Ashes and Diamonds
A milestone of Polish cinema, this electrifying international sensation by Andrzej Wajda—the final film in his celebrated war trilogy—entwines the story of one man’s moral crisis with the fate of a nation. In a small Polish town on the final day of World War II, Maciek (the coolly charismatic Zbigniew Cybulski), a fighter in the underground anti-Communist resistance movement, has orders to assassinate an incoming commissar. But when he meets and falls for a young barmaid (Ewa Krzyżewska), he begins to question his commitment to a cause that requires him to risk his life. Ashes and Diamonds’ lustrous monochrome cinematography—wreathed in shadows, smoke, and fog—and spectacularly choreographed set pieces lend a breathtaking visual dynamism to this urgent, incendiary vision of a country at a crossroads in its struggle for self-determination.
Special Features
- On the Blu-ray: New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- On the DVD: restored high-definition digital transfer
- Audio commentary from 2004 featuring film scholar Annette Insdorf
- New video essay by Insdorf on the film’s legacy (Blu-ray only)
- Andrzej Wajda: On “Ashes and Diamonds,” a 2005 program featuring director Andrzej Wajda, second director Janusz Morgenstern, and film critic Jerzy Plazewski
- Archival newsreel footage on the making of the film
- Rare behind-the-scenes production photos, publicity stills, and posters (DVD only)
- New English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by film scholar Paul Coates
New cover illustrated by Danijel Zezelj, with lettering by Jillian Adel
Collector's Sets
Collector's Set
Collector's Set
Special Features
- On the Blu-ray: New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- On the DVD: restored high-definition digital transfer
- Audio commentary from 2004 featuring film scholar Annette Insdorf
- New video essay by Insdorf on the film’s legacy (Blu-ray only)
- Andrzej Wajda: On “Ashes and Diamonds,” a 2005 program featuring director Andrzej Wajda, second director Janusz Morgenstern, and film critic Jerzy Plazewski
- Archival newsreel footage on the making of the film
- Rare behind-the-scenes production photos, publicity stills, and posters (DVD only)
- New English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by film scholar Paul Coates
New cover illustrated by Danijel Zezelj, with lettering by Jillian Adel
Cast
- Zbigniew Cybulski
- Maciek Chelmicki
- Ewa Krzyzewska
- Krystyna
- Waclaw Zastrzezynski
- Szczuka
- Adam Pawlikowski
- Andrzej
- Bogumil Kobiela
- Drewnowski
- Jan Ciecierski
- Porter
- Stanislaw Milski
- Pieniazek
- Artur Mlodnicki
- Kotowicz
- Halina Kwiatkowska
- Mrs. Staniewicz
- Ignacy Machowski
- Major Florian
- Zbigniew Skowronski
- Slomka
- Barbara Krafftowna
- Stefka
- Aleksander Sewruk
- Święcki
- Adolf Chronicki
- Franek
Credits
- Director
- Andrzej Wajda
- Screenplay
- Andrzej Wajda
- Screenplay
- Jerzy Andrzejewski
- Director of photography
- Jerzy Wojcik
- Editing
- Halina Nawrocka
- Based on the novel by
- Jerzy Andrzejewski
- Sound
- Bogdan Bienkowski
- Music conducted by
- Filip Nowak
- Production design
- Roman Mann
- Camera
- Krzsztof Winiewicz
- Camera
- Bogdan Myslinski
- Camera
- Jerzy Szurowski
- Camera
- Zygmunt Krusznicki
- Camera
- Wieslaw Zdort
A scene from Ashes and Diamonds
