NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Second Run Blu-ray (December 2022): Second Run have transferred The War Trilogy: Three films by Andrzej Wajda to Blu-ray. It is cited that "each film presented from new 2K restorations". We reviewed the three films, A Generation, Kanal and Ashes and Diamonds on Criterion's Andrzej Wajda: Three War Films DVD package, from 2005, HERE. We also compared the Criterion and Arrow Blu-rays of Ashes & Diamonds HERE, in 2021. Obviously the 1080P advances for the first two films (over the SD transfers) looking like quite a notch ahead in terms on contrast and texture support. I'd even say there is improvement in Ashes and Diamonds over the Criterion and Arrow Blu-rays. There is some movement in the frame but the overall HD presentation is a highly pleasing one in the new rendering.

NOTE: We have added 96 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Second Run use linear PCM dual-mono tracks (16-bit) in the original Polish language. There are the aggressive sounds of war / battle - plenty of gunfire in sequences. For A Generation the score was credited to Andrzej Markowski (Wataha) plus you can hear Franz Schubert's Ständchen used in the film. On Kanal the score was by Jan Krenz (Andrzej Munk's Eroica) and on Ashes and Diamonds the score was by Filip Nowak (his only film credit) with Czerwone maki ('Red Poppies') performed by Grazyna Staniszewska, Si me quieres escribir - a popular song from the Spanish Civil War as well as Frédéric Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, sounding effective, authentically flat and clean in the lossless transfer. Second Run offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Second Run Blu-ray offers new commentaries for all three films by polymath Michael Brooke. He's been writing about Polish cinema for most of the 21st century. He fills the film's running times with extensive detail, historical background and lesser-known facts regarding the production, Wajda, the cast and the era this trio of films were made including times of stringent Polish governmental control of the freeing up of such. Certainly it is the most comprehensive education you could get on the director and this trifecta of early films know as "The War Trilogy"... or on Polish cinema as a whole. He is the 'go-to' guy and it was a pleasure indulging in his commentaries which are rifled off at a steady, enthusiastic clip. Great job, Michael! There are also introductions to each film by Polish cinema expert Michal Oleszczyk providing further insight - for almost 3/4 of an hour in total. We also get three separate archival video pieces running over 40-minutes in total of Andrzej Wajda talking about A Generation, Kanal and Ashes and Diamonds. Second Run also include three of Andrzej Wajda's early short films from the early 50's; The Bad Boy (Zly chlopiec) with a quaint happy conclusion, Ceramics from Ilza (Ceramika Ilzecka) - his very first film - it looks at the pottery in the town of Iłża, Poland. Lastly is While You're Sleeping (Kiedy ty spisz from 1953 - running about 10-minutes. The package itself contains individual booklets with new writing on each film by authors and Polish cinema specialists Ewa Mazierska, Tony Rayns and Peter Hames. 

Andrzej Wajda was a recipient of the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion, Golden Bear and Oscar Awards, and was a prominent member of the "Polish Film School" which this trio of cinematic masterworks prominently ushered in. Second Run's The War Trilogy: Three films by Andrzej Wajda on Blu-ray should be a strong reason for celebration. Seeing A Generation, and, notably, Kanal (the first ever made about the Warsaw uprising) in HD with the inclusion of Ashes and Diamonds - always cited as one of the greatest Polish films ever made with the Blu-ray set inclusion of complete, satisfying, commentaries, past director interviews, new insightful introductions, three short films plus the booklet put this package in the 'must own' category, imo. Described on the Criterion DVD box, these films are a "testaments to the resilience of the human spirit, the struggle for personal and national freedom, and Wajda’s unique contribution to his homeland and to world cinema." This deserves attention for Boxset of the Year in our annual poll. Our highest recommendation!

Gary Tooze