A Generation (1955, Andrzej Wajda) (Patreon)

65/100

Been 14 years since I saw Ashes and Diamonds and a whopping 27 years since I saw Kanal (which I’ll soon revisit), so don’t expect much in the way of loose-trilogy contextualization. Which shouldn’t be an issue, since (a) A Generation came first—indeed, it was Wajda’s feature debut, at the tender age of 27—hence was originally assessed on its own merit, and (b) its connection to the other two seems mighty superficial, assuming that my ancient memories can be trusted. Although set during the Nazi occupation, its portrait of the Polish underground arguably owes more to Marxism than to patriotism, or even to human decency; Stach gets recruited when a mentor lays out exactly how his furniture-making labor is being exploited (by fellow Poles), and the group’s rhetoric generally foregrounds workers’ equality, with defeating the Germans merely a prerequisite for same. Wajda’s viewpoint on this subject would evolve over time (to put it mildly), but it’s still possible to roll with the idealism his generation then felt, especially as it gets increasingly tempered by loss. A few terrific setpieces (most notably Jasio’s last stand) compensate for Stach and Dorota’s underdeveloped romance; Wajda hasn’t yet really begun exercising his formal muscles, but he does skillfully execute some tried-and-true flourishes, e.g. lending visual interest to Dorota’s lengthy rallying cry by following a cigarette as it’s passed around the circle of prospective chain-losers who are half-listening to her (as we are). Kanal and Ashes are unquestionably more ambitious and accomplished, but I find this one’s ardent modesty appealing. Biggest mistake was not having Polanski's (sorry, Polański's) weaselly-looking character revealed as a traitor, or at the very least suspected to be one.