polish Workers’ Party. The attack fails when they learn they have mistakenly killed two innocent people.
Their superior, Major Waga, orders Andrzej and Maciek to try again. They go to the Hotel Monopol Restaurant, where a banquet celebrating the war’s end is underway, but the soldiers do not join in. In the bar, Maciek and Andrzej hear “The Red Poppies of Monte Cassino” and remember fallen comrades. Maciek lights several glasses of rectified spirit on fire in their honor. Their clumsy comrade Drewnowski gets drunk and discusses career plans in postwar Poland with Pieniążek, a journalist.
During the party, Maciek flirts with a barwoman named K
- director
- Andrzej Wajda
- year_released
- 1958
- country
- Poland
- language
- Polish
- based_on
- 1948 novel by Jerzy Andrzejewski
- starring
- Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyżewska
- award
- FIPRESCI award at Venice Film Festival
Lore & Background
The film was developed over three months, with Wajda making drastic changes to the baseline scenario, assisted by his assistant director Janusz Morgenstern and lead actor Zbigniew Cybulski. Although based on a novel that directly supported the postwar Communist system, Wajda sympathized with the soldiers of the Polish independence underground and devoted most attention to Chełmicki. The film received permission for distribution only through Andrzejewski's intercession, and was not allowed to screen at the main competition at Cannes, but appeared at the Venice Film Festival where it won the FIPRESCI award.
Plot: On 8 May 1945, former Home Army soldiers Maciek, Andrzej and Drewnowski attempt to assassinate Konrad Szczuka, but mistakenly kill two innocents. Ordered to try again, they go to the Hotel Monopol Restaurant. Maciek has a flirtatious conversation with barwoman Krystyna and they fall in love. After a drunken Drewnowski spoils the banquet, Szczuka learns his son has been arrested. Maciek follows Szczuka and shoots him dead. The next morning, Maciek plans to leave by train, but accidentally runs into soldiers of the Polish People's Army, draws his pistol in panic, and is fatally wounded. He dies in agony in a garbage dump.
Reader's Guide
Ashes and Diamonds initially met positive critical reception in Poland and worldwide. However, after the Revolutions of 1989, it was criticized for falsifying the collective memory of Polish partisans. Despite this, the film has maintained its reputation as one of the most famous Polish motion pictures in history. Its significance lies in its subtle modification of the source material to sympathize with the anti-Communist underground, and in its technical and narrative achievements, including the iconic performance of Zbigniew Cybulski. The film's production involved careful negotiation with authorities, and its eventual success at Venice helped cement Wajda's international reputation.
Did You Know?
- The film was based on a novel that was a mandatory school set book in communist Poland.
- Zbigniew Cybulski insisted on wearing his own 'fifties' style dark glasses, jacket and tight jeans' instead of a partisan uniform.
- The film won the FIPRESCI award at the Venice Film Festival.
- The screenplay was completed in January 1958 and accepted by a commission that included Aleksander Ścibor-Rylski and Tadeusz Konwicki.
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