Director: Andrzej Wajda
Cast: Teresa Iżewska, Tadeusz Janczar, Wieńczysław Gliński
1957, 91’
The first film of the “Polish Film School”. One of the most acclaimed Polish films at international festivals. An adaptation of Jerzy Stefan Stawinski’s short story. Tragic heroism and the unprecedented suffering of a group of Warsaw Uprising freedom fighters who retreat from their positions and must travel through stinking sewers to assist fellow fighters downtown. The sewers are their only refuge but also a trap. Most of the plot take place underground. Only their faces are lit up by beams of light from above, intensifying the unique atmosphere of the film. The claustrophobic mood is deepened by a plethora of morbid sounds. An expressive film, full of metaphoric images fusing romantic philosophy together with the roots of human heroism.