#284: WAJDA, Andrzej: Kanal (1957)

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ANDRZEJ WAJDA: THREE WAR FILMS {Spine #282}

WAJDA, Andrzej (Poland)
Kanal [1957]
Spine #284
DVD


"Watch them closely, for these are the last hours of their lives," announces a narrator, foretelling the tragedy that unfolds as a war-ravaged company of Home Army resistance fighters tries to escape the Nazi onslaught through the sewers of Warsaw. Determined to survive, the men and women slog through the hellish labyrinth, piercing the darkness with the strength of their individual spirits. Based on true events, Kanal was the first film ever made about the Warsaw Uprising and brought director Andrzej Wajda to the attention of international audiences, earning the special Jury Prize in Cannes in 1957.

96 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
in Polish
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2005
Director/Writers


Based on the short story Kanal by Jerzy Stefan Stawinski.
Screenplay by Stawinski.
Andrzej Wajda was 31 when he directed Kanal.

Other Wajda films in the Collection:

#283: A Generation (1955)
#285: Ashes And Diamonds (1958)
#464: Danton (1983)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Sixteen-page booklet featuring an essay by John Simon.

Commentary

None.

Andrzej Wajda: On Kanal

A 27-minute exclusive new interview with the director, assistant director Janusz Morgenstern, and film critic Jerzy Plazewski.
Jan Nowak-Jezioranski: Courier from Warsaw

A 28-minute interview by Wajda of a Warsaw Uprising insider.
Rare behind-the-scenes

Production photos, publicity stills, and posters
Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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