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Wajda’s aesthetic opposition to communism with its socialist realism.
The influence of Italian neo-realism. The concept of national history. “Polish
romanticism.” Realism and symbolism. Music, literature, fine arts.
A Soviet aesthetic doctrine enforced in Poland in late 1940-s by the Communist party.
Principles: The adherence to the Party line; Story/history told from a Marxist perspective; The emphasis on class-based images and
class struggle; Nationalism replaced by internationalism; Marxism-based moral lessons; Social optimism; No formal experimentation; The reality shown “as it should be.”
ARE THERE ANY ASPECTS IN THE FILM THAT STILL BELONG TO SOCIAL REALISM?
Italian neo-realism was a Post-War cinema trend, starting with Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City (1946).
Observation-based (“see things as they are”) ;
Life not sugar-coated; Use of non-professional actors, real locations; Documentary flavour; Social issues; Poor working class characters; Episodic narrative.
How does Wajda see the past in the film?
What place do the characters occupy in the country’s history?
What does the film say about the future?
“Polish Romanticism.”
Symbol In art, an object or image that represents another object or idea by association or similarity; usually, a material object standing for something imperceptible, especially abstract concepts. Symbols are elusive and may convey several meanings.
What symbols can you find in The Canal?
What kinds of music do we hear in the film?
What does the figure of Composer mean?
How do music and visual imagery interact in the film?
What references (allusions) to literature are there in the film?
Name any associations.
The film is based on a story by Jerzy Stawińsky.
It contains allusions to classics, such as Greek tragedy (ex., chorus, “Lethean water”), Shakespeare, and Dante’s “Inferno” from the Divine Comedy.
The setting is reminiscent of an episode in Les Misérables (1862) by Victor Hugo, a novel revered by Communists for its revolutionary spirit.
MORTALLY WOUNDED JACEK
PIETÀ BY JACOPO TINTORETTO
DAISY WITH JACEK’S BODY
PIETÀ BY MICHELANGELO
THE CANAL DANTE’S INFERNO BY GUSTAVE DORÉ
WARSAW IN THE CANAL LOWER HELL, A DRAWING BY STRADANUS
