Kanal (1957)
(Andrzej Wajda, Poland 1957, 91 min., 35mm, Polish w/subtitles)
Wajda. The second installment of Wajda’s “war trilogy” shifts from depicting Polish civilian life under Nazi occupation to the portrayal of brave Home Army resistance fighters as they try to escape the pursuing Germans through the labyrinthine sewers of Warsaw. A claustrophobic study of heroism under immense pressure, Kanal is based on a true event and considered the first film ever made about the Warsaw Uprising. The screening at Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize, also brought Andrzej Wajda international acclaim that he would enjoy for the next sixty years.
Presented in collaboration with the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies, University of Rochester.