Wajda’s War Trilogy –
Kanal, A Generation, Ashes & Diamonds (Umbrella Entertainment/Region Four/4/PAL DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B-
Films:
A Generation B
Kanal B+
Ashes & Diamonds A-
PLEASE
NOTE: This
DVD can only be operated on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can
handle Region 4 PAL format software and can be ordered from our friends at
Umbrella Entertainment at the website address provided at the end of the
review.
The
Criterion Collection has been dedicated for years to bringing the best films
from around the world to home video, first with VHS, then the 12” Laserdisc,
onto DVD, and now Blu-ray. It would seem
that in the Region 4 part of the world that Umbrella Entertainment has certain
rights to many of the same films, in this case Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda’s
War Trilogy, which was issued by Criterion a few years ago on DVD, the set
includes A Generation (1955), Kanal (1957) and Ashes & Diamonds (1958).
Despite
the fact that there are still wars being fought globally today, there is
something interesting to be said that it’s been well over 50 years since a war
took place that shook the world, WWII certainly had impact all throughout
Europe, and some of the best films have come out of that painful process of not
only war, but rebuilding afterwards.
Here we have a set of three films that examine war and more specifically
the Polish resistance to Nazi and Russian occupation during WWII.
A Generation (1955) is Wajda’s first feature
film made when he was just under 30 years old and begins the trilogy with a
film that involves a young teen living near Warsaw who joins up with the
underground in an attempt to thwart the super powers. The film is highly memorable for its style and
ability to capture the gritty nature of war, yet showcases some brilliant
emotional moments as well through reflective periods and it is evident that
Wajda’s talents were in full gear even in his first film.
Riding
off that momentum created by the first film, Wajda returned with Kanal in 1957 as a film that now deals
with Warsaw and the “uprising” as they must deal with a tighter grip put on by
the occupation and life goes underground into the sewers, the film even won the
Special Jury Prize at the Cannes film festival.
Finally
Wajda pulls all the strings together for his final movement of the trilogy with
Ashes & Diamonds, which is the
most brutal and masterful of the three films, it is here that we have a
director on the verge of greatness weaving together a compelling story of one
resistant fighter who becomes an anti-communist assassin at the end of the war,
but rather than just focus on this, Wajda also brings together a love story as
well and shows the ugly and yet beautiful parts of life during and even after
war.
For those
with an all region player these sets and single titles are a great way to save
yourself some money from the hefty Criterion price tag, especially if you are
waiting for the catalog to finally transfer to Blu-ray, but want something in
the interim time.
All three
films are presented here in their original black and white full-frame aspect
ratio and are in the PAL format, which means that they look a bit sharper in
comparison to the Criterion prints on their DVD set, but the tradeoff is an
image that needs more restoration, does not have the excellent contrast and
brightness that the Criterion discs boast, and overall the Criterions still
look wonderful, these seem to be a generation behind in terms of overall
quality. The 2.0 Dolby Digital
soundtrack is in poor shape as well, all three films are in need of restoration
here as well, the Criterions fare a bit better, most will be reading subtitles
anyway, but the soundtrack feels worn altogether. There is a 40-minute interview with Wajda
included as well, this set is valuable, but with Blu-ray arriving faster and
faster and less people having all-region players, it would seem that this is a
must have for hardcore fans without the budget for the Criterion set.
As noted
above, you can order this PAL DVD import exclusively from Umbrella at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
- Nate Goss
