BD 61-64 The War Trilogy: Three Films by Andrzej Wajda

[Ribs]

Teased on Twitter.

[domino harvey]

Didn’t Arrow already release this?

[Glowingwabbit]

They don't typically make major announcements (in fact they never do) so I wonder if it's for more than one film. Maybe another boxset?

[Peacock]

It’s out of print from Arrow

[Ribs]

The previous release('s disc) was from 2011, and the Criterion was from a new restoration. Obviously nonetheless this is a fairly significant title by Second Run's standards, though I am cautiously optimistic it might have some extra movies around it. As has been well discussed here, they haven't ever released a Polish title on BD due to some changes in the way their films have been managed, so hopefully this could signal the tides are shifting.

[yoloswegmaster]

What are the odds that the Polish licensors lowered their prices once they realized that no one was biting on what they were originally asking? Regardless, this is an exciting development and I can only hope to see more Polish films come out.

[ryannichols7]

this is huge - I wonder if Second Run decided it was worth it to pay up and license this (as it is a big release, if they are releasing the entire trilogy) or we have a new development as speculated. I was wondering what the big Christmas release would be this year - after Hungarian Masters last year I figured there would be some sort of release to match that. this is certainly a big one that I trust will do rather well, especially if they manage the entire trilogy - US importers like myself would probably pitch in, as I held off on the Criterion Ashes

also think it's really cool they actually posted a hint. I enjoy the subtle way Second Run announce their titles or Mehelli Modi will tease them in various interviews, so this being a first is fun

[therewillbeblus]

Yeah, barbed wire or no barbed wire from Polish licensors, I've held off on the solo release since Kanal is my favorite of the trilogy. Hoping against hope that this is a full set

[Calvin]

This is exciting. I probably wouldn't double dip for Ashes and Diamonds on its own (I have the Criterion) so like TWBB I'm hoping that this is either part of a War Trilogy or more comprehensive Wajda set. I have the majority of the Polish Wajda releases as well but they've set the bar quite low; I'd happily double dip for a progressive transfer and lossless audio, nevermind extras.

[Bikey]

Coming 28 November
THE WAR TRILOGY
Three films by Andrzej Wajda
A Generation / Kanał / Ashes and Diamonds
3-disc Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set

Second Run presents Andrzej Wajda’s renowned ‘War Trilogy’ - the three films that first brought Wajda international attention and kickstarted the ‘Polish Film School’ movement.
These works are powerful and often harrowing accounts of the Polish Resistance 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). These celebrated films are presented from stunning new 2K restorations, with A Generation being released for the first time ever on Blu-ray.

BLU-RAY 3-DISC LIMITED EDITION BOX-SET CONTENTS
• 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 film historian Michael Brooke.
• Andrzej Wajda's remastered early short films The Bad Boy (Zły chłopiec, 1951), Ceramics from Iłża (Ceramika Iłżecka, 1951) and While You're Sleeping (Kiedy ty śpisz, 1953).
• Individual booklets with new writing on each film by 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).

Pre-order at our webstore
At Arrow store
At Diabolik
At Amazon UK

[yoloswegmaster]

Woo hoo! Glad to see this release! It is curious to see Ashes and Diamonds and Kanal being listed as receiving 2K restorations when the Criterion for the former is listing a 4K restoration as the source for their release, and the latter having a 4K restoration being shown at Cannes a few years ago.

[Ribs]

Obviously, great news the release ended up being what we were hoping. But one can’t help but be tantalized by the thought the Polish vault has been opened - obviously there’s many upgrades Second Run can and hopefully will do, but one also wonders about things like that Criterion and BFI are putting out Skolimowski’s latest if they could be able to get his first films as well. Lots of exciting possibilities.

[domino harvey]

Finally, Kanal! Can’t believe Second Run was able to make this work when Criterion couldn’t, but great news! Now bring on Bariera finally?

[MichaelB]

I gather Jerzy Skolimowski and his wife Ewa Piaskowska would be only too happy to collaborate on proper English subtitles for Bariera if anyone picked it up - apparently the existing DVD doesn't do his verbally dazzling screenplay anywhere close to justice. (Some of the wordplay will be untranslatable, of course, but an officially sanctioned alternative would at least be an improvement.)

But I'm not aware of any plans, or indeed if anyone's restored it.

[Ribs]

At the London screening last week it was apparently confirmed that there will be a Skolimowski retrospective in February at the BFI alongside the UK release of Eo (and I’m sure something similar will occur in NY and LA following the US release) - which obviously doesn’t mean anything will happen for home audiences, but should at least indicate they’re going to be getting some semblance of the current rights situations and if they’re solvable (certainly I imagine in a vacuum of costs or elements they and Criterion would like to release his Polish films). But- there’s lots of great Polish films sitting out there from all kinds of directors and this release makes it seem like we finally have a chance at seeing some of them in English-friendly HD.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

I'm really glad that I held off on the Criterion - public libraries and streaming, thank you - because for the restorations and extras the price is a steal. I can only imagine Criterion ever besting the encoding? Also glad to see Michael Brooke's commentaries - his work has been so helpful to my navigating and appreciating Polish film.

[What A Disgrace]

I like that it replicates the color scheming of the earlier Polish DVD sets. I hope to see more of those colors in the future!

[MichaelB]

I'm really glad that I held off on the Criterion - public libraries and streaming, thank you - because for the restorations and extras the price is a steal. I can only imagine Criterion ever besting the encoding? Also glad to see Michael Brooke's commentaries - his work has been so helpful to my navigating and appreciating Polish film.

Thank you! One of the great things about this particular commission was that it enabled me to contextualise the trilogy against a backdrop of Polish cinema in general from 1945-60, because one of the reasons why the films turned out the way they did is because of specific cultural policies in force at the time - for instance, A Generation is officially-mandated Socialist Realism (although Wajda concocted several clever stratagems for working around these limitations), while Ashes and Diamonds could only have been made in the way that it was after October 1956. Had Jerzy Andrzejewski's novel been filmed before then, as nearly happened on more than one occasion, it would have been very different - for starters, Maciek Chełmicki (the Zbigniew Cybulski character) would most likely have been relegated to support status, while the real protagonist would have been the idealistic Communist Szczuka, his target (both as per the novel). And because I had three commentaries to play with, I could spread this stuff out across them, which meant that I could still focus on scene-specific material.

(They're designed to be playable either as a single 280-minute epic or discretely, allowing for the possibility of these films being released separately at a later date.)

[bottlesofsmoke]

Thank you! One of the great things about this particular commission was that it enabled me to contextualise the trilogy against a backdrop of Polish cinema in general from 1945-60, because one of the reasons why the films turned out the way they did is because of specific cultural policies in force at the time - for instance, A Generation is officially-mandated Socialist Realism (although Wajda concocted several clever stratagems for working around these limitations), while Ashes and Diamonds could only have been made in the way that it was after October 1956. Had Jerzy Andrzejewski's novel been filmed before then, as nearly happened on more than one occasion, it would have been very different - for starters, Maciek Chełmicki (the Zbigniew Cybulski character) would most likely have been relegated to support status, while the real protagonist would have been the idealistic Communist Szczuka, his target (both as per the novel). And because I had three commentaries to play with, I could spread this stuff out across them, which meant that I could still focus on scene-specific material.

(They're designed to be playable either as a single 280-minute epic or discretely, allowing for the possibility of these films being released separately at a later date.)

Well, if I wasn't already incredibly excited about this release, I am now!

[ryannichols7]

this is no question the year's best release alongside the Kino Jancso set, which this mirrors and goes even further on by having Michał Oleszczyk on all three films in addition to three commentaries (amazing work MichaelB! three films is no slouch!) and the director's shorts. not to mention Ewa Mazierska, Tony Rayns and Peter Hames being included with the booklets, absolutely top tier stuff. I was wondering what Second Run had up their sleeves for this Christmas after the incredible Hungarian Masters set last year - what a phenomenal answer to that. incredible cover art too - I think this art for Ashes and Diamonds works far more than the previous imagery I've seen for them film

have to preorder ASAP

[dwk]

Finally, Kanal! Can’t believe Second Run was able to make this work when Criterion couldn’t, but great news! Now bring on Bariera finally?

Janus has the rights to the films, so I don't think this is a case of Criterion couldn't license the films for Blu-ray, but rather a case of them not being high priority upgrades and/or waiting for restorations.

[ryannichols7]

and let's be real, not to use this happy, positive, thread to trash talk another label, but its obvious A Generation and Kanal wouldn't have nearly gotten the love extras-wise as they did here, even if they were upgraded with new transfers.

not to mention Michał Oleszczyk and MichaelB being included, let alone for all three films! I'm thankful for releases with this much academic content, they seem often rarer these days

[MichaelB]

I'm always ticked to see the term "academic" applied to my work, because I actually have no formal qualifications in film whatsoever.

(My degree was in Business Studies, back in the days when I deludedly thought that film production rather than curation was where my talents lay.)

[Peacock]

and let's be real, not to use this happy, positive, thread to trash talk another label, but its obvious A Generation and Kanal wouldn't have nearly gotten the love extras-wise as they did here, even if they were upgraded with new transfers.

not to mention Michał Oleszczyk and MichaelB being included, let alone for all three films! I'm thankful for releases with this much academic content, they seem often rarer these days

What love Ryan? An introduction and a commentary? Maybe an archival interview related to each? Criterion do the same, and sometimes more, in their boxsets. Not complaining at all! I’m happy with the extras; especially the shorts and interviews.


Anyway! Ecstatic about this release, a long time coming. Definite preorder for me.

And seeing as others are adding their future wishes onto their posts I hope this means Zulawski is closer and Man of Marble/Iron

[yoloswegmaster]

It's just petty brand warfare, something that is becoming all too common at this point (though there probably are instances of me doing the same thing!). Anyways, I will also also be getting this since it looks like a wonderful release! If wishlists are being posted, then I'm hoping we can see future releases for other Polish films like Mother Joan of the Angels, Night Train, or even Day of the Wacko.