Review: Bleak Post-WWII Drama 'Ashes and Diamonds' Shines on Blu-ray Courtesy of Criterion

Smoke billows, booze pours, and bleak post-war reality starts to dig deep in Andrzej Wajda's 1958 WWII drama "Ashes and Diamonds," the final film in Wajda's war trilogy. The film successfully elides the moral quandary of one man and the fate of a nation, creating a sort of dialogue between a human with a soul and a city that may as well have one. Bolstered by a monochrome look, and with incredible set pieces that burst with dynamism, this is a foreign film gem worth discovering.

The Criterion Collection brings "Ashes and Diamonds" to Blu-ray with a new 1080p presentation sourced from a 4K digital restoration of the film. This new edition is far superior to any other Blu-ray releases in foreign territories, as it doesn't seemed to be marred by smoothing. What's left are deep textures that really show off the black and white cinematography in all its glory. Plus, Criterion has paired the film with a few special features, including a 2005 program about the film with interviews from Wajda and other members of his crew.

The time is May 8th, 1945 – when the war in Europe ended with Germany's surrender. But in Poland, the war has ravaged and uprooted cities to the point of devastation. Small factions of cynical journalists, ambitious Communists, and aristocratic patriots are starting to pop up to assert their dominance. Hell, the anti-Nazi rebels are even coming out of the sewers, now that things are less dangerous. Maciek Chelmicki (Zbigniew Cybulski) is a proud assassin who thinks his assignment to eliminate an incoming commissar is important for all of Poland. But when the job is botched, his mind recedes and dares to dream of a life outside of violence and cruelty. He also falls in love with a barmaid, which further complicates things.

"Ashes and Diamonds" puts Maciek's struggle for self-determination on full display, anchoring it with set pieces filled with people broken by the war, stumbling toward whatever the next destination might be. That aimlessness provides the film with most of its drama, astutely detailing how the post-WWII mood was that of insecurity. But even with a country's fate at stake, everything feels futile in the face of the violence that came before. It's an incredible thing to capture on camera, and Wajda does so with gusto.

As for special features, there's also a new video essay by film scholar Annette Insdorf that traces the influences of "Ashes and Diamonds" as it reverberates through history after release. This is a terrific edition of a film that rightfully deserved restoration. I recommend you pick it up.

Other special features include:

� Audio commentary from 2004 featuring film scholar Annette Insdorf
� Archival newsreel footage on the making of the film
� New English subtitle translation
� PLUS: An essay by film scholar Paul Coates

"Ashes and Diamonds" is now available on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.