{"id":82603,"date":"2022-03-31T22:07:01","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T05:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=82603"},"modified":"2022-04-02T11:14:32","modified_gmt":"2022-04-02T18:14:32","slug":"kanal-1957","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=82603","title":{"rendered":"Kanal (1957)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I know this sewer; the way&#8217;s not difficult.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Poster-230x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"230\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-82604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Poster-230x300.png 230w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Poster-98x128.png 98w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Poster-207x270.png 207w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Poster.png 693w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 230px) 100vw, 230px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nDuring the waning days of the Warsaw Uprising against the Nazis, a dedicated commander (Wienczyslaw Glinski) leads his platoon down into the sewers of the city, where a beautiful blonde (Teresa Izewska) carries a wounded soldier (Tadeusz Janczar), an inexperienced composer (Vladek Sheybal) goes mad, and a married aide (Emil Karewicz) travels alongside his young lover (Teresa Berezowska).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Eastern European Films<\/li>\n<li>Resistance Fighters<\/li>\n<li>World War II<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary writes, this &#8220;breakthrough film of the Polish cinema, directed by Andrzej Wajda,&#8221; centers on &#8220;survivors of the Warsaw uprising&#8221; &#8212; a &#8220;platoon of resisters&#8221; that &#8220;goes below and in the chaos gets split into three groups,&#8221; with most becoming &#8220;hopelessly lost in the dark.&#8221; He points out that as the resisters &#8220;wallow waist-deep in filth, they become delirious from the intoxicating fumes,&#8221; and &#8220;even the strongest and bravest men act helpless, go berserk.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Flute.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Flute.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Flute.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Flute-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Flute-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Flute-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Only &#8220;a young woman (Teresa Izewska) who is alone with her wounded, dying boyfriend knows the escape route, and he is incapable of undertaking the difficult climb.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Izewska.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Izewska.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Izewska.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Izewska-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Izewska-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Izewska-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary notes this film&#8217;s similarities with <em>Das Boot<\/em> (1982) in that is also &#8220;shows the claustrophobic horrors endured by soldiers who are trapped below and are at the mercy of both the enemy above and their watery environment&#8221; &#8212; and both feature &#8220;a leader who disagreed with the orders that placed him and his men in such an insane situation, but who would never disobey orders or go off to safety and desert his men.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Glinski.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Glinski.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Glinski.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Glinski-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Glinski-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Glinski-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary argues, however, that this &#8220;film is not as impressive as it once seemed&#8221; given that &#8220;the characters aren&#8217;t very well drawn; and once the platoon goes into the sewers, we lose all track of time &#8212; it seems the men are hysterical and exhausted after being below for 20 seconds and having walked five steps.&#8221; He asserts that the &#8220;premise is intriguing, but [the] execution is more punishing than exciting.&#8221; While I don&#8217;t find any problem with the fighters&#8217; responses to being in the sewers, I agree that this is a relentlessly grueling flick to sit through &#8212; especially hearing in voiceover as we&#8217;re introduced to the main players, &#8220;These are the heroes of the tragedy; watch them closely, for these are the last hours of their lives.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Film fanatics will likely recognize distinctive character actor Sheybal (the mad composer), who would appear in a number of other Peary-listed films &#8212; including <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44880\"><em>From Russia With Love<\/em> (1963)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=52238\"><em>Casino Royale<\/em> (1967)<\/a>, <em>Billion Dollar Brain<\/em> (1967), <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=76991\"><em>Women in Love<\/em> (1969)<\/a>, <em>Leo the Last<\/em> (1970), <em>The Last Valley<\/em> (1971), <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=112\"><em>The Boy Friend<\/em> (1971)<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5442\"><em>Red Dawn<\/em> (1984)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jerzy Lipman&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Tunnel.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Tunnel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Tunnel.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Tunnel-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Tunnel-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Tunnel-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Bars.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Bars.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Bars.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Bars-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Bars-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kanal-Bars-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its historical significance within Polish cinema. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0050585\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/current\/posts\/1054-kanal\">Criterion Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/1454\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I know this sewer; the way&#8217;s not difficult.&#8221; Synopsis: During the waning days of the Warsaw Uprising against the Nazis, a dedicated commander (Wienczyslaw Glinski) leads his platoon down into the sewers of the city, where a beautiful blonde (Teresa Izewska) carries a wounded soldier (Tadeusz Janczar), an inexperienced composer (Vladek Sheybal) goes mad, and a married aide (Emil Karewicz) travels alongside his young lover (Teresa Berezowska). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Eastern European Films Resistance Fighters World War II&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=82603\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82603"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82685,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82603\/revisions\/82685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}