Eastern European Cinema
Again this category lumps a lot of countries together where the Alice collection is not large enough to warrant separate shelf-space for each country represented. Eastern European films are often categorised by a healthy black humour, an ability to look hardship in the eye and laugh - if somewhat bitterly at times. Included here are films from Poland, Austria, Yugoslavia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. To look for films from a specific country refer to the 'By Country' link on the left.
Knife in the Water (1962)
7.6/10
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz
An absorbing drama that grows out of the tensions created when a couple off for a sailing weekend pick up a student hitchhiker. Polanski's first featu... Read more
Mother Joan of the Angels (1961)
7.7/10
Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Starring: Lucynna Winnika
A brilliantly filmed and at times unsettling exploration of faith and repression, the film is based on the documented story of the possession of a gro... Read more
Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
7.9/10
Director: Andrzej Wajda
Starring: Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyzanowska
This brilliant statement illustrates the conflict of idealism and instinct in the story of a young resistance fighter who assassinates the wrong man a... Read more
A Generation (1955)
7.6/10
Director: Andrzej Wajda
Starring: Zbigniew Cybulski, Tadeusz Lomnicki, Roman Polanski
Master Polish director Andrzej Wajda received an Honorary Academy Award for five decades of work, beginning with this film about the Polish resistance... Read more