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Trailer

Ashes and Diamonds

1958Movie1 h 43 min

Drama
87
ExcellentGoodWatch score
IMDb7.7Rotten Tomatoes96%87%

A profoundly sad, violent drama movie about history and politics.

Good for friends night · thought-provoking · adults

Skip it if you need an uplifting mood · you want fast pacing · graphic violence bothers you

Where to watch

Fingerprint

Not for warmth, laughs or comfort.

Movies with

Story

Touched with the fire and rebellion of a new generation of Polish film makers

A young academy soldier, Maciek Chelmicki, is ordered to shoot the secretary of the KW PPR. A coincidence causes him to kill someone else. Meeting face to face with his victim, he gets a shock. He faces the necessity of repeating the assassination. He meets Krystyna, a girl working as a barmaid in the restaurant of the "Monopol" hotel. His affection for her makes him even more aware of the senselessness of killing at the end of the war. Loyalty to the oath he took, and thus the obligation to obey the order, tips the scales.

Feels like

  • Polish Cinema
  • Post-War Poland
  • Moral Dilemma
  • Existential Crisis
  • Tragic Romance
  • Political Intrigue
  • Psychological Drama
  • Slow Burn
  • Historical Context

Cast

24 of 27

Crew

Directed by
Andrzej Wajda
Written by
Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Andrzejewski
Produced by
Zygmunt Wójcik, Michał Sosiński, Stanisław Adler
Music by
Filip Nowak, Bohdan Bieńkowski

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Facts

October 3, 1958 · 1 h 43 min · Violence

Released
October 3, 1958
Runtime
1 h 43 min
Content
Violence
Genres
Drama, War, Romance
Original language
Polish
Made in
Poland
Available in
14 countries

Tropes

White Shirt of Death, Downer Ending, Day of the Jackboot +9

  • White Shirt of Death
  • Downer Ending
  • Day of the Jackboot
  • Great Offscreen War
  • To Absent Friends
  • Title Drop
  • Mood Dissonance
  • Chiaroscuro
  • Heel–Face Door-Slam
  • Oh, Crap!
  • The Mole
  • Sunglasses at Night

12 of 17 tropes. From TV Tropes.

Q&A

5 questions, like "Where can I stream Ashes and Diamonds?"

Questions about Ashes and Diamonds

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream Ashes and Diamonds?

HBO MaxKanopyCriterion

In the United States, Ashes and Diamonds streams on HBO Max and Criterion, and it is free with ads on Kanopy. You can rent or buy it from Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. It also streams in 8 other countries.

Is Ashes and Diamonds worth watching?

87
ExcellentGoodWatch score

Yes, it's widely acclaimed, with a GoodWatch score of 87 (IMDb 7.7 and Rotten Tomatoes 96%). Critics rate it higher (96 out of 100) than audiences (82).

Is Ashes and Diamonds good for date night?

AdultsFriends NightSolo Watch

Not really: romance is 7 of 10, but the viewing guide doesn't list it for date night.

Will I feel good after watching Ashes and Diamonds?

BleakHopeful

Probably not: the title analysis rates it 9 of 10 for melancholy and 8 for bleakness, against 3 for hopefulness.

Is Ashes and Diamonds in English?

Polish

No, it was made in Polish.