Armin Callo I loved this film classic, and after seeing it, I can understand why both Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola were so influenced by it. It is remarkably shot. The following scenes will stay within my cinematic consciousness for a long while: (a) the church scene with the upside-down Christ; (b) the Communist official's assassination scene with the fireworks; (c) the long, reflective bar table with the lit shot glasses; (d) the hotel staircase scene immediately preceding the assassination with the myriad of graphic patterns across the screen on the walls, the floor, etc.; (e) the drunk man's "crowd attack" with the fire extinguisher at the banquet table; (f) the ending dance/dirge at daybreak. The cinematography really reminded me of the work of Gregg Toland in CITIZEN KANE. In fact, as in KANE, almost all of ASHES & DIAMONDS' interior scenes were shot with the camera very low, or even under the floorboards, where the ceilings were always visible. The cinematography was fantastic!I liked the narrative structure also; however, I can understand one's confusion given the complex WWII political structure of Poland, the Communist, the Germans, etc. But, subtracting the political undertones of the narrative, I found that the film raised compelling issues of courage, conscience, heritage, and pride. Loved the fact that the main character -- deemed "the James Dean of Poland" -- after falling in love with the barmaid now wants to chance his mind and abandon the Polish Resistance. Only he can't because of his pride, his conscience, his colleague's challenge, or his fate.Loved the film's use of symbols and images: (a) the cross and Christ figures; (b) heat, and flames, and fire, all components of ashes and diamonds; (c) flowers and violets, from the small girl at the start offering the violets to the icon/altar above the church door at the start to the violets of the Barmaid and even violets eventually thrown in the trash; (d) the main character's dark glasses which symbolize his obscured vision, or that of the Polish Resistance or the Communists?Love the musical score. It was grand and operatic, and can be easily seen in Martin Scorsese's and Francis Ford Coppola's works.Loved the acting. The chemistry between the two leads was extremely believable. The rest of the cast was excellent as well.Score Grid --Script/Story: 4Cinematography/Visual Effect: 4+Editing: 3.5Sound/Musical Score: 4Production Design: 4+Acting/Performance: 4How good was the film objectively? Strong & Weak Points –See my comments above. Weakest point of the film was the editing. Could be cut sharper, cleaner.Worst, of course, was the quality of the print at the Festival. Shameful for such a b/w classic at a major festival venue.Recommend the film? Absolutely. Required for any lover of film and film history for the reasons noted above.

Boba_Fett1138 This is a movie that becomes mostly great due to its fine directing approach. The movie at times picks an artistic approach but without disconnecting itself ever from its viewers.It's really the way how this movie looks that made this an interesting and good watch for me. It features some beautiful black & white cinematography and it has some some really strong and unforgettable images in it.The story in itself is being kept deliberately small and simple. The movie very rarely dwells, which is a good thing but it at the same time also prevents this movie from making a truly lasting impression with a good or powerful story. In my opinion the movie was lacking this, which prevented me from truly regarding this movie as a perfect movie, or a must-see classic, even though it is generally being regarded as perhaps the best and most definitive Polish movie ever made.Neverhteless, the characters all do work out well, due to the movie its story and overall approach. It was also truly a pleasure to watch Zbigniew Cybulski act, who is known as the Polish James Dean. He was truly great and really solely carried the movie, for most part.Due to the fact that the movie is being kept simple and small, there is also very little to indicate in this movie that it's actually one being set during WW II. Don't know whether this was done intentionally or not but anyway, I liked that about this movie. It's a war movie without the war and everything that goes along with that and basically all that ever indicates that there is war going on is shown by the presence of a few soldiers.A solid but above all things beautifully directed movie, by Andrzej Wajda.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

G K At the close of World War II, a Polish partisan who fought in the Resistance feels ambivalent about a new assignment: to assassinate a Communist Party boss considered too sympathetic to the Soviet Union.A dazzling performance by the charismatic Zbigniew Cybulski, who was briefly hailed as Europe's new James Dean, in a work that blends noir elements with the texture of a war film. Haunting, moving, and suffused with the fatigue felt by a man who suffered through a long gruelling conflict. Ashes And Diamonds completed director Andrzej Wajda's war films trilogy, following A Generation (1954) and Kanal (1956).The title comes from a 19th Century poem by Cyprian Norwid and references the manner in which diamonds are formed from heat and pressure acting upon coal.

denis888 This is not the film about "bad communists" and "good patriots". No, in this movie Wajda shows a deep tragedy of a Polish society split after the WWII. Some people like Szczuka are on the Soviet Side, some support anti-Russian guerrillas, but no one here is good or bad. The main hero, Maciek, is supposed to shoot that Communist activist Szczupak, but first he kills two innocent people by mistake, then he falls in love with a bar maid, then he finally kills his enemy, but gets killed too, and so - what is the outcome of his brutal killings? No result - many people are dead, no one is happy, the country is ruined and split, and the new ( and a very abominable elite) is drinking most disgustingly and dancing to a falsely played Polonez. The people who really awake disgust are those sly, heartless leaders of the country, not the sincere Szczupak or even cruel but unhappy Maciek. This is a deep, thoughtful film for all who do not hold on to stereotypes.