i'm trying to find some good movies about Poland's role during WWII .... there's moved like saying private ryan and schindler's list but none documentary style movies? anyone have any names i could check out? :)
I agree that for Non-Polish documentaries, the English "timewatch" or "Peoples War" series are most accurate, along with any specific BBC documentaries.
The problem with Polish films are the Soviet occupation and censorship and the subsequent lack of resources largely preventing documentary films. But for the authentic atmoshere, try the following:
Drama "Lotna" by Andrej Wajda – Set in 1939 during the German invasion, showing the story of a cavalry squadron. (Contains the infamous cavalry charge against tanks which never took place in reality)
"Kanal" by Andrej Wajda – Set during the Warsaw upsrising, not quite documentary but close to reality – a film by men who were there.
“Passenger” by Andej Munk – psychological drama about the post-war meeting of an Auschwitz survivor and a former SS guard.
“Night Train” by Kazimierz Kutz – Set in 1943 during German occupation. Passengers on a train including smugglers, lovers & resistance activists are in danger of random execution by German military Police
“Pills for Aurelia” by Stanisław Lenartowicz – Set during German occupation. Partisans struggle to free a colleague from a nazi prison
Documentary
“The Eagle” by Leonard Buczkowski – The story of the Polish Submarine “Eagle” evading German forces in 1939.
If you find and enjoy these, it will be easy to find more of the same.
I went to see the movie with my American friend. He later commented, he saw more of a real war depicted in just the first 1/2 hr of the movie than all other movies combined, which are just full of red paint and special effects...
Yes, the movie is not a documentary, but that's what my parents and their siblings lived through. There are plenty of documentaries to see. I saw a couple when I was maybe 10 years old. It gave me nightmares. I also felt "happy" because I was "too big already for the Germans to pick me up by my feet and smash my head on the wall" - should there be another war...
Operation Market Garden in Arnhem and surrounding Area ...
This " Classic " film acknowledges the Polish being involved, and has scenes with Polish in it, but I really do think somebody should apologise for Gene Hackmans attempt at a Polish accent .....
A great book(English language) about Polish airmen in WWII is "For Our Freedom and Yours" by Lynne Olson.
It's about the RAF's 303 squadron (the Kosciuszko Squadron). Very interesting and includes some great archive photographs.
If you enjoy that then it's also worth checking out the movie "Dark Blue World" by Jan Sverak. It's about Czech airmen but the story is very similar. It's a great movie.
clunkshift, I'm impressed. Andrzej Wajda's "Kanał" is my favorite movie from your list. Did you know that after it won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes in 1957 there were film critics coming up to him and congratulating for the idea to put the action of the movie in the sewers. Some American producers even offered him a job impressed by his imagination...Little did they know that during the Warsaw Uprising people really did transport from one place to another through sewers. A lot of them drowned, a lot of were burned to death by Germans or were eaten alive by rats....