A Year of the Quiet Sun

I couldn't stop watching Scott Wilson in The Grissom Gang. Such unguarded intensity is quite unusual. He's older and less obsessive here, but still unsettlingly vulnerable. Komorowska [also in Wajda's masterful-horrific Katyn] is herself all raw nerve. The kind of woman whose purity compels reverence. A mythological matriarch and mater dolorosa, she possesses a quality of quiet intensity rare in an actress. Her depths are channeled without distortion to her surface, a bit like Julie Harris, only with the volume slightly lower and with less treble.You don't get this kind of undiluted humanity in American films. It's unnerving because unpredictable. War can do that to a neighborhood. A Year of the Quiet Sun is a film made by and for adults. A deeply felt, atmospherically saturated work that tells the story of an improbable love. One that had no business coming about, and that even after becoming reality remains somehow otherworldly. A film authentic in the way Axel Corti's war trilogy "Wohin und Zurück," also from the early 80s, is . They are all products of an era characterized by the actual experience of historical discontinuity, not just its filmic emplotment.I did find the language barrier between the lovers almost too effective. We, as the audience, have an interest in characters being able to communicate, and anything that hinders it needs to subserve that interest. Granted, our frustration mirrors that of the characters and their incapacity is thematically warranted. The fact remains that it is in itself less interesting than communication, and only works if it is overcome. Here the language barrier seems to become a theme in its own right. But such incapacity is not itself very engrossing. A minor quibble.I understand Zanussi succumbed to commercial interests eventually, but that this and some other films of his belong among the best Polish films of their era. All films too little known in the West.The transfer is like the recording of an analogue tape, unfortunately. In other words, we don't have access to the actual surface of the film, to its texture, only to a bad and distorted copy thereof.

This movie was good up until the end. It was the story of two lonely people, an American GI and a Polish woman, who meet during (or just after) WWII and gradually fall in love. I liked the story up until the end. Others may think it was a logical outcome but I would have ended it differently. I've watched several movies from Amazon Prime and this movie was better than most of the foreign films I've seen. Had it not been for what seemed to me to be an unrealistic, even hokey ending, I would have given it 4 stars.

This is a lovely story of real people caught in the drama of a post WWII era, and how they strive to survive with intolerable conditions from day to day. The story is touching to see this polish widow, as she does her painting artwork among the ruins. She supports herself and her ill mother with her baking skills, as they live in a hovel left after war has taken it all. We see death and scenes of cruelty and the inhumanity of the armies and what happened to the men no longer there to protect their women. They mother and daughter subsist in the ashes as they survive the attacks of unsavory characters who threaten their safety and sanity,When a lonely yank is attracted to this hard working widow, the romance meets the problems of people of another language and customs. She is honest and decent, but her reality means she has little chance to survive or flourish. Under normal conditions, one might think the yank tries to take advantage of her circumstances, but his loneliness and genuine kindness comes through in his dealings with her. He becomes her benefactor, one who treats her mother with respect and tries to protect them from the predators who would steal from them. We like him and wish it were easier for him to communicate with her. We see he has adopted a purpose to help and make life easier for them. He is a genuine nice guy and the actor is not an opportunist, but lonely and sad in his own way. He wins over the mother with his concern and good will.The story strikes a chord with me. This reminds me of the frustration of attractions between people with different language and culture. So it was between my husband and I at the beginning. Some things don't need to be translated. There is that loneliness and desire to love and be loved, that transcends such a situation. In the story, the viewer wants this to be a "happy ending" for these star crossed lovers. The Yank wants to take this widow to safety with him, but she can't leave her ill mother. We see the deep love in the sacrifice made by the mother, that touches the viewers' heart. The mother realizes her daughter will not leave her. She knows her daughter has this one chance to find happiness with this kind American. She won't leave her mother and that means only with the mothers' death will this dutiful daughter leave with her American love. It is ironic that even with her mothers' sacrifice, the lovers are parted.I found this story beautiful, and haunting. One wants to believe this couple will be reunited. We are happy the Yank keeps his promise to protect and care for this lady years later. He never forgot her and he gives her the gift of love at the end. We so want to see them reunited. I loved the film and would watch it again. It is a lovely story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who yearns for a good love story, or someone who lost one they cared about. The actors did a great job and the actress was perfect for her part. I thought this lady was luminous, even in her dim surroundings and grey tones. I loved this story!

Great film

Saw this film on TV about 30 years ago, remembered being very impressed. As time went on I almost forgot about it, then with the popularity of video/dvds decided to track it down. Unfortunately I couldn't remember the title or most of the film except for the last scene which always stuck in my mind.It's only by sheer chance reading film reviews this story sounded familiar and so immediately bought the dvd. Yes it is the one and the final scene has lost none of it's impact. This is not your run of the mill wartime love story, it has greater depth.Intelligent, believable with Spot on performances. It's great to catch up with such an excellent film after all this time.

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