Updated RankingsThe Promised Land (1975)
★ ★ ★ - GoodAn epic satire against capitalism, Wajda quickly whips things into a frenzy with a camera that’s always on the prowl through overly-decorated rooms filled with garishly made up people. I honestly wasn’t ready for it, like the opening section of Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge done with long takes instead of harsh edits, and Wajda maintains that pace, exhausting me without wearing me down. With so much effort, it’s surprising and a bit sad this hasn’t yet received the art-house acclaim it so richly deserves. A favorite of Martin Scorsese, this should at least be a regular on They Shoot Pictures. Messy in full, but with excellent moments throughout.
Man of Marble (1977)
★ ★ ½ From the heightened reality of Promised Land into minimalist historical docu-drama. A story of a bricklayer hailed as a hero of the people who quickly fell from public life. Told in a Citizen Kane style with an intense, twitchy female director (novel concept) uncovering how the documentary camera lies with every frame. Film peaks early, when we get the reality that went into a major achievement by the bricklayer and his team. Overall, there isn’t enough political context, yet what’s there is too interruptive to the drama.
Man of Iron (1981)
★ ★A thematic sequel focused on a different historical event that merges to become a direct sequel to Marble. Unfortunately, the lead actor here isn’t as compelling. I believe it’s a deliberate choice for the leading reporter here to be weak, but when the original female director returns it just points up what’s been missing. This one also tips the scales heavily in terms of political content and discussion, making for a lesser experience in every way to the point where I now like Man of Marble more.
Danton (1983)
★ ★ ★ – OkayI was initially resistant to this 2+ hour political drama set in late 18th Century France. Typical of Wajda, the politics are more important than the people. However, it comes around to create a fierce portrait of people who can have the best interest of their country at heart, but very different ideas about how to go about it. It also shows these leaders getting lost in the political optics to where they lose sight of what they’re ultimately trying to achieve. Parallels to our modern situation aren’t obvious, but it’s probably what created the bridge to my ultimately recommending this.
Katyn (2007)
★ ★ ½ Episodic look at the Russian invasion of Poland in 1939 leading to the mass slaughter of Polish officers and citizens in the Katyn forest in 1940. It's a story that deserves to be told, we know of the invasion of Poland starting WWII but Wajda dramatizes it on a personal level. While the subject matter is strong, the director's fire has mellowed. This doesn't have the dark comedy or stunning symbolic imagery of his more well-known films. The characters never evolve beyond being guides through this brief period of the Hell of war, but the final sequence is filmed with a vérité immediacy that gives it the right amount of impact.