The Promised Land

Andrzej Wajda is one of the great directors of the world, and this historical epic of the industrial revolution in Poland was recently restored in color and sound, and the dvd looks a lot better than his Man of Iron or Man of Marble. His films from the Fifties like Ashes and Diamonds and Kanal are enshrined in archival quality dvds, but it’s hard to catch up with his subsequent work, in a career that continues to this day. Lodz, where the famous Polish film school was located, was highly industrialized in the 19th century, like Lowell or Manchester, but escaped either destruction or rebuilding in the 20th, so provided the perfect scene for this reenactment, and indeed some of the most impressive scenes take place in a vast factory, with hundred of looms clacking and giant flywheels turning. This story of three young men with entrepreneurial dreams -- a Polish nobleman, Jewish financier, and German businessman -- follows them from youthful energy through fulfillment and disappointment to the point where the leader lapped in luxury orders the shooting of striking workers. In some ways it’s too familiar, and in others not familiar enough, so my appreciation of the impressive mise en scene was muted. (1974, dvd, n.) *6*