Stream it now Katyn 2007

 

Katyn n

The spine chilling movie. I bet you are not gonna feel well after watching it. The scenes are realistic especially those at the end. It shows the total disgrace and the scorn of its time. And the fact that the director is a son of one killed officers makes the whole sensation more dizzing.

This is not the feel good movie of the year, but it easy a well written story about a part of WWII that most people (including I) did not know about. It servers as a memorial to lost Polish solders murdered by the Soviets. After watching this movie, I did independent research into these acts and was surprised on how accurate the movie was. This is one of those great must sees.

Excellent story, exceptional cinematography and a keen eye for period detail make this a remarkable film.The story is very moving, disturbing as well. The cast is terrific and Andrzej Wajda's direction is superb. Fine art direction and costumes.

"All governments are liars and murderers." - Bill Hicks

"Katyn" is a heavy-handed and ponderous movie about the slaughter of 20,000 Polish POW's by Soviet troops in the Katyn forest in 1940. Take for instance the first scene which has everything except for a baby carriage going down a staircase. On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invades Poland, 16 days after Nazi Germany has also done so, and Anna(Maja Ostaszewska) is going in the opposite direction of traffic, desperately looking for her husband(Artur Zmijewski), a major in the Polish army who has just surrendered.(A similar scene was much better depicted in "Europa, Europa.") She eventually finds him along with other prisoners of war, just before they are shipped off to a prison camp run by the Soviet Union.

While "Katyn" does improve, it also gets to a point where I was wondering exactly where it was going, as tangents spontaneously head off in all directions from the original massacre. Disappointingly, the movie is far more concerned with the cover-up than the crime(The cliche of the victor writing history is especially true in this case) which the Nazis exploited as propaganda before the Soviets turned the tables. This all happens before a spectacularly gratuitous finale. But since we all now know the truth, wouldn't you also like to know why the Soviets committed this atrocity?

KATYN
Directed by Andrzej Wajda
Stars Artur Zmijewski, Maja Ostaszewska, Andrzej Chyra, Danuta Stenka
Not Rated
In Polish w/English subtitles

Beautifully filmed but scattershot tale of the massacre of Polish officers by Soviet troops during WWII, and the subsequent coverup during the occupation. Has some compelling moments and haunting images, but lacks focus and cohesion over all.