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Genre – War Movie (true story)
Time : 2 Hours
Platform: You Tube Free
Language : Polish
Director : Andrzej Wajda
There is a Cold War joke that goes like this
Its 1981 and the Soviets are making threatening noises to invade Poland (like they did with Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968) , unless the Polish government clamps down on Solidarity. A conscript Polish soldier who is visiting his family, on a weekend leave, is asked “they say that like 1939 the Germans will come from the West and the Russians from the East. If this happens, who will you fight first?”
The soldier answers “The Germans”
“Why?”
“Business first. Pleasure later’
It may be a joke but summarizes two points about 20th century Polish history and the historical animosity between Poland and Russia. Poland underwent a cycle of birth, destruction, rebirth, further destruction, and finally achieved independence in 1991. The “joke” also mentions the cynical Nazi-Soviet pact to partition Poland and erase it as both Hitler and Stalin believed that Poland was an artificial entity made up of territories from their respective countries.
The German invasion of Poland, in September 1939, is often said to be the ‘start’ of World War 2 . The simultaneous Russian invasion from the East resulted from the secret agreement between Hitler and Stalin to permanently eliminate Poland. As a result, the Russians gathered various professionals, including Army Officers, Doctors, Engineers, Lecturers, and Teachers, or any other intellectuals who could form a Resistance group. They were all taken far into Russian territory and executed individually, in typical Russian style – a single bullet to the back of the head.
The bodies of these Polish men were dug up by Germans when they invaded Russia and made into a propaganda event as proof of Russian perfidy, so that Western Allies would split from Russia. As the war shifted in Russia’s favor, Russia regained control of the areas and dismissed it as German War Crimes, and tried to wipe out any evidence of the events. The Katyn massacre was a sensitive topic in Polish-Soviet relations and a factor that led the Russians to view the Poles as difficult Allies who favored the West. After 1945, when Russia “occupied” Poland, many Poles settled in The West . Some were fortunate to return after 1990 to a truly independent Poland which has now joined NATO, further complicating Polish-Russian relations.
Even if you do not have this historical background, Katyn the film is an absolutely absorbing watch. The film is directed by Andrzej Wajda who has made similar “World War 2 epics”, while under Soviet oversight and Polish censorship. The films, like the classic Ashes and Diamonds, Man of Marble, Dante, and many more, have a strain of Polish Nationalism and hidden anti-Soviet messages. Since Wajda’s father was killed in the Katyn massacre, the film is both a personal and National look at a historical trauma.
The film starts with a startling image of refugees fleeing the German onslaught from the West , suddenly turning back in panic ,as they see Russians approaching their locations. Soon the Army officers who had hoped to fight with their backs to the Russian frontier have no choice but to surrender to the Russians. The ordinary soldiers ask the officers what will happen who reassures them . The surrendered troops are moved from one place to another . One of the officers keeps a diary and it is this ‘recovered” diary that forms the narrative, ending suddenly in early 1940.
The film jumps back to the post war Poland where one officer who joined the Soviet Army is now finding out from the relatives if anyone had come back. This way the film jumps back and forth between the “present” and the past.
The last scenes are truly horrific and a word of caution here for everyone. If you don’t want to see the non stop execution scenes for the last ten minutes, do skip these disturbing scenes. (I saw it in a film festival in 2007 and felt nauseous enough to rush out and take some deep breaths; perhaps it’s the effect of seeing it on the big screen; a representative image from a screen grab on the left)
Postscript: Once Poland became “independent” of Soviet oversight , Gorbachev acknowledged it had been a severe Soviet mistake and shared the documents with the Polish Martial law administrator Jaruzelski. Putin and his Government at first accepted the massacre but lately have tried to go back to denying it and removing the monuments.
Real History/ Historical Background – 5 out of 5
Script – 5 out of 5
Story – 5 out of 5
Direction – 5 out of 5
Photography – 5 out of 5
Total – 5 out of 5