During the last day of World War II, Polish freedom fighters attempt to assassinate the incoming Communist leader. Are they heroes? Villains? That there is confusion at all is due to the mastery that is Andrzej Wajda, who directed this in 1958, while the country was under strict communist control. It's a tight, taunt thriller that is ultimately shocking as well as tender. This black and white gem has more than its share of gray, and it's all expertly handled.
The dude there in the sunglasses is Zbigniew Cybulski (Henry tried to tell me how to pronounce his name like 11 times, to no avail). He is known as the Polish James Dean, probably because folks like me couldn't pronouce his real name, but mostly due to his rebellious, nearly manic performance in this film. Apparently, sunglasses sales in Poland skyrocketed after the release of Ashes and Diamonds. With good reason; Polish James Dean has style for days.
This is one of Martin Scorsese's favorite films, and it's easy to see why. First of all, it's gorgeous. The black and white seamlessly shifts from stark to romantic, often within the same scene and ably aided by the clouds of cigerette smoke. Second of all, the acting is brilliant. mostly done in eye shifts and head nods and soft inflections and sighs, but then things explode. And Lordie, do they ever explode. Like machine guns in church explode. Last of all, there is an aching love for film-making that courses under it all like a heartbeat; it sounds in every camera angle and through the gentle but relentless score and within the expert lighting that seems to caress more than illuminate. It's Scorsese before there was Scorsese. Or perhaps it's why there's Scorsese.
Ashes and Diamonds refers to the pressure, and loss, that is required to create diamonds. No ash here, this film is certainly a diamond.
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