Updates, Live: Ashes and Diamonds

Beyond their noble patriotic commitment, the movies of Andrzej Wajda are tragic meditations about history: past times are just ashes, they never come back, they remain unknown despite our best attempts. Anything we are trying will eventually become ashes, there is no sense you can preserve. And actually the patriotic vein in his movies is his fight to resurrect the history, to demonstrate that what our forerunners did was not senseless, to demonstrate that we can reconstruct the memories. It is a harsh fight against the present; only the present is now, and it has other concerns, other interests... and the past remains just ashes. Ashes where diamonds are sparkling here and there: Maciek from Popiól i Diament (Ashes and Diamonds), rendered by Zbigniew Cybulski, he is a diamond sparkling in the ashes, the guy who fought the Nazis in Warsaw's insurrection; what remained were his darkened glasses, the partisans had been running through the underground tunnels and the Germans had been using gas to make them come out; his black glasses and his mug, to pour vodka and to burn it, to re-memorate his killed comrades; now the remaining of the partisan army is gathering in restrooms to plan the killing of the new masters, the Communists.

It was one of the greatest movies I've seen ever. I read later the book of Jerzy Andrzejewski; it was much more cautious, balancing Anti-Communist partisans and Communists; the movie gave up much of the caution, and Maciek was no more a tragic hero not understanding the present; he was a tragic hero, fighting to demonstrate that past was not senseless. And he remained for ever Zbig Cybulski, and Zbig remained for ever Maciek.

I found the movie on youTube; without subtitles, so probably those who have watched it once, long ago, will try to see Popiól and Diament again. Enjoy!