Ascension Day

(Wniebowstąpienie)


1969   >   psychological/war

 A film adaptation of the novel by Adolf Rudnicki under same title, illustrated with moving, black and white cinematography by DoP Mieczysław Jahoda. The tragic story of a Jewish married couple hiding in Warsaw under German oocupation.

It’s 1941. Nazi troops are headed for Lviv. City residents are fleeing to the east by the thousand. Raisa Wolkow and Sebastian Goldstein get married. The young couple decide to head for the capital.  There they are forced to hide as Sebastian is a Jew. Constant threat, danger and fear drive him mad. Raisa looks for a way to help him. A friend from Lviv, the shopkeeper  Bukin suggests she should give him poison. He is aware of what’s happening and thinks this might help protect him from far worse ways to die. Raisa decides to give Sebastian the poisoned drink in a thermos, but changes her mind at the last moment. Sebastian can’t take it anymore and runs out. He is shot dead by a German guard. Soon Raisa dies too. Bukin asks Raisa’s father for a picture of his daughter.


Crew:

director
Jan Rybkowski
script
Adolf Rudnicki, Jan Rybkowski
d.o.p.
Mieczysław Jahoda
designer
Teresa Barska, Mieczysław Jahoda
editor
Krystyna Rutkowska
music
Andrzej Korzyński
cast
Małgorzata Braunek
Andrzej Antkowiak
Piotr Wysocki
Stanisław Jaworski
Józef Kondrat
Zofia Mrozowska
Piotr Fronczewski
Lech Ordon
Aleksandra Zawieruszanka
Hanna Zembrzuska
Andrzej Bogucki
Materials: SD
Length: 85’