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Ashes and Diamonds

1958·Movie
1h 43min
87
ExcellentGoodWatch score
IMDb7.7Rotten Tomatoes96%87%
IMDb7.7Rotten Tomatoes96%87%

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Ashes and Diamonds fingerprint

High energy, strong craft, a touch of humor.

Energy

Violent and tense

Builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.

  • Violence8
  • Tension7
  • Spectacle6

Heart

Profoundly sad and moving

  • Melancholy9
  • Pathos8
  • Romance7

Humor

A little humor

Not a comedy at heart.

  • Dark Humor4
  • Wit & Wordplay3
  • Satire & Parody3

World

History, politics, and crime

Lived-in and easy to get lost in.

  • World Immersion8
  • Dialogue Centrality7
  • Rewatchability7

Craft

Standout direction, performances, and characters

  • Direction8
  • Acting8
  • Character Depth8

Style

Standout cinematography

  • Cinematography8
  • Editing7
  • Music Composition7

Who it's for

AdultsFriends NightSolo WatchThought-Provoking

Skip it if

You need an uplifting moodYou want fast pacingGraphic violence bothers you

Find more like it

Suspense moviesMelancholic moviesAtmospheric movies

Based on the GoodWatch fingerprint: our scores for 70+ attributes of every movie. Select a row to see all of them.

About

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.
Polish CinemaPost-War PolandMoral DilemmaExistential CrisisTragic RomancePolitical IntriguePsychological DramaSlow BurnHistorical Context

Crew

Directed by:
Andrzej Wajda, Janusz Morgenstern, Andrzej Wróbel
Written by:
Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Andrzejewski, Jerzy Andrzejewski
Produced by:
Stanisław Adler, Zygmunt Wójcik, Ludwik Hager
Composed by:
Bohdan Bieńkowski, Filip Nowak, Filip Nowak

Sequels and Prequels

No sequels or prequels available

Media

Questions about Ashes and Diamonds

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream Ashes and Diamonds legally?

HBO MaxKanopyCriterion

Ashes and Diamonds is included with a subscription to HBO Max in the United States. You can watch it free with ads on Kanopy. You can also rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home. All links in Where to Watch go to these licensed services.

Is Ashes and Diamonds worth watching?

87
ExcellentGoodWatch score

Yes. It's widely acclaimed, with a GoodWatch score of 88/100 (IMDb 7.7 and Rotten Tomatoes 96%). The GoodWatch score combines critic and audience ratings.

What is Ashes and Diamonds rated?

Violence

Content advisories: violence.

How long is Ashes and Diamonds?

1 h 43 min

Ashes and Diamonds runs 1 h 43 min.

Do critics and audiences agree on Ashes and Diamonds?

Critics96
Audiences82

Not quite. Critics rate Ashes and Diamonds higher (96) than audiences (82). It may be more rewarding than it is crowd-pleasing.

What language is Ashes and Diamonds in?

Polish

It was made in Polish. Produced in Poland.

In how many countries can I watch Ashes and Diamonds?

14BRCADKESFRGBGGITKRPLSESMUSVA

GoodWatch finds legal streaming, rental, or purchase options for Ashes and Diamonds in 14 countries. Pick any of them in Where to Watch to see the local services.

What tropes does Ashes and Diamonds use?

White Shirt of DeathDowner EndingDay of the JackbootGreat Offscreen WarTo Absent FriendsTitle DropMood DissonanceChiaroscuroHeel–Face Door-SlamOh, Crap!The MoleSunglasses at Nightand 5 more

TV Tropes lists 17 storytelling tropes for Ashes and Diamonds, including White Shirt of Death, Downer Ending, Day of the Jackboot.