Ashes and Diamonds

(Popiół i diament)

Ashes and Diamonds is set on the last day of World War II and the first day of peace. And between them, a night that changes everything. Seen through the eyes of Maciek, a young Polish resistance soldier, the old is rapidly mixing with the new. In a few hours dawn will end the Nazi slavery of the country, but also will bring a new communist regime to Poland. This is not the independence the idealistic young man and his brothers in arms have been fighting and dying for. Should Maciek continue his combat when he wants so badly to live a normal, peaceful life? An iconic portrait of the dilemma of a whole generation in Poland, rooted in the literary tradition of great, tragic dramas of romanticism.

Director: Wajda, Andrzej

Screenplay: Jerzy Andrzejewski, Andrzej Wajda

Cinematography: Jerzy Wójcik

Music: Filip Nowak

Film Editor: Halina Nawrocka

Principal Cast: Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyżewska, Wacław Zastrzeżyński, Adam Pawlikowski, Bogumił Kobiela, Jan Ciecierski, Stanisław Milski, Artur Młodnicki, Halina Kwiatkowska and others

Runtime: 97 minutes

Release Year: 1958

Genre: Drama