The War Trilogy: Three films by Andrzej Wajda: Limited Edition – Second Run (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Poland, 1955 (A Generation), Poland, 1957 (Kanał), Poland, 1958 (Ashes and Diamonds)
Director: Andrzej Wajda (All Films)
Cast: Tadeusz Łomnicki, Urszula Modrzyńska, Tadeusz Janczar, Janusz Paluszkiewicz, Ryszard Kotys, Roman Polanski (A Generation), Teresa Iżewska, Tadeusz Janczar, Wieńczysław Gliński, Tadeusz Gwiazdowski, Stanisław Mikulski, Emil Karewicz, Maciej Maciejewski, Vladek Sheybal, Teresa Berezowska (Kanał), Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyżewska, Wacław Zastrzeżyński, Adam Pawlikowski, Bogumił Kobiela, Stanisław Milski, Ignacy Machowski, Jan Ciecierski (Ashes and Diamonds)

Release Date: December 12th, 2022
Approximate Running Times: 88 Minutes 14 Seconds (A Generation), 96 Minutes 45 Seconds (Kanał), 103 Minutes 8 Seconds (Ashes and Diamonds)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (A Generation, Kanał), 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Ashes and Diamonds)
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Polish (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £44.99 (UK)

A Generation: "Andrzej Wajda's debut feature chronicles the lives of a group of young friends who, having grown up in German-occupied Poland, find their places within the Resistance army fighting against their Nazi oppressors." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Kanał: "An unforgettable and harrowing depiction of the last days of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the invading German Nazis, Kanał follows a band of surviving Polish Home Army soldiers who take to the sewers to avoid capture." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Ashes and Diamonds: "Wajda’s most renowned film and landmark of international cinema, Ashes and Diamonds takes place on the final day of WWII, as a young Resistance fighter is assigned to assassinate a Communist official." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Kanał, Ashes and Diamonds), 4/5 (A Generation)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "each film presented from new 2K restorations by Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych, Poland."

A Generation comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30.3 GB

Feature: 21.6 GB

Kanał comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33 GB

Feature: 23.6 GB

Ashes and Diamonds comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.4 GB

Feature: 25.2 GB

All films are in excellent shape; they have been cleaned up and are free of debris and other imperfections. Flesh tones look healthy, image clarity and contrast are solid, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression or digital noise reduction. That said, of these three films, A Generation’s transfer is not as strong as the other two films.

Audio: 4.5/5 (Kanał, Ashes and Diamonds), 4.25/5 (A Generation)

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Polish with removable English subtitles. All of the audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for A Generation include an introduction by Polish cinema expert Michał Oleszczyk (15 minutes 49 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Andrzej Wajda (7 minutes 49 seconds, LPCM stereo Polish with removable English subtitles), a short film directed by Andrzej Wajda titled The Bad Boy (6 minutes 30 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Polish with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian Michael Brooke, and a 16-page booklet with an essay titled The Second World War in the Films of Andrzej Wajda written by Ewa Mazierska and cast & crew information.

The Bad Boy: A man writing a letter reminisces about his beloved and a mischievous boy who always got in their way.

Extras for Kanał include an introduction by Michał Oleszczyk (14 minutes 20 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Andrzej Wajda (10 minutes 19 seconds, LPCM stereo Polish with removable English subtitles), a short film directed by Andrzej Wajda titled Ceramics from Iłża (9 minutes 53 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Polish with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Michael Brooke, and a 12-page booklet with an essay titled Kanał: “Look Closely” written by Tony Rayns and cast & crew information.

Ceramics from Iłża: This short film is a documentary about a small town known for its pottery.

Extras for Ashes and Diamonds include an introduction by Michał Oleszczyk (15 minutes 28 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Andrzej Wajda (24 minutes 32 seconds, LPCM stereo Polish with removable English subtitles), a short film directed by Andrzej Wajda titled While You're Sleeping (10 minutes 37 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Polish with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Michael Brooke, and a 20-page booklet with an essay written by Peter Hames and cast & crew information.

While You're Sleeping: A mother describes to her child all of the things that go on in the city while they're sleeping.

Summary:

A Generation: A young man living in a working-class section of Warsaw during the German occupation of Poland becomes involved with an underground communist resistance group.

When one puts into perspective a film like A Generation, the end result is remarkable. Many involved with this film had little or no experience; Andrzej Wajda, cinematographer Jerzy Lipman, and composer Andrzej Markowski were making their feature film debuts. Future filmmaker Roman Polanski appears in the role of Mundek, and Zbigniew Cybulski, who would go on to become one of Polish cinema’s most popular actors, makes his feature film debut.

Although made a decade after World War II ended, A Generation utilizes real locations still scarred by the war, providing an authenticity that no set could replicate. The opening moments of A Generation is a lengthy tracking shot through the ghettos of Warsaw, which perfectly sets the stage for what follows. That said, Italian neorealism greatly influences the look and vibe of A Generation.

The opening setup effectively establishes the tone and introduces key characters. While multiple characters play significant roles in the unfolding story, it is Stach whose journey ultimately drives the narrative. He is a young man who lacks direction and purpose, doing what he needs to survive. His life dramatically changes when he meets a woman who is part of an underground communist resistance group, and from there he devotes his life to their cause.

All around, the performances hold up well, especially Tadeusz Łomnicki (Innocent Sorcerers) in the role of Stach. He delivers a solid performance that elevates the rest of the cast. The most memorable performance is Tadeusz Janczar’s (Kanał) portrayal of Jasio, another young man who joins the communist underground; only his impulsive behavior puts himself and others in danger. A cast member of note is Roman Polanski (Rosemary’s Baby), who had yet to direct a film and had only acted at that point in two films.

The narrative does a phenomenal job drawing you in, and it holds your attention by creating tense moments like a scene where Jasio brazenly kills a Nazi officer in a pub. Although the visuals mostly let the performances be the focal point, there are a few striking moments, like a scene where a crowd of people look at bodies hanging from telephone poles and a scene where Jasio jumps to his death instead of surrendering to the Nazis. Ultimately, A Generation is a remarkable film that reshaped the cinema landscape in Poland.

Kanał: Polish resistance fighters encircled by German soldiers try to escape certain death by making their way to Warsaw’s sewer system.

Made two years after A Generation, Andrzej Wajda shows a tremendous amount of growth with Kanał. Whereas Italian neorealism greatly influenced A Generation, Kanał has a more cinematic quality that does not abandon realism. Nowhere is this more evident than when it comes to the locations featured throughout Kanał. That said, the production design does an exemplary job creating war-torn landscapes that feel authentic.

The opening moments do an excellent job setting the foundation for the events that follow. All around everyone is death and destruction as characters travel through a war-ravaged landscape. From there the narrative does a superb job of creating tense moments that build upon each other, culminating with a bleak ending that serves as a perfect coda.

The visuals play a significant role, especially once the resistance fighters enter the sewers. Trapped like rats from their Nazi pursuers, the use of wide-angle lenses accentuates a feeling of claustrophobia. For a film that has an abundance of visually arresting moments, none stand out more than a scene where a resistance fighter tries to remove grenades from a booby-trapped exit. This moment is overflowing with tension as he removes each grenade, only to perish when he stumbles, causing an explosion.

The narrative can be broken into two distinctive halves, which are both equally enthralling. The first half takes place in blown-out locations under enemy attack, while the latter half takes place in the sewers, where the characters' state of mind deteriorates the longer they are down there. The most impressive aspect of Kanał is the performances; it is truly an ensemble cast where everyone is outstanding. That said, though sometimes overshadowed by Ashes and Diamonds, Kanał is an equally powerful cinematic experience.

Ashes and Diamonds: A young Resistance fighter who is ordered to kill a prominent communist leader, he has second thoughts about completing his mission after he begins an affair with a barmaid.

If Ashes and Diamonds were merely a film about a cold-blooded assassin, it would not have resonated and endured for as long as it has. Throughout the history of cinema, many films feature cold-blooded assassins as their main characters. However, most of these films do not successfully humanize these characters, often concentrating solely on the darker aspects of their personalities. This is where Ashes and Diamonds greatly differs from these aforementioned films, as it finds a perfect balance between the more destructive aspects of its protagonist and the aspects of his persona that evoke sympathy.

The narrative of Ashes and Diamonds revolves around two key elements: the Russian occupation of Poland following World War II and the rise of communism in the country. At the center of this story is Maciek, a Resistance fighter assigned the mission of assassinating a prominent communist leader. The narrative is meticulously laid out; it moves with a purpose, and it does a superb job building to an exemplary finale. The story's events all happen in one day, which is another strength.

It is difficult to imagine Ashes and Diamonds without Zbigniew Cybulski (The Saragossa Manuscript) in the role of Maciek. His character wears attire that is out of place for the time in which the story takes place, and yet it works perfectly because of his performance. He spends the bulk of his screen time wearing sunglasses, which often obscure his innermost feelings. It is not until his character's most intimate moment, where he spends the night with a barmaid that he met earlier in the day, that we finally get to see the real Maciek. Another performance of note is Ewa Krzyzewska (Phaoah) in the role of a barmaid that spends the night with Maciek. Her character allows the Maciek character to expand emotionally in a way no other character could have.

Another area in which this film excels is its stark cinematography that at times is reminiscent of the visual style that has become synonymous with the film noir genre. Its two most striking moments visually also happen to bookend its narrative. The first of these opens the film and introduces Maciek, who takes part in a brutal massacre with two other men outside of a church. The other is a blood-soaked finale where Maciek’s choices finally have caught up to him as he dies lying in a pile of garbage. Ultimately, Ashes and Diamonds is a masterpiece, deserving of its reputation as one of Polish cinema’s greatest films.

Second Run’s The War Trilogy: Three films by Andrzej Wajda is an exceptional release that comes with strong audio/video presentations, three short films, and insightful extras; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer