Synopsis

September 1944. The resistance of the Polish Home Army against the Nazi occupants is on the verge of collapse, especially as the anticipated help by the Soviet Red Army fails to appear. The leader of the resistance fighters, Zadra, and his men have to beat a retreat. Their path leads them into the canal system beneath the city. The fear of being shot by the Germans or of suffocating underground is even more pronounced when they get lost in the canal. Against this very menacing background and building on the horrible historical base in the style of Italian neorealism, Andrzej Wajda displays his characters’ stories where hope remains the central element for their will to survive, until the bitter end. In some places, the renowned anti-war drama appears to be almost a documentary which renders it highly genuine. The heroes’ character-revealing names are a charming feature of the film: Kula means “the bullet”; Mądry means “the wise one”; and Smukły means “the skinny one”. The film is based on a short story by eyewitness Jerzy Stawinski who also wrote the script for the movie, which is the second part of a war film trilogy. Awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1957, this film captures the tragic, moving and shocking aspects of the war.