One of the most important films in the history of the Polish cinematography. The first dealing with Holocaust and showing different Poles’ attitudes towards Jews’ annihilation.
Directed by Aleksander Ford, a pre-war avant-garde film director, who - in the post-war period – was an omnipotent “red tsar” of the Polish culture and directed “Krzyżacy” – the greatest Polish box office success of all times.
The film was awarded with the Golden Medal at the International Film Festival in Venice.
Hitler’s occupation and the tragedy of Jewish people portrayed through the prism of experience of a group of children living in Graniczna street in Warsaw before the war.
August 1939. A few children with different backgrounds live in one of the tenement houses in Warsaw. The outbreak of war destroys their safe world. Władek’s father has to hide whereas the small David with his family will end up in a ghetto. Fredek’s father signs a volkslist and blackmails doctor Białek, who refuses to reveal his background, into giving up his flat. Władek, brought up in the spirit of antisemitism, gradually changes his views and helps the doctor’s daughter – Jadzia. The situation of the Jewish people is deteriorating. Before the ghetto is to be closed down, a hopeless, tragic uprising breaks out. The boys living on the Arian side of the wall get a dramatic message from their Jewish friends.
The version of “Ulica Graniczna” that hit the screens was not the first version of Ford’s film. Under the pressure of the party and accusations of being anti-Polish the director edited his film, toning down the powerful message of many scenes and introducing communist plots.
