The War Trilogy: Three Films by Andrzej Wajda (3-Disc Blu-ray Set)

Andrzej Wajda’s renowned War Trilogy first brought Wajda international attention and kickstarted the ‘Polish film school’ movement. These works are powerful and often harrowing accounts of the Polish Resistance movement through World War II and after, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the struggle for personal and national freedom.

The set includes A Generation (Pokolenie, 1955), Kanał (1957), and Ashes and Diamonds (Popiół i diament, 1958). All three celebrated films are presented from stunning new 2K restorations, with A Generation being released for the first time ever on Blu-ray.

A Generation (Pokolenie):

Wajda’s debut feature is a powerful coming-of-age story set amongst the ruins of German-occupied Warsaw. A gang of youths eke out a life of petty crime but are slowly drawn into the Resistance, graduating to a brutal struggle with their Nazi oppressors. Taking inspiration from the Italian neorealist movement, and brilliantly shot by Jerzy Lipman, A Generation changed Polish cinema forever, delivering a devastating portrait of the tragic price of war.

Kanał:

During the last days of the Warsaw Uprising, a ravaged band of resistance fighters retreat into the city sewers to avoid capture by the Nazis. In this pit of darkness, engulfed by filth, they desperately strive to hang onto their lives, their hopes and their sanity. Controversial for undermining a national myth of heroic sacrifice and full of haunting images, Wajda’s second feature is an unforgettable and harrowing depiction of the horrors of war.

Ashes and Diamonds (Popiół i diament):

On the final day of WWII, a young Polish Resistance fighter is ordered to assassinate a Communist official. Once comrades in arms this triggers a moral dilemma, calling into question all that that was fought for. Defined by an electrifying, iconic performance by Zbigniew Cybulski, this depiction of Poland, poised between the horrors of the recent past and an uncertain future, is arguably Wajda’s masterpiece, and a landmark of international cinema.

• A Generation (Pokolenie), Kanał, and Ashes and Diamonds (Popiół i Diament) - each film presented from new 2K restorations.
• Archival interviews with Andrzej Wajda.
• Introductions to each film by Polish cinema expert Michał Oleszczyk
• Audio commentaries on all three films by Michael Brooke.
• Andrzej Wajda's early short films The Bad Boy (Zły chłopiec, 1951), Ceramics from Ilza (Ceramika Ilzecka, 1951) and While You're Sleeping (Kiedy ty śpisz, 1953).
• Individual booklets with new writing on each film by authors and Polish cinema specialists Ewa Mazierska, Tony Rayns and Peter Hames.
• New and improved English subtitle translations.
• World and UK premieres on Blu-ray.
• Region-free Blu-rays (A/B/C).