Kanal (Canal) (They Loved Life) (1961)

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  November 6, 2011

  gator681

  [font=Century Gothic]"Kanal" starts at the end. [/font]
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  [font=Century Gothic]In this case, it is towards the end of the Warsaw Uprising on the 56th day on September 26, 1944. Lieutenant Zadra(Wienczyslaw Glinski) leads his ragtag resistance group... read more(A narrator tells us that these are the last hours for these brave people.) that is now at 43, down from 70 just a short time before, whose latest recruit is a music composer(Wladyslaw Sheybal). After losing a pitched battle at a house, they are ordered to downtown, one of the only neighborhoods not in German hands via the sewers which is a prospect that Zadra dreads.[/font]
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  [font=Century Gothic][font=Century Gothic]At the beginning of the film, David and Goliath are mentioned but later on in the sewers, Dante is quoted and that is never a good sign. Although, I was reminded of the mythic labyrinth, minotaur included. [/font][/font]
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  [font=Century Gothic]Expertly directed by Andrzej Wajda, "Kanal" is a harrowing tale not of survival, because by now that is no longer an option.[font=Century Gothic] [/font]Rather, these soldiers continue to fight to buy a little more time for their loved ones. And love is what the movie is about, from lovers who try to make the most of their limited time left to Zadra's love for his soldiers. After all, soldiers everywhere fight to keep their loved ones safe. [/font]
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• 
  
  March 5, 2009

  codyfranklin2

  Part 2 of Wajda's War Trilogy. This film has nothing to do with A Generation except it takes place during WWII. It's about the last days in 1944 of the Warsaw uprising. The Nazi's are closing in and the only way out is through the sewers. The first half hour when they are battlin... read moreg the Nazi's doesn't work. It's Wajda's 2nd film and he still has a problem with action scenes. As a viewer you are confused or just not interested. Then they escape to the Sewers and this film goes from average to great. This is one of the most claustrophobic films I have ever seen. You feel dirty, tired, thirsty, trapped and gasping for air. The actors all shine and become memorable once they enter the Canals. The cinematography and set design in the sewers are gritty and look realistic, only The 3rd Man makes a sewer look better.This would be a easy 4 star film if not for the opening act. Kanal also has one of the best endings I have seen in a long time,perfect!

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  December 12, 2008

  littlecharmer1959

  The second film in Andrzej Wajda's War Trilogy and defiantly better than the first. Set in the last few days of the Warsaw Uprising, showing how the Polish resistance fighters carried on till the end.
  Kanal is Polish for Sewer, and it is here that most of the film takes place.... read more The film has a very claustrophobic feel, and the filthy setting of the film can only be described as a living hell. Although it's hard to watch the characters still display an incredible amount of human emotion.

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  February 16, 2008

  benjaminguilbert2

  It is a daring movie about a art of WWII rarely depicted: the uprising of Warsaw in 1944. In spirit it is close from such milestones as "A Man Escaped" and "The Army of Shadows", but it is formally less perfect.
  I loved the part in the sewer. The platoon is properly eaten alive b... read morey the city they are fighting in. Fear is constant as at any second the Germans can drop a grenade, but the effect is somewhat lost by the fact that we a following many groups lost in the sewer instead of just one. The characters actually find themselves for most of the movie in a psychological state rarely described in film: they are so exhausted and bitter than for most of them every other feelings (honor, love, even self preservation) have been washed out.
  Besides, some parts are a bit too romantic for an otherwise very tough film, part of it comes from the fact that the sewer is meant to symbolize Dante's "Inferno".
  Some of the features of the book are very well integrated (the wandering civilians fleeing a illusionary gas attack represent very well the wandering souls of the dead) but other fail to really make sense (the character of the mad music composer is not really interesting). Besides, the score is poor and to mushy, it ruins certain scenes.
  But overall the film is a real success. The fighters coming out of the sewer looking like dark and dirty devils is the kind of image that will last in my memory. I'd love to see a remake.

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• Wienczyslaw Glinski as Lieutenant 'Splinter'
• Teresa Izewska as 'Daisy'
• Tadeusz Janczar as Corporal Korab
• Emil Karewicz as 'Wise'
• Wladyslaw Sheybal as Composer
• Stanislaw Mikulski as 'Slim'

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