The Saragossa Manuscript: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Poland, 1965
Director: Wojciech Has
Writers: Tadeusz Kwiatkowski, Jan Potocki
Cast: Zbigniew Cybulski, Iga Cembrzynska, Elzbieta Czyzewska, Gustaw Holoubek, Stanislaw Igar, Joanna Jedryka, Janusz Klosinski, Bogumil Kobiela, Barbara Krafftówna

Release Date: September 14th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 3 Hours 3 Minutes 41 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Polish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region Free (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)

"At the height of the Napoleonic wars, a Polish soldier seeks refuge in a deserted house in the Spanish town of Saragossa, and discovers a mysterious manuscript written in a language he doesn’t speak. When enemy Spanish officers arrive to arrest him, one of the soldiers realises that the book appears to tell the story of his grandfather, Alfonse Van Worden (Zbigniew Cybulski, Ashes and Diamonds), and his surreal, mystical adventures in the region several decades before. He starts to translate the text for the Polish soldier, and so begins a time-shifting, genre-hopping, ouroboros-like epic narrative, one that blends the gothic, quixotic and erotic, and in the process interrogates the very nature of storytelling itself." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The Saragossa Manuscript was restored in 4K from the original camera negative by Fixafilm. This restoration was provided to Radiance Films as a 4k Ultra High-Definition digital file. HDR grading was performed by Stephen C. Horne for Radiance Films.”

The Saragossa Manuscript comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 90.9 GB

Feature: 90.3 GB

The film can be watched as a whole or as part one or part two. The source looks phenomenal; it is easily the best that The Hourglass Sanatorium has ever looked on home media. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are perfectly saturated, contrast, black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid, and the image always retains an organic appearance.

The Saragossa Manuscript comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.8 GB

Feature: 35.7 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Polish with removable English subtitles. The track sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

There are no extras on the 4K UHD disc.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a video essay by Michael Brooke titled The Saragossa Labyrinth, where he discusses the cinema of Wojciech Has and The Saragossa Manuscript (69 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for Polish film clips) and an archival making-of documentary made for Polish television on The Saragossa Manuscript, featuring Wojciech Has, cinematographer Mieczyslaw Jahoda, production designer Jerzy Skarżyński, and assistant director Barbara Sass-Zdort (29 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Polish with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art, a removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings; and a 32-page booklet (limited to 5,000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Unforeseeable Complications: The Multiple Narratives of The Saragossa Manuscript written by David Hering, an archival writing titled The Saragossa Manuscript written by Annette Insdorf, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

The Saragossa Manuscript was a transitional film for Wojciech Has, who went from reality-based melodrama into full-blown fantasy films. Like most of Wojciech Has’ films, The Saragossa Manuscript was adapted from a literary source, the novel The Manuscript Found in Saragossa by Jan Potocki.

The Saragossa Manuscript does not feature a conventional narrative. The opening moments revolve around a soldier during the Napoleonic Wars who finds a book in an abandoned inn, and from there he starts to read it. Once he starts reading, the narrative is essentially a series of flashbacks that are best described as flashbacks that fold into other flashbacks.

The Saragossa Manuscript overflows with striking imagery that also fills itself with symbolism. After the opening credits fade away and the narrative begins properly, a soldier is seen walking past a crucified Jesus on the cross as he walks through destroyed buildings while Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ode to Joy plays in the background. Before anyone is introduced or any indication of where the narrative is about to go, opening a film this way is such a powerful evocative moment that perfectly sets the stage. That said, surprisingly, music is only used sparingly throughout. Other memorable moments are scenes where characters walk up, lying next to skulls under gallows. When it comes to the visual use of the 2.35:1 scope frame, The Saragossa Manuscript fills every inch of the frame with vivid imagery.

All around, the performances are excellent, especially Zbigniew Cybulski’s (Ashes and Diamonds) portrayal of the protagonist, Alfonse Van Worden. He delivers a remarkable performance that elevates everyone around him. That said, what makes his performance so compelling is how it goes against the type of characters that he so often portrays.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where The Saragossa Manuscript does not excel; the visuals, the performances, and its production and costume design are all outstanding. Although the narrative jumps from one story to another, there are never any issues with building and sustaining momentum. Another reason why the narrative works so well is its execution; there is nothing haphazard about the way it unfolds. Ultimately, The Saragossa Manuscript is a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience that does not fit into one film genre nicely.

The Saragossa Manuscript gets a definitive release from Radiance Films. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Hourglass Sanatorium: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Poland, 1973
Director: Wojciech Has
Writers: Wojciech Has, Bruno Schulz
Cast: Jan Nowicki, Tadeusz Kondrat, Irena Orska, Halina Kowalska, Gustaw Holoubek

Release Date: August 3rd, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 124 Minutes 28 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Polish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region Free (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)

"A young man, Józef (Jan Nowicki, O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization), takes a train into the middle of nowhere to visit his dying father, who he understands is residing in a sanatorium. On arrival he discovers a giant building crumbling into ruin, with the patients seemingly left to their own devices, and time itself behaving in strange, non-linear ways. A doctor then informs him that his father is both alive and not-alive, beginning an epic hypnagogic journey through the hospital and his own mind, with each room unlocking its own sinister, hallucinatory world." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “The Hourglass Sanatorium was restored in 4K from the original camera negative by Fixafilm with artistic supervision by Piotr Sobociński Jr. and Michal Sobociński, the grandsons of the original director of photography Witold Sobociński. This restoration was provided to Radiance Film as a 4K ultra-high-definition digital fire. HDR grading was performed by Stephen C. Horne for Radiance Films.”

The Hourglass Sanatorium comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 87.8 GB

Feature: 87.5 GB

The source looks phenomenal; it is easily the best that The Hourglass Sanatorium has ever looked on home media. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are perfectly saturated, contrast, black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid, and the image always retains an organic appearance.

The Hourglass Sanatorium comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.6 GB

Feature: 33 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Polish with removable English subtitles. The track sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with Polish film expert Michael Brooke.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include an archival Polish TV interview with production designer Jerzy Skarzynski by filmmaker Jerzy Wójcik (15 minutes 1 second, LPCM stereo Polish with removable English subtitles), Wojciech Has’ debut short film titled Accordion (12 minutes 8 seconds, LPCM mono with text in Polish and removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Michael Brooke.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings; and a 32-page booklet (limited to 5,000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled History’s Ghosts - The Temporal Odyssey of The Hourglass Sanatorium written by Ela Bittencourt, an archival writing about The Hourglass Sanatorium written by Annette Insdorf, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Although the screenplay for The Hourglass Sanatorium was primarily adapted from Bruno Schulz’s story collection Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass, it is not a literal adaptation. Wojciech Has's film also integrates other stories written by Bruno Schultz into its narrative. There is a clear foreshadowing of the Holocaust throughout Shultz’s literature, and it is in this regard that The Hourglass Sanatorium remains the most faithful to its source.

The narrative revolves around a young man visiting his dying father at a sanatorium where time unfolds in unpredictable ways and just around every corner lie memories that have languished far too long in the past.

To say that The Hourglass Sanatorium’s narrative is challenging would be a gross overstatement. In fact, there are so many layers to the Hourglass Sanatorium that trying to understand them all with one viewer would be a futile affair. That said, The Hourglass Sanatorium is the type of film that takes several viewings to fully appreciate all it has to offer. As mentioned before, the narrative is far from conventional, and it feels like a series of random moments strung together. When examined by themselves, these individual moments lack the same potency they possess when viewed within the parameters of the story at hand.

Through his journey, the protagonist meets a nurse and doctor who run the dilapidated sanatorium where his mentally ill father is being taken care of. Other characters he meets include a childhood friend whose stamp book ignites long-forgotten memories and a wax museum filled with realistic mannequins located on land in the wilderness. More characters he meets include voluptuous women with great appetites, rabbis who do a song and dance, and several visits from his recently departed father.

While the entire cast delivers outstanding performances, the heart and soul of The Hourglass Sanatorium is Jan Nowicki’s portrayal of Józef, the protagonist. He delivers a remarkable performance that conveys a wide range of emotions and perfectly puts you in his character's state of mind.

When it comes to the look of The Hourglass Sanatorium's visuals and production design, one would be hard-pressed to find any flaws in them. The combination of these two elements ensures that there is never a shortage of atmosphere. Not to be overlooked is Jerzy Maksymiuk’s evocative score, which perfectly reinforces the mood. Ultimately, The Hourglass Sanatorium is an extraordinary piece of film-making that connects with you on an emotional level and lingers in your mind long after its final haunting image.

The Hourglass Sanatorium gets a definitive release from Radiance Films. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Dancing Hawk: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Poland, 1977
Director: Grzegorz Królikiewicz
Writer: Grzegorz Królikiewicz
Cast: Franciszek Trzeciak, Beata Tyszkiewicz, Beata Tumkiewicz, Czeslaw Przybyla, Tadeusz Lomnicki, Józef Fryzlewicz, Irena Orska, Stanislaw Jaskiewicz, Jerzy Zelnik

Release Date: March 23rd, 2026 (UK), March 24th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Polish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"A peasant’s son rises through the ranks of post-war Polish society like none of his ancestors ever could. Moving to the city, he becomes part of a new socialist order. But in leaving his rural roots behind, does he also abandon his soul?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The Dancing Hawk underwent digitization and digital restoration at the National Film Archive - Audiovisual Institute (FINA). The process included 4K film scanning, conforming digital image and sound restoration, color grading, and mastering. The work was carried out by FINA’s digitization and restoration team under the artistic supervision of Zbigniew Wichłacz and with substantive consultation by Zbigniew Rybczyński. Sound restoration was completed by the Moovi studio. The film was delivered to Radiance Films as a digital master and is presented in its original aspect ratio."

The Dancing Hawk comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.5 GB

Feature: 27 GB

The source looks excellent; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Polish with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clear and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with film critic Carmen Gray (16 minutes 23 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), two short films directed by cinematographer Zbigniew Rybczyński: Soup (8 minutes 38 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono with text in Polish and removable English subtitles) and Oh! I Can’t Stop! (10 minutes 10 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono with text in Polish and removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 24-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Dancing Hawk: Grzegorz Królikiewicz’s Plebeian and Multidimensional Citizen Kane written by Piotr Kletowski, and information about the transfer.

Soup: “A colorful experimental portrait of the maddening rituals and hypnotic routines of married life." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Oh! I Can’t Stop!: “This surreal and comedic short film is shot from the point of view of an unseen monster/camera who runs through everything and everyone at increased speeds." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Summary:

A poor country boy loses sight of who he was as he climbs the social ladder and is put in charge of a factory.

The Dancing Hawk, like Grzegorz Królikiewicz’s other films, revolves around a marginalized protagonist. Although many of his contemporaries were making adventurous cinema that thinks outside of the box, Grzegorz Królikiewicz’s films never fall into conventional cinema, making his films difficult to digest. His filmmaking style features unconventional framing with odd angles, and his use of sound can be quite jarring.

Although The Dancing Hawk was adapted from Julian Kawalec's novel of the same name, it is also a film that was influenced by Citizen Kane, a film the director greatly admired. A clear nod to Citizen Kane is the use of newsreel footage featuring its protagonist. The narrative follows the life of Michal Toporny, starting at his birth and culminating in his return to his birthplace. By the time he faces his moment of truth, Michal has undergone significant transformation, severing his ties to his humble origins.

Franciszek Trzeciak is cast in the role of Michal Toporny; he’s a frequent collaborator of Grzegorz Królikiewicz, having portrayed the protagonist in Through and Through. His performance bears most of the weight, with the rest of the cast merely being background characters that further Michal Toporny’s story. That said, the performances might put off anyone expecting anything that resembles conventional acting.

Visuals play a significant role in The Dancing Hawk, a film that often goes for long stretches without any spoken dialogue. Throughout, there are many striking moments visually, notably when it comes to violence and carnage. Rather than depicting the events directly, the film relies heavily on sound to convey the impact, only revealing the aftermath of these moments. Ultimately, The Dancing Hawk is a cautionary film about the pursuit of success and the negatives associated with it.

The Dancing Hawk gets an excellent release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, two short films, and a pair of insightful extras; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

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