ASHES AND DIAMONDS (Popiól i Diament) (1958) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Andrzej Wajda

Written by - Jerzy Andrzejeski, Andzej Wajda

Starring - Zbigniew Cybulski, Waclaw Zastrzezynski, Adam Pawlikowski

"Ashes and Diamonds by Andrzej Wajda can easily be considered as a great masterpiece of Polish cinema, very human, deep and even suspenseful, and fruit of an exciting time of experimentation in the country's cinematic timeline, which culminated in the Polish New Wave. 

Here, the story follows a gunman of the Polish underground who must kill a secretary of the Communist Party in the immadiate, war torn and scarfaced Warsaw of the immediate post Second World War period. However, a fling with a barmaid turns into something important and even makes him question his life and his cause. 

Wajda is not afraid to make some grave reflections, and even ponders upon the politucal ethos that dominated his country of Poland at the time. 

Ashes and Diamonds is also quite daring with its many references to American culture - Zbigniew Cybulski has the charisma of an Eastern European James Dean, and his sunglasses wearing character is nothing short of iconic in arthouse cinema. However, the film also has great added weight through its sympathetic realist outlook on society, war, ideologies and even their impact on love, youth and dreams."

Thriller, Poland