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KATYN is the story of Polish army officers murdered by the Russia secret police in the Katyn forest during the Second World War and the families who, unaware of the crime, were still waiting for their husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers to return. It is a film about the continuing struggle over History and memory, and an uncompromising exploration of the Russian cover up of the massacre that prevented the Polish people from commemorating those that had been killed.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
78 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Before I watched this film I knew nothing of the awful events that happened in the Katyn Forest. The 14000-22000(est) murders were ordered at the behest of Stalin's Soviet Government and the events that occured were subject to a subsequent cover-up and 50 year denial. Polish-Russian relations still suffer to this day because of it.
The story is told through a young Polish captain and his family; and shows their ensuing turmoil and mental torture. The film also features authentic Nazi German and Soviet newsreels from the time woven into the story and real footage of the mass graves are shown shortly after its discovery. This is not easy viewing...
Frequently disturbing and uncomfortable; Kaytn is a film with noble intentions of documenting an awful atrocity - which is still clearly raw in the hearts of all Polish people.
Katyn is comparable in tone and scale to Polanski's 'The Pianist'.
Katyn was nominated for 'Best Foreign Language Film' at 2008 Acadamy Awards.
The film has been produced on a large budget and shot on a scale which is rarely seen in foreign funded films - and the Katyn Massacre story itself is certainly handled with all the respect it deserves. It is well directed by Wadja and the cinamatography is impressive throughout. Also the casting is noticably top-drawer.
Its transfer to Blu-ray will only compliment it further.
I cannot recommend highly enough.
The story is told through a young Polish captain and his family; and shows their ensuing turmoil and mental torture. The film also features authentic Nazi German and Soviet newsreels from the time woven into the story and real footage of the mass graves are shown shortly after its discovery. This is not easy viewing...
Frequently disturbing and uncomfortable; Kaytn is a film with noble intentions of documenting an awful atrocity - which is still clearly raw in the hearts of all Polish people.
Katyn is comparable in tone and scale to Polanski's 'The Pianist'.
Katyn was nominated for 'Best Foreign Language Film' at 2008 Acadamy Awards.
The film has been produced on a large budget and shot on a scale which is rarely seen in foreign funded films - and the Katyn Massacre story itself is certainly handled with all the respect it deserves. It is well directed by Wadja and the cinamatography is impressive throughout. Also the casting is noticably top-drawer.
Its transfer to Blu-ray will only compliment it further.
I cannot recommend highly enough.
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you watch this film as "entertainment", this is not a perfect film, but it's pretty good. Acting, lighting etc are all excellent. The continuity just seemed a bit odd in places.
More importantly, as a telling of history, this film is extraordinary. I had never heard of Katyn before buying this DVD and I suspect the same will be true of many others. Speaking with a Polish friend today, I mentioned that I had just watched this film and even now, in barely more than a whisper and with a visible sideways glance as if she was still worried about saying it, she said that until just a few years ago it wasn't a subject that was allowed to be taught in classes. The former Soviet occupation/rule still leaves its mark on people today.
I think it's important that people watch films like this. It's a way of learning history, understanding some of the tensions between different countries, seeing how history tends to repeat itself (Srebrenica - not the same, but similar in many respects), and hopefully from that understanding, stopping these things happening again.
Unusually, the interview with the director after the film is also very interesting. It's not the usual nonsense that you get as an extra on a DVD, this is a documentary in itself.
More importantly, as a telling of history, this film is extraordinary. I had never heard of Katyn before buying this DVD and I suspect the same will be true of many others. Speaking with a Polish friend today, I mentioned that I had just watched this film and even now, in barely more than a whisper and with a visible sideways glance as if she was still worried about saying it, she said that until just a few years ago it wasn't a subject that was allowed to be taught in classes. The former Soviet occupation/rule still leaves its mark on people today.
I think it's important that people watch films like this. It's a way of learning history, understanding some of the tensions between different countries, seeing how history tends to repeat itself (Srebrenica - not the same, but similar in many respects), and hopefully from that understanding, stopping these things happening again.
Unusually, the interview with the director after the film is also very interesting. It's not the usual nonsense that you get as an extra on a DVD, this is a documentary in itself.
63 of 67 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a film that should be widely seen. It deals with the Soviet massacre of Polish officers in the second world war. Not only was this a devastating killing on a large scale - more than 20,000 officers were killed - but also it was a Soviet cover up as they tampered with evidence to blame the Germans.
The film takes the perspective of families caught up in the atrocity and its aftermath. It tells the story of men killed and the elderly parents, wives, daughters or sisters they left behind. Those who could not accept that the truth was buried, to those who took a pragmatic view dealing with the new regime as they found it but doing what they could to ensure Poland's survival.
Poland took a geographically central role in the second world war. Caught between the Germans and the Soviets one officer wryly talks about the duration of their incarceration noting that it's between the 1000 year Reich and communism being forever!
As testament to the film, the audience was absolutely silent at the end.
The film takes the perspective of families caught up in the atrocity and its aftermath. It tells the story of men killed and the elderly parents, wives, daughters or sisters they left behind. Those who could not accept that the truth was buried, to those who took a pragmatic view dealing with the new regime as they found it but doing what they could to ensure Poland's survival.
Poland took a geographically central role in the second world war. Caught between the Germans and the Soviets one officer wryly talks about the duration of their incarceration noting that it's between the 1000 year Reich and communism being forever!
As testament to the film, the audience was absolutely silent at the end.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Survivors Guilt
Shows how the Germans and Russians ripped Poland into two and set about liquidating the intelligensia to makeaway for their creeds to be enacted upon the population. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Dr. Delvis Memphistopheles
Profound.
...alright, I might as well finish watching what, up to now, has been a slightly disappointing film.
Hang on? That's not right! What's going on? Oh blimey. This isn't good. Read more
Hang on? That's not right! What's going on? Oh blimey. This isn't good. Read more
Published 26 days ago by I. Rumens
Average... close, but not close enough...
This isn't a bad film, but I felt it missed the mark a bit. I think the film sat between what would have been a great story if either one was chosen and explored in full. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Chris
Numbing and Powerful
This is a powerful film that leaves one with a great sense of loss. Wajda always wanted to make this film (his father was one of the many Polish officers murdered at Katyn) and I... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk
A masterpiece on one of the worst episodes of Stalinism
This is a spine chilling documentary of an abominable episode of World War II. In fact it was not even part of the war, really. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Carno Polo
Sobering and thought provoking
I learnt of the Katyn massacre purely by accident by finding this DVD on Amazon. Having watched it, I can say this is one of the best made, well acted and thought provoking films I... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Richard
Highly recommended movie and disc!
No surprise that this is an almost perfect picture made by legendary Polish director Andrzej Wadja, and perhaps one of the best war movies of recent times. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Paulo Roberto Elias
A quality film depicting soviet savagery in graphic detail.
In short this film depicts a little told war crime, yet only shown in the last twenty minutes.
The whole film before this is introducing characters and their story of... Read more
The whole film before this is introducing characters and their story of... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Thomas Smith
Good ... but neither nor
I did not expect a documentary, I did not expect a fiction.... unfortunately the movie tried too much to be a lot of both at the same time without really succeeding. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Johnny D
Great movie by a most acclaimed Polish director
A must-see for everyone who comes to Krakow for great culture and history, not only for the famous cheap and good beer. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Radoslaw Spiewak
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