Review of Polish Film Katyn

In September of 1939, Hitler invaded Poland and quickly overran the country beginning World War II. A few days later, the Soviet Union, having signed a nonaggression pact with Germany, invaded Poland from the East. The country was soon conquered and divided between the two invaders. Thousands of Polish prisoners of war, public servants, and intellectuals were put in prison camps and then subsequently executed by the Soviet secret police at the Katyn Forest of Russia in the spring of 1940. The number of those massacred was about 22,000.

This is the subject of the film Katyn by Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda, whose father was actually a cavalry officer murdered at Katyn. The movie begins with the invasion of Poland and shows the military officers being taken to prison camps. It does a good job of showing how the Soviets tried to cover up this massacre later in the war by saying that the Germans were responsible. The Germans actually discovered the mass graves in 1943 and tried to use it for propaganda against the Allies. When the Soviets took over Poland after the war, the Poles were faced with the choice of either going along with the Soviets, or rejecting their lies and facing the consequences.

This movie is unique in that the story is told from the perspective of the survivors, not knowing what happened to their loved ones at first but then finding out they were killed. There was a lot of confusion over what had happened to them and if they were still alive. We see the characters (wives, sisters, parents) struggle amidst the tragedy. At times, it was a little difficult to follow as new characters are introduced. However, the end of the movie shows what really happened to the officers, how they were executed and buried in mass graves. This part of the movie is especially graphic and disturbing.

It wasn't until 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union did the Communist Party admit guilt for the massacre, finally revealing the truth after 50 years. The movie shows what really did happen and does a good job of showing how tragic Poland's history is in the 20th century. I lived in Poland about three years ago, and I saw that the scars of World War 2 are still there today. I recommend this film. It shows how important the truth is and the horrors of WWII.

Links to Learn More:

• Katyn Movie Trailer
• National Katyn Memorial Foundation