Andrzej Wajda: Master of Gore

Made in 1974 under a Communist regime, Ziemia Obiecana (Promised Land) is a sweeping portrait of capitalism on the rise in late-19th century Poland directed by Andrzej Wajda, arguably that nation's greatest director. In some ways it looks like Wajda's attempt to imitate the opulent yet socially conscious work of the Italian director Luchino Visconti, or a companion piece to another Italian epic, Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900. I'll have more to say about the film as a whole this weekend, but for now I have to report the shock I experienced, and wish to share with you, when I discovered, in the midst of this highbrow project, one of the most horrific exhibitions of cinematic gore I've ever seen. You won't have to wait long if you watch the clip below, which was uploaded to YouTube by polskietodobore; the worst is over in less than a minute. To set things up, a factory executive is attacking an employee whom he suspects is out to blackmail him. But the whos and whys won't matter for long once the two men tumble into that wheelwell. Just remember to remind yourself: "It's only socialist realism....It's only socialist realism...."



That's the sort of moment that might mark another movie, or at least one from the capitalist world, as a genre product not to be taken seriously. And some may well feel that Promised Land can't be taken very seriously after such a display, while some of those more intrigued by this sample might find themselves disappointed, despite another factory mutilation scene and a nice man-on-fire bit later, in a film that's much like a densely packed 19th century novel. Does such a scene discredit the artistic aspirations of its director, or can there be a point to it that wouldn't compromise Wajda's artistic integrity. Since one might presume that there'd be no such thing as exploitation cinema in a communist country, we probably should assume the latter, but I'll save my own judgement for later. For now, to reiterate: damn......