Poland produced some of the most influential directors of the twentieth century. Figures like Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieslowski and Roman Polanski went on to gain enviable reputations internationally, but many of their early films were set in the Polish capital, Warsaw. With its atmospheric streets and troubled past, the city itself plays an important role in Polish cinema, serving as a strong symbol of resistance, destruction and suffering.

It was the 1950s that marked the beginning of something special in Polish cinema. Polish society was struggling with the legacy of World War II and the horrific experience of occupation. The war years left an indelible mark on the city of Warsaw. Remembrance of acts of heroism and resistance, particularly those which took place during the Warsaw Uprising, have inspired artists and film makers since the war and continue to define the city today.

The father of Polish cinema, Andrzej Wajda is one man who focused on this period of life in Warsaw. Wajda’s father was murdered by the Soviet army in 1940, but it was the experience, hopes and ideas of a group of teenagers growing up in Warsaw that he chose to focus on in his wartime trilogy, the first feature films to bring him major critical acclaim.

Wajda's 'Kanal'

The first film in the series, A Generation (Pokolenie) is set in Wola, a working class district in the North of the city. Following minor acts of theft and vandalism, the young protaganists becomes involved in more organised forms of resistance. The film is also notable for the appearance of a young Roman Polanski.

A Generation was followed by The Sewer (Kanal), a grim look at the lives and survival prospects of resistance fighters trying to escape from districts of Warsaw, which had fallen under Nazi control via the city’s extensive sewerage system. Capturing the brutality and fear which defined this period in the city, where many fighters were inexperienced and idealistic teenagers, the film is a must for anyone who, walking the streets of Warsaw questions the city’s refusal to forget those who gave their lives in hopeless defence of the city. The fact that the script was written by Jerzy Stefan Stawinski, himself a resistance fighter during the uprising who escaped through the sewers, adds to the film’s menacing appeal.

Ashes and Diamonds

The final film in the series, Ashes and Diamonds (Popiol i Diament) continued Wajda’s examination of the fate and ideals of those living in occupied Poland. Set in a small Polish town on the day Nazi Germany surrendered, characters reminisce about the Warsaw Uprising and the city before the War. As the unity of the resistance movement collapses, the characters face difficult ideological decisions, attempting to reconcile decisive political action with more personal concerns.

By the time Krzystof Kieslowski began making films, Warsaw was dealing with very different circumstances. His ten-part film cycle the Decalogue (Dekalog) filmed in the late 1980s shows a greyer view of the capital and one more in line with stereotypes of the city as a grim Communist outpost. Loosely based on the Ten Commandments, the films deal with the morality and daily life played out around a residential tower block in 1980s Warsaw. The format lends itself well to depicting daily life at the end of the Communist period, but if sitting through all ten of the one hour films doesn’t appeal, two were made into longer stand-alone feature films, A Short Film About Killing and A Short Film About Love.

Adrien Brody in Polanski's The Pianist

The most internationally successful film recently set in Warsaw is Roman Polanski’s The Pianist. Starring Adrien Brody, the film charts a Jewish pianist, Wladyslaw Szpilman’s, struggle for survival during World War II. Escaping the train to a death camp, he deals with the loss of his family, hiding in an increasingly destroyed city. Helped and hindered by Polish people along the way the film portrays his experience of isolation and grief. Based on memoirs, written by the pianist himself, the Warsaw ghetto, now a sprawling commercial area including the central business district, is recreated. If you want to follow further in the pianist’s footsteps, the old Polish Radio building, where he performed in the Mokotow district of the city is still standing.

For a more contemporary look at the city, Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) is worth a watch. Filmed in 2006, it is set on one of the city’s more picturesque squares, normally full of people drinking coffee or enjoying a quiet beer. The film shows a darker side to the area, charting the difficult relationships between a man, his wife and his mother who live together in a flat on the square. Covering social problems such as poverty, domestic violence and loneliness, the film provides a good insight into the daily lives of less fortunate Poles struggling to make a go of it in the capital today.

The Pianist, originally produced in English is widely available at DVD stockists. The other films are available with English subtitles and can be purchase either via Amazon or specialist language media outlets, such as Grant and Cutler.

Poland produced some of the most influential directors of the twentieth century. Figures like Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieslowski and Roman Polanski went on to gain enviable reputations internationally, but many of their early films were set in the Polish capital, Warsaw. With its atmospheric streets and troubled past, the city itself plays an important role in Polish cinema, serving as a strong symbol of resistance, destruction and suffering.

It was the 1950s that marked the beginning of something special in Polish cinema. Polish society was struggling with the legacy of World War II and the horrific experience of occupation. The war years left an indelible mark on the city of Warsaw. Remembrance of acts of heroism and resistance, particularly those which took place during the Warsaw Uprising, have inspired artists and film makers since the war and continue to define the city today.

The father of Polish cinema, Andrzej Wajda is one man who focused on this period of life in Warsaw. Wajda’s father was murdered by the Soviet army in 1940, but it was the experience, hopes and ideas of a group of teenagers growing up in Warsaw that he chose to focus on in his wartime trilogy, the first feature films to bring him major critical acclaim.

Wajda's 'Kanal'

The first film in the series, A Generation (Pokolenie) is set in Wola, a working class district in the North of the city. Following minor acts of theft and vandalism, the young protaganists becomes involved in more organised forms of resistance. The film is also notable for the appearance of a young Roman Polanski.

A Generation was followed by The Sewer (Kanal), a grim look at the lives and survival prospects of resistance fighters trying to escape from districts of Warsaw, which had fallen under Nazi control via the city’s extensive sewerage system. Capturing the brutality and fear which defined this period in the city, where many fighters were inexperienced and idealistic teenagers, the film is a must for anyone who, walking the streets of Warsaw questions the city’s refusal to forget those who gave their lives in hopeless defence of the city. The fact that the script was written by Jerzy Stefan Stawinski, himself a resistance fighter during the uprising who escaped through the sewers, adds to the film’s menacing appeal.

Ashes and Diamonds

The final film in the series, Ashes and Diamonds (Popiol i Diament) continued Wajda’s examination of the fate and ideals of those living in occupied Poland. Set in a small Polish town on the day Nazi Germany surrendered, characters reminisce about the Warsaw Uprising and the city before the War. As the unity of the resistance movement collapses, the characters face difficult ideological decisions, attempting to reconcile decisive political action with more personal concerns.

By the time Krzystof Kieslowski began making films, Warsaw was dealing with very different circumstances. His ten-part film cycle the Decalogue (Dekalog) filmed in the late 1980s shows a greyer view of the capital and one more in line with stereotypes of the city as a grim Communist outpost. Loosely based on the Ten Commandments, the films deal with the morality and daily life played out around a residential tower block in 1980s Warsaw. The format lends itself well to depicting daily life at the end of the Communist period, but if sitting through all ten of the one hour films doesn’t appeal, two were made into longer stand-alone feature films, A Short Film About Killing and A Short Film About Love.

Adrien Brody in Polanski's The Pianist

The most internationally successful film recently set in Warsaw is Roman Polanski’s The Pianist. Starring Adrien Brody, the film charts a Jewish pianist, Wladyslaw Szpilman’s, struggle for survival during World War II. Escaping the train to a death camp, he deals with the loss of his family, hiding in an increasingly destroyed city. Helped and hindered by Polish people along the way the film portrays his experience of isolation and grief. Based on memoirs, written by the pianist himself, the Warsaw ghetto, now a sprawling commercial area including the central business district, is recreated. If you want to follow further in the pianist’s footsteps, the old Polish Radio building, where he performed in the Mokotow district of the city is still standing.

For a more contemporary look at the city, Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) is worth a watch. Filmed in 2006, it is set on one of the city’s more picturesque squares, normally full of people drinking coffee or enjoying a quiet beer. The film shows a darker side to the area, charting the difficult relationships between a man, his wife and his mother who live together in a flat on the square. Covering social problems such as poverty, domestic violence and loneliness, the film provides a good insight into the daily lives of less fortunate Poles struggling to make a go of it in the capital today.

The Pianist, originally produced in English is widely available at DVD stockists. The other films are available with English subtitles and can be purchase either via Amazon or specialist language media outlets, such as Grant and Cutler.