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A severely censored adaptation of Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz’s prose. The available copy of the film is the third version of the directorial debut of Jan Rybkowski. The first version showing a love story during wartime had its premiere at the Festival in Venice in 1949. Before the film hit cinema screens in Poland it had two remakes. Numerous political and propaganda plots were included in the original screenplay, which completely changed the message it conveys.
Beautiful, almost expressionist cinematography by a pre-war cameraman Stanisław Wohl, which, together with the slightly exaggerated scenography by Roman Mann, create a mysterious and unrealistic atmosphere.
A young girl Basia and her old-fashioned aunt Kazia live in an old house off the beaten track. Even though they live close to Warsaw, they get only scraps of information about the war. The calm life of the two women is interrupted by the appearance of “Hubert”, a mysterious man, who having escaped from the Germans, needs a place to hide. The characters don’t belong to the resistance movement, yet they decide to take care of the fugitive. Slowly Basia and the unexpected guest develop feelings for each other. When “Hubert” gets back on his feet, he gets involved with a leftist military organization. He embarks on a secretive production of explosives. At the beginning Basia prefers to stand aside yet when the situation gets critical, she must join the fight.
