Ashes and Diamonds

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Ashes and Diamonds

Released May 29, 1961

1h 43m

Drama

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96%

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26 Reviews

87%

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2,500+ Ratings

It's May 1945, and Nazi Germany has just surrendered. The war is over, but not in Poland. As the German soldiers vacate, the remaining Russian forces and Polish resistance fighters must work out the hierarchies of power in "liberated" Communist Poland. A Polish assassin (Zbigniew Cybulski) is given orders to kill a Russian soldier (Waclaw Zastrzezynsky) whom he, days before, was fighting alongside, and this moral conflict makes him question the goals for which he has been fighting.

Critics Consensus

A stylish thriller flavored with post-war political subtext, Ashes and Diamonds is incendiary intellectual cinema that still delivers genre thrills.

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TIME Magazine

Honest, brutally powerful and often shocking.

Mar 26, 2013

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

Wajda's deeply romantic and personal vision, inspired by both Italian neo-realism and by the more baroque images of Expressionism, makes Ashes and Diamonds a gripping experience.

Mar 26, 2013

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Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

When you watch Ashes And Diamonds, remember, you're not just seeing a film: you're looking at a manifesto that has found a voice and a face and speaks for a whole deceived generation.

Mar 26, 2013

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Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

Wajda makes something out of the literal ashes of Poland for his more somber tale of war compared to his first two films.

Feb 28, 2023

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David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Wajda feels the dilemma of post-war Poland and in Ashes and Diamonds, he advocates for neither the pre-war nobility that ran the country nor the Communist Party who picked up the reins once Germany surrendered.

May 11, 2022

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Ashes and Diamonds employs some striking imagery while relating its richly textured tale of a nation in turmoil.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 28, 2021

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Shioka O

Polish classic. I'm still too young to get into the post-war politics in Poland. This is stylishly filmed, there are great cinematography here and there, particularly I appreciate the very last scene, the moment that the young man run into the laundry hanging outdoor and found his wound and blood, then sink into the waste.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

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Audience Member

Well paced post war noir thriller. Romance, political espionage and ambition get caught in the cross fires. Could swear that's a Polish Gene Wilder thrown in there too. The bar girl is bangin. Just grab her and elope you mug.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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William L

A surprisingly broad range of characters find themselves wrestling with morality, ambition, romance, and purpose on the eve of victory in World War II, colliding in a mix of drama and dark comedy. It's a unique moment of flux, as government order, status, and the motivations that characters had maintained for years come under a state of revision. Its style is surprisingly very close to that of a noir thriller, despite the subject matter and Polish origin not being factors you would typically associate with the style - the crises of conscience, visual composition, inherent violence, and Cybulski's aesthetic are particularly slick. Adding in some thematic heft that would have been rather pointed given the conflicting support between the Polish Home Guard and the de facto ruling Communist government of the period, the film dives into a plot built on self-reflection and hard choices, understanding exactly what it is that motivates a character when conditions are less objective. Wajda creates a film that is pretty fluid when it comes to genre and inspired in its visuals, with a comprehensive range of compelling shots that each could be dissected; yes, sometimes the symbolism is a bit overt (the inverted crucified Jesus is a bit in your face), but the original outweighs the uncreative by far. Stumbling into a yard full of white sheets on clotheslines, revealing pooling blood as you go, that's great stuff. Of all people, Hayao Miyazaki cites this film as a personal favorite. That's not a connection I saw coming. (4/5)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/08/21

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Audience Member

Amo las peliculas de Europa del Este en blanco y negro.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

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Audience Member

Another proof of the exquisit polish filmography out there. Really remarkable photography.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

Reluctant assassin is torn between love and duty in post-War Poland. A film-makers' film, every scene meticulously composed.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

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Andrzej Wajda

Director

Zbigniew Cybulski

Maciek Chelmicki

Ewa Krzyzewska

Krystyna

Waclaw Zastrzezynsky

Szczuka

Adam Pawlikowski

Andrzej

Bogumil Kobiela

Drewnowski

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Synopsis

It's May 1945, and Nazi Germany has just surrendered. The war is over, but not in Poland. As the German soldiers vacate, the remaining Russian forces and Polish resistance fighters must work out the hierarchies of power in "liberated" Communist Poland. A Polish assassin (Zbigniew Cybulski) is given orders to kill a Russian soldier (Waclaw Zastrzezynsky) whom he, days before, was fighting alongside, and this moral conflict makes him question the goals for which he has been fighting.

Director: Andrzej Wajda
Screenwriter: Jerzy Andrzejewski, Andrzej Wajda
Distributor: Criterion Collection, Walter Manley Enterprises Inc, Janus Films
Production Co: Zespół Filmowy "Kadr"
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Polish
Release Date (Theaters): May 29, 1961, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 20, 2017
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Mono

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