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THE CANAL
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Wajda’s aesthetic opposition to communism
with its socialist realism.
The influence of Italian neo-realism.
The concept of national history. “Polish
romanticism.”
Realism and symbolism.
Music, literature, fine arts.
A Soviet aesthetic doctrine enforced in Poland in late
1940-s by the Communist party.
Principles:
 The adherence to the Party line;
 Story/history told from a Marxist perspective;
 The emphasis on class-based images and class
struggle;
 Nationalism replaced by internationalism;
 Marxism-based moral lessons;
 Social optimism;
 No formal experimentation;
 The reality shown “as it should be.”
ARE THERE ANY ASPECTS IN THE FILM THAT
STILL BELONG TO SOCIAL REALISM?
Italian neo-realism was a Post-War cinema trend,
starting with Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open
City (1946).
 Observation-based (“see things as they are”) ;
 Life not sugar-coated;
 Use of non-professional actors, real locations;
 Documentary flavour;
 Social issues;
 Poor working class characters;
 Episodic narrative.
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How does Wajda see
the past in the film?
What place do the
characters occupy in
the country’s history?
What does the film
say about the future?
“Polish
Romanticism.”
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Symbol
In art, an object or image that represents
another object or idea by association or
similarity; usually, a material object standing
for something imperceptible, especially
abstract concepts. Symbols are elusive and may
convey several meanings.
What symbols can you find in The
Canal?
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What kinds of music
do we hear in the
film?
What does the figure
of Composer mean?
How do music and
visual imagery
interact in the film?
What references
(allusions) to
literature are there in
the film?
Name any associations.
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The film is based on a story by Jerzy
Stawińsky.
It contains allusions to classics, such as Greek
tragedy (ex., chorus, “Lethean water”),
Shakespeare, and Dante’s “Inferno” from the
Divine Comedy.
The setting is reminiscent of an episode in Les
Misérables (1862) by Victor Hugo, a novel
revered by Communists for its revolutionary
spirit.
MORTALLY WOUNDED
JACEK
PIETÀ BY JACOPO
TINTORETTO
DAISY WITH JACEK’S
BODY
PIETÀ BY
MICHELANGELO
THE CANAL
DANTE’S INFERNO BY
GUSTAVE DORÉ
WARSAW IN THE CANAL
LOWER HELL, A DRAWING
BY STRADANUS