Popiól i diament

I do not want to kill anymore, I want to live

Andrzej Wajda died on the 9th of October, 2016. Frankly speaking, I have seen only three Wajda films: Danton, Wszystko na sprzedaż and Pokolenie. The first film I have enjoyed very much, the second film I have seen when I was not mature enough and the third one was a disappointment even for the Director himself. After hearing the news of Andrzej Wajda’s death, I have decided to fill this gap in my education.

On the 8^th of May, 1945, the Nazi Germany has surrendered to the Allies and the War in Europe was finished. On the same day, the two soldiers of Armia Krajowa (Maciek and Andrzej) got an order to assassinate the communist Commissar Szczuka. They mistakenly assassinate two factory workers and make their way back to Wroclaw…

Andrzej Wajda was always accused of shallowness. After the release of Człowiek z żelaza, Wajda’s films were banned in the USSR, the French critics considered Danton as a mere allegory of struggle between Lech Wałęsa and Wojciech Jaruzelski; a lot of the Russians considered Andrzej Wajda as a stereotypical Polish Russophobe. Also, in the Socialistic Poland Wajda was accused of neglecting the official ideology, but in the Post-Socialistic Poland Wajda was accused in the lack of patriotism.

Contrary to the popular belief, Andrzej Wajda, as in Bulgakov’s The White Guard (sadly, I have not read the original novel by Jerzy Andrzejewski) have shown the opponents as ordinary people. The Director shot the film about noble, about idealistic, about decadent, about schlep. At first glance, the spectator would think that the main hero (Maciek) is a brainless teddy boy, who kills people for fun.

After watching a little bit more, we discover the tragedy of a 24-year old idealist, the Polytechnic university dropout. Maciek’s life was ruined by the war. After losing his family, Maciek dropped the books, picked up a pistol and lost his human nature. Despite this, on the 8^th of May, when the nobles and the communists are celebrating together. Maciek fell in love with Christine and gained back his human nature. He wants to stop killing, but on the 9^th of May, Maciek is no longer a hero but a cursed soldier, who is ought to be killed.

Commissar Szczuka is depicted as a moral equal to Maciek. A fervent Communist, who started his career since the Spanish Civil War, Commissar Szczuka wants to build in Poland the Socialism with human face. The war took away his son, not in physical, but in ideological way. Right now Szczuka’s son is an enemy of the New Poland and his father is faced with a terrible choice – to stay a Communist or a human being.

The Director thinks, and the history proves his vision, that the future of Poland belongs not to idealistic and noble, but to schlep and careerist. The Director’s viewpoint is illustrated by the character of Drewnowski – opportunist, who tries to be on the both sides. The new ruling class of Poland is not on the battlefield, the new ruling class of Poland is siting and getting drunk in a fancy hotel. And at the same time, the prisons of Poland are filled with new enemies of state, who are only slapped, by this moment.

The 8^th of May will be ended and there will be a new day in Poland and the new war would start. A lot of people would be killed in order to change one dictatorship to another. In the new Poland, there will be no place for Maciek or Commissar Szczuka, their place would be filled by the numerous Drewnowskis. If you quote a poem by Cyprian Norwid (which was quoted in a film), no, the ashes does not hold the glory of a starlike diamond.

Ashes and Diamonds is considered by film critics to be one of the great masterpieces of Polish cinema Such phrases should be treated with skepticism, but this time you could agree with assessment. Popiół i diament is a film, which has not lost its actuality. Watch this film and if you feel something, than Andrzej Wajda has not wasted his life.