Kinoteka Festival: Ashes and Diamonds (18)
Andrzej Wajda’s 1958 Polish classic in which a Second World War Polish resistance fighter falls in love with a barmaid is a delirious, sad, intense exploration of identity and conflict.
Ashes and Diamonds possesses extraordinary visual and emotional power. The themes—conflict and cultural identity—are universal; no knowledge of Polish history required. This is Wajda's most iconic film, and we are screening it as part of the 24th Polish Film Festival and Kinoteka Film Festival.
In the last days of the Second World War, Maciek, a Polish resistance fighter, is tasked with the assassination of a Communist official. When he meets Krystyna, he is offered a glimpse of a world beyond war and destruction, and questions his assignment.
Wajda’s classic drama, which cemented his position as a world-class filmmaker, features an iconic central performance by Cybulski – the ‘Polish James Dean’ – who contributes immeasurably to this story of a new nation and its post war future.
***** Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian