Battle for Warsaw ‘44 2009
Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016; 202-808-4980
Produced by Wanda Koscia and October Films
Directed by Wanda Koscia
DVD, color, 47 min.
Sr. High - Adult
History, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, World War II
Date Entered: 12/17/2009
Reviewed by Alexander Rolfe, Technical Services Librarian, George Fox University, Newberg, ORThis is the tragic story of the valiant uprising of the Poles in Warsaw, whose heroism was doomed to fail due to the premeditated inaction of the Red Army. The story is well told in this documentary. The interviews of survivors from within Warsaw are supplemented by the accounts of involved outsiders: two Allied pilots and a German soldier. The resistance had a film crew, so actual footage of the events illustrates the testimony. The survivors smile continuously when discussing the victorious first week of the uprising. The next seven increasingly desperate weeks are painful to watch and hear about. 180,000 Polish civilians are killed as the city is reduced to rubble, and the remnants of the resistance finally surrender. The final blow is the “liberation” by the Red Army, when Stalin puts communists in charge; the first people they round up and send off to camps in Siberia are the freedom fighters who survived. One of the survivors interviewed remarks that it is very hard to come to terms with the fact that the uprising was pointless. This documentary is an excellent tribute to the suffering and heroism of the Poles during World War II.
The quality is very good. The narration, voiceovers, and technical quality offer nothing to distract or detract, and the story is straightforward and easy to follow.
Recommended.