Ashes and Diamonds

"Touched with the fire and rebellion of a new generation of Polish film makers"

1958 1h 43m PL

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 291

DramaWarRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young academy soldier, Maciek Chelmicki, is ordered to shoot the secretary of the KW PPR. A coincidence causes him to kill someone else. Meeting face to face with his victim, he gets a shock. He faces the necessity of repeating the assassination. He meets Krystyna, a girl working as a barmaid in the restaurant of the "Monopol" hotel. His affection for her makes him even more aware of the senselessness of killing at the end of the war. Loyalty to the oath he took, and thus the obligation to obey the order, tips the scales.

“Touched with the fire and rebellion of a new generation of Polish film makers”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Zbigniew Cybulski
Maciek Chełmicki
Ewa Krzyżewska
Krystyna Rozbicka
Wacław Zastrzeżynski
Szczuka
Adam Pawlikowski
Andrzej Kossecki
Bogumił Kobiela
Drewnowski
Jan Ciecierski
Porter
Stanisław Milski
Pieniążek
Artur Młodnicki
Kotowicz

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrzej Wajda
Writers: Jerzy Andrzejewski, Andrzej Wajda
Languages: Polish
Countries: Poland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrzej Wajda, shot by Jerzy Wójcik. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Halina Nawrocka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Zbigniew Cybulski and Ewa Krzyżewska and Wacław Zastrzeżynski carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Touched with the fire and rebellion of a new generation of Polish film makers".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0052080 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrzej Wajda directs. Jerzy Wójcik behind the camera. Halina Nawrocka cuts. Produced in Poland. Dialogue in Polish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

168 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Andrzej Wajda, shot by Jerzy Wójcik. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Halina Nawrocka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Zbigniew Cybulski and Ewa Krzyżewska and Wacław Zastrzeżynski carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "Touched with the fire and rebellion of a new generation of Polish film makers".
6IMDB entry: tt0052080 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Released under 26 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jerzy Wójcik
Editing: Halina Nawrocka
Production design: Roman Mann
Costume design: Katarzyna Chodorowicz
Makeup / hair: Halina Sieńska
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: PL
IMDB: Ashes and Diamonds (1958)

Also by

Andrzej Wajda

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2022-07-09
★ 8/10
There are so many great things about how this movie is made - the directing, the shots, the tonal quality, and the pacing. Probably most brilliant of all is how the total makes the viewer feel claustophobic. I admit, though, it's a tad dated.
badelf2022-07-09
★ 8/10
There are so many great things about how this movie is made - the directing, the shots, the tonal quality, and the pacing. Probably most brilliant of all is how the total makes the viewer feel claustrophobic. I admit, though, it's a tad dated.
CinemaSerf2024-08-17
★ 7/10
You might have thought that on May 8th, 1945 the population of Poland would have been united in celebrating the defeat of their Nazi invaders. Instead, though, this film quite deftly illustrates a mixture of joy and trepidation as those who had fought together to free their country now found themselves on opposite sides of a new societal order that was going to pit the freedom-loving Poles on one side with those more Soviet-minded Communists on the other. This polarity is epitomised by "Maciek" (Zbigniew Cybulski) and "Andrzej" (Adam Pawlikowski) who are charged with getting shot - literally - of the communist leader and new minister "Szczuka" (Waclaw Zastrzezynski). They manage to screw their assassination attempt up, though, and innocent people are killed - not the first who die as the infighting between the hitherto allies becomes more violent and potent, with even the strongest of family loyalties severely tested. There's still time for a little romance as "Maciek" takes a shine to "Krystyna" (Ewa Krzyzewska) and as that burgeons, he yearns for a peaceable life in which to live, work and bring up a family. Thing is, can he just stop caring about the politics and settle, or is it too ingrained in him and by staying, might he actually be endangering that which he has come to love? This is one of the more poignant “winning the peace" kind of post WWII stories, with the characterisations ripe with contradictions and challenges, and the director (Andrzej Wajda) also taking a broader look at the remnants of Polish society as a whole from which rebuilding is not going to be easy. This previously devout nation is much less though. The people are weary, depressed and all too ready to sink their sorrows and ambitions in a large glass of vodka. On that last point, there's space for a little bitter humour and that largely comes thanks to an on-form Stanislaw Milski and his professorial-looking "Pieniazek" and we have some devious jostling for position and privilege in the new order to engage us too. The grimness of their situation is well captured by the stylish, almost eerie at times, photography that prevails throughout this authentic looking drama. History tells us what did happen, indeed what was already happening when this was made in 1958 - and that makes this junction box of political and personal choices all the more compelling to watch. It's essentially about people and ideals, and is well worth a look at.