"Kanal" starts at the end. 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(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=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] 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] 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]
November 6, 2011
