Ashes and Diamonds

Popiół i diament

Poland, 1958

Drama

Synopsis

On the last day of World War II, Polish exiles and the occupying Soviet forces confront each other over the future of the country. In this tense environment, we find a young Polish soldier named Maciek, who has been ordered to assassinate the new Soviet-friendly commissar…

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Ashes and Diamonds Directed by Andrzej Wajda

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Awards & Festivals

Venice Film Festival

1959 | Winner: FIPRESCI Prize

Berlin International Film Festival

1990

São Paulo International Film Festival

2016

BAFTA Awards

1960 | 2 nominations including: Best Film from any Source

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Cast & Crew

Articles from the Notebook

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Critics reviews

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Self-Styled Siren

In many ways a gangster film, with Poland’s future on the line instead of loot. Zbigniew Cybulski as Maciek, the cynical assassin, is so fiercely present he drags the movie out of its ostensible setting and even the time period in which it was made.

Farran Smith Nehme

December 28, 2018

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The Chicago...

The casting of Cybulski was the single most subversive thing Wajda did in “Ashes and Diamonds”, since it completely shifted the audience’s sympathy towards the figure of what the authorities perceived as an ideological foe. Maciek’s cause was as unacceptable for the communist party in 1958 as it was at any given moment in the history of the regime, which is the reason his character needed to die at the end.

Michał Oleszczyk

October 13, 2012

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Cybulski speaks for a new, younger disaffected generation, reassessing its past and uncertain of its future. In this complex and beautiful film, Wajda finds a way to lucidly express confusion and capture the soul of a people constantly trapped by the forces of history.

Rahul Hamid

April 20, 2008

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What are people saying?

Daniela's rating of the film Ashes and Diamonds
Daniela

My first Polish film! The "I'm a poet-loving rebel who doesn't know if I know what I'm fighting for anymore" scenario is too trite for my taste (esp. for WWII movies) but oh my goodness, what cinematography! And those bad ass specs!
December 15, 2014 19:32
- 0
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Dave's rating of the film Ashes and Diamonds
Dave

Looks incredible, but I feel like I might need to revisit it to make a final decision on my feelings about it.
January 01, 2011 21:28
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dionysus67's rating of the film Ashes and Diamonds
dionysus67

Featuring riveting shots (e.g. the close-ups in the phone booth) and some unforgettable scenes, Wajda's completion of his war trilogy is iconic, depicting the inverted world that dawned in post-war Poland. Like Christ's surreally 'pierced' statue, a compelling Cybulski carries the theological subtext into a totally unheroic climax punctuated by some exceedingly beautiful scenes of ambush and execution. Stunning!
January 24, 2019 19:05
- 3
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Nolan Barth's rating of the film Ashes and Diamonds
Nolan Barth

Ashes and Diamonds is a nihilistic masterpiece. It is full of stunning black and white photography. The real MVP of this film was the James Dean esque performance from Zbigniew Cybulski. I originally watched this film because I heard it was one of Scorsese's favorites and you can really see how influential it was on his work. I can't wait to check out more of Wajda's work!
January 24, 2019 18:37
- 4
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Caillouquiroule's rating of the film Ashes and Diamonds
Caillouquiroule

Un très beau film complexe, évitant tout manichéisme, et quasi choral, brossant le portrait d'une époque, résumée à une journée pivot pour un pays et pour le monde. La mise en scène est excellente, de même que l'interprétation.
March 01, 2016 22:04
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Philippe MK's rating of the film Ashes and Diamonds
Philippe MK

Une tragédie grecque à l'ancienne : un drame qui se joue en 24h, avec des relations amoureuses et familiales qui viennent fracasser la grande histoire. Le tout se déroulant en Pologne le 8 mai 1945. Un très beau film, à voir. Et se laisser bercer par la si belle langue polonaise !
January 24, 2019 18:19
- 2
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ikkini's rating of the film Ashes and Diamonds
ikkini

si l'intrigue n'est pas évidente à saisir au début, cette plongée dans la Pologne de la libération et surtout le parcours de ce Nationaliste qui voudrait tout abandonner par amour finit par capter le spectateur tant la galerie de portraits sans manichéisme nous fascine.
January 24, 2019 18:17
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ADZERTY's rating of the film Ashes and Diamonds
ADZERTY

Quelle puissance tragique ! Un film culte ! Wajda sert admirablement la cause de la Pologne : on se demande comment un tel appel à l'insurrection a pu échapper à la censure dans un pays étouffé sous la tutelle soviétique !
January 24, 2019 18:17
- 3
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