I’ve just watched this first movie about Katyn massacre.
Although Andrzej Wajda was a director, I was afraid that it is way to delicate issue to make a movie. But Wajda made all his best, and succeeded. The movie is really, really good, absolutely worth of watching.
And it is not anti-russian at all, if anyone was afraid 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0879843/
http://edwardlucas.blogspot.com/2007/09/katyn.html
I’ m still afraid mate:)
It wouldn’t be you, if you wasn’t afraid Chevan
Seriously, I feared that Mr Wajda, as a son of officer who was murdered in Katyn by the NKVD, could make some personal and emotional movie which could be perceived as anti-russian.
But Wajda acted as he always had. Absolutely professional and master.
This movie although is extremely emotional and shocking. There a lot of scenes showing Soviet atrocities. But there are also German atrocities shown too.
As the main aim of this movie was to show the tragedy of families, especially wifes who lost their relatives in Katyn Massacre, it is not a Russian nation who is blamed for that. It is the Soviet state and camrade Stalin, who gave the order to murder polish officers.
There is great scene, when Red Army officer, who shared the flat with a wife of missing polish officer offered her help (after RA entered Poland, it was quite common for RA to accommodate its officers together with a inhabitants). He said that, she could marry him, because as a wife of RA soldier she could save herself as well as her daughter. She refused, because she was married. It didn’t matter for him as he was about to leave for finnish front, and he believed he was not going to come back. He didn’t want anything from her, he just wanted to save them, as he knew that wifes of polish officers were first to be sent to Siberia. The final moment of that scene is when the NKVD came for her. The officer hidden polish family and drove away the NKVD.
It looks a bit simple and symbolic, but it has a important meaning: the Russians are not blamed for Katyn Massacre, Soviet state and Stalin are.
So Chevan, you don’t have to be afraid, really!
Pozdrawiam,
Kovalski
Sunds like an interesting movie there. I suppose it is released in Poland only? Mind you I would need subtitles to watch it.
I assume it will be released on DVD soon (at least in EU). But if you’re impatient, I suggest you to do some internet search and then download english subtitles.
Oh mate this even worsen then i thought:)
Why this pofessional shows ONLY the bad Russians and GErmans?
May be he had a lack of memory to tell about 40 000+ of soviet prisoners who died in the polish concentrations camps in the 1921-24? Or “human” politic of polonisation in Ukraine?
Or maybe he didn’t forget to tell about persecutions and supprestions of Germans population of Danzig untill the 1939 by polish authorities?
I guess this is the cheap propoandic movie in spirit of Cold war and Anti-Germans post-war hysteria.
The tupical nationalistic tend of Poland to blame everybody aroung in personal mistakes.
thou i would like to watch this.
Oh boy,
I don’t know what to say. You’re the best!
I open my heart for you, and that’s what I get?
Shame on you Chevan!
Yes its my shame ;)And fate…
BTW i’m quite honest with you my friend.
But i never said i do not understand YOUR point.
Do you understand my?
Could you carry your shame?
I love this post-modernist approach to history, in that when discussing really really bad things done by another nation/group you are abjectly criticised if you don’t have a full “mea culpa” included about all the slightly bad things that your nation/group has done, and even if you do give such a mea culpa you are criticised for being critical at all because your own country’s history is not whiter than a vestal virgin’s silken underthings.
It’s the academic equivalent of “how dare you criticise Mohammed Atta for murdering thousands of people on 9/11, you stole and broke Emily Parkinson’s pencil in fifth grade, so you are hardly blameless”
Maybe he is concentrating on a subject that affects him most.
“Katyn” nominated for Oscar
http://oscar.com/nominees/?pn=detail&nominee=Katyn%20-%20%20Foreign%20Language%20Nominee
Who was doubted;);)If even moral-ugly “Pianist” was awarded - the Katyn should be also a “greates film” all of times:)
Well, I don’t know how to comment your posts…
Chevan, how do you put up with yourself?
Every time you have nothing interesting to say, you try to emphasize your presence by saying something useless or stupid.
Have you seen “Katyn”?
If not, I would suggest you not to write any comments about it. Otherwise you can very easily make fool of yourself.
Pozdrawiam,
Kovalski
But at least i do not begin the “clever” Polonophobian threads here when try to emphasize my presentce.
Have you not noticed it still?
Have you seen “Katyn”?
If not, I would suggest you not to write any comments about it. Otherwise you can very easily make fool of yourself.
Still have not seen?
But considering your , the last epithets about Pianist - i might conclude what it about:)
P.S.
Do not worry, i’ve read about this film- he was presented 17 september - very character data!!! for our relations.
The problem is my frined is not this film ( Wajda was aimed to keep it out of any politic- and he was absolutly right), but unfortunatelly the local polish “patriots” look at this in othe way. In fact this film will used to rise the anti-russian feeling in Poland.
With that , i congradulate you:)
Talking about historical facts which do not fit your vision of Russia is not “clever” Polonophobian . It is just about truth.
Poles didn’t choose that date.
The REAL problem mate is your attitude towards any historical facts which expose Soviet genocides.
You’ve got some Post Traumatic Memory Disorder - whenever somebody writes, talks or even slightly mentions Soviet crimes - you call his actions anti-russian.
You still forgot, that Russia is not a center of the world, and that not all people of the world, not a half of them, nor even a tiny party of them would believe Soviet “version” of history - a version which you still keep carrying.
By the way, I think you got some problem with your “ego” as well. Do you really think that “Katyn” was “used to rise the anti-russian feeling in Poland”?
Where have you heard or read that?
Maybe on one of russian nationalist forums?
Because I really doubt that any professional russian journalist would sign below such rubbish.
I assume that some people in Russia create such nonsenses to keep some anti-polish histeria. And you are just one of their victims.
Pozdrawiam,
Kovalski
hmmmm !! must watch it
Not just about truth mate , but also about peoples relations.
I/m not a polanophobe - you know it. However the constant polish hostile ctitic toward russia is could irritate up anyone finaly.
And my “vison of Russia” is not just my personal.The most of young people in here think so today.The good national proudness is not the exclusive matter of Poles. SO the favorite pose of POland as a victims of their agressive neighbours - is nothing but theory of own polish nationalists that is not required for others.
Have to use it my friend. And have to admit it
Poles didn’t choose that date.
No . The polses SPECIALLY chosed this date for the presentation of film.
And if you think we are blind to notice it- this is wrong.This fact just support the thought to use this film in political aims.
The REAL problem mate is your attitude towards any historical facts which expose Soviet genocides.
You’ve got some Post Traumatic Memory Disorder - whenever somebody writes, talks or even slightly mentions Soviet crimes - you call his actions anti-russian.
No my friend.
I have no troubles with my memory disorber at this moment. This period has passed in the end of 1990yy.
Tht’s enought were traumatic in past.
Today the situation has radically changed. You still did not see it, sadly.
The so called “Soviets crimes” has little to the Polish anti-russian feeling that was started from Russian imperial times indeed.
But the Soviet crimes used today by the polish politicans very well:)
You still forgot, that Russia is not a center of the world, and that not all people of the world, not a half of them, nor even a tiny party of them would believe Soviet “version” of history - a version which you still keep carrying.
Centre of the World?
Mate i even did not guess that Poles make the Katyn as the central world problem:)
Sure Russia is not a centre of the World- the Poland is centre - every polish kid know it:)
And btw why you think that world would believe in the Polish versionof of history?
By the way, I think you got some problem with your “ego” as well. Do you really think that “Katyn” was “used to rise the anti-russian feeling in Poland”?
Where have you heard or read that?
I know it mate.
Do not need to be the genious to understand that 17 sept is the political date, right
Maybe on one of russian nationalist forums?
No no. the Nationalist forums show the other things, that will very unpleasant for you.
I do not use the russian national point specially. COz i’m a soft gentle man:)I do not like the ideas of national superiority.
Especially with you.
Because I really doubt that any professional russian journalist would sign below such rubbish.
I assume that some people in Russia create such nonsenses to keep some anti-polish histeria. And you are just one of their victims.
I/m a victims of your threads:)
But not a somebody oppinion.
And do not forget -the russia did not start this hysteria. Today our nationalist actually try to use the ancient polish hostility as the reason of equivalent actions.
But this is not get support in society.
In next post you’ll write that Poland provoked Nazi Germany and USSR - in effect they in acted of self-defence they invaded Poland in 1939.
I meant that it was Stalin who chosen the date of 17th of September 1939 to attack Poland.
So it is obvious that for Poles the date of 17th of September is the best for honouring the victims of Soviet atrocities.
By the way, who do you think you are to tell Poles that it is a bad date for presentation of “Katyn”?
Chevan, USSR is dead. We don’t listen to Moscow anymore. Please, realize it
Why? It’s simple
Because it is truth.
We don’t need to lie, we don’t need to keep our archives closed, we don’t need to make absolutely stupid theories in order to divert world’s attention from obvious Soviet crimes.
We just can tell our story. And Wajda in fact did it.
Well, that’s a true reason to be proud, Chevan…
I hope I didn’t harm you too seriously
I wouldn’t call it “hysteria” - rather a need of objective discussion which would uncovered all the tragic events once for all. Without lying, negation of facts, hiding evidences and way to emotional language - for both sides, polish and russian.
You mean the movie “1612”? I’m about to watch it.
Pozdrawiam,
Kovalski
Being released on DVD in Poland on 21st February. It will have English subtitles.
Don’t know were it can be purchased in the UK yet though.