Eroica (1966)

This potent black comedy by the legendary Andrzej Munk is a bitter yet timeless commentary on the varying notions of heroism and war. Based on a pair of World War II stories by Jerzy Stefan Stawinski, the film unfolds in two parts. The first,"Scherzo Alla Pollaca," tells the tale of a small-time black marketeer, who cares little about the war. He unwittingly becomes involved with the Polish Resistance, and in time his actions render him heroic, though his motivations are not those of the ideal soldier.In the second story, "Ostinato Lugubre," Polish military prisoners battle boredom and despair in a prison camp; one inmate decides that he can no longer stand to be confined and makes a brave if foolhardy attempt to escape. While no one is sure if the man actually made it out, his escape provides a sense of hope and inspiration for the other prisoners.

A classic Polish film that explores heroism

Andrzej Munk's films hold an important place in Polish cinema and are classics. Munk's Eroica is a story in two parts. Although the stories are very different they have a few things in common. The stories both take place during World War II and are about heroism.

The first story is about a man who fights in the underground against the Germans. He is a reluctant hero; he doesn't want to do marching drills with the others and takes off for his home. There, he finds his unfaithful wife entertaining a Hungarian officer. The Hungarian offers him a cache of weapons for the underground but he must get official acceptance from the head of the resistance. He comes and goes from Warsaw (no easy task) with his craftiness, albeit complaining and cursing the whole way, which adds a lot of humor to the film. His wise-guy nature and bumbling in and out of a war zone are quite funny. A great example of this would be when a German soldier orders him to carry a bag for an older woman. Because the bag's contents are very heavy, he offers her money to leave behind some of the junk he is forced to carry.

The second story has a much different feeling and was my favorite of the two. The story takes us to a prison camp inside Germany. The Polish prisoners have a new officer join their group and we see how he learns the ways of the camp, including some of their odd mannerisms. The support each other, they disagree with each other, and often talk of the guy who got out. The guy who escaped is their hero and gives them hope. The new officer quickly learns the secret of the getaway.

Although Eroica is probably not of interest to everyone, if you enjoy old black and white war films or classics of Polish cinema, the two stories presented in "Eroica" may interest you. Both parts take on different issues -- from the dangerous war torn countryside to the safety of a prisoner of war camp, but both explore heroism.
February 25, 2006

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