Military drama about the episode of martial law Kazimierz Kutz is one of the most famous classics of Polish cinema, whose work is inextricably linked with the history of his native Silesia. A significant place in the filmography of Kazimierz Kutz was occupied by historical films about Silesian miners - the director dedicated his triptych to them back in the years of the PPR: Salt of the Black Earth (1969), Pearl in the Crown (1971), Beads of One Bead (1979).
The idea to make a film about the pacification of the mine "Wujek" (accepted in historiography the name of the tragic events of December 16, 1981) Kazimierz Kutz hatched from the time when the Polish People's Republic was under martial law - however, for obvious reasons, the director could start shooting only after the dismantling of the socialist system in Poland. The film “Death as the edge of bread” was released in May 1994 (as the title the director chose a line from a poem by Felix Netz, written by him on the seventh day of martial law).
The film is based on the reportage book by Jan Dzyadula “Shot Mine”. This circumstance, combined with the fact that the director is a native of Katowice, where the events described in the film took place, and is well acquainted with the history of the Silesian miners, makes the film “Death as the Edge of Bread” to a certain extent documentary.
The picture begins with the arrest on the night of December 12-13, 1981 (when martial law was introduced in the PPR) of the activist of the trade union “Solidarity” Jan Ludvichak, who represented the interests of the workers of the mine “Vuek”. The next day, December 14, an occupation strike begins at the mine demanding the release of Ludovic, to which the demands for the abolition of martial law in Poland and the implementation of the Jastscheb agreements are soon added. On the morning of December 16, police units reinforced by units of the Polish Army are gathered to the mine. The failure of negotiations between the strikers and the army leads the parties to an open clash.
The events at the Vuek mine on December 13-16, 1981 are depicted in the film with a very high degree of detail, abounding in interesting details. It is shown that the specificity of the operation of the mine - work on shifts - led to the fact that the strike at the "Vueka" was actually announced twice: first the first shift, then the second. In detail, the film describes: a special organization of mine defense; the organization of food for miners; the organization of worship at the mine, as well as communion and absolution of sins (which occupies one of the central places in the tape); the establishment of watches at key areas of defense and observation positions. The image of the events of December 16 reflects such well-known episodes as the dispersal of workers’ wives using water cannons (in conditions of December frosts), the capture by miners of two armored vehicles with crews locked inside, and the capture by miners of several policemen. At the end of the film, each of the nine strikers is named by name.
The painting “Death as the Edge of Bread” is a colorful and detailed illustration of the events at the Vuek mine on December 13-16, 1981. However, as a source of information, this feature film should be used with a certain degree of caution. Kazimierz Kutz’s film, for all its documentary nature, is generally staged according to all the canons of the classical military drama, divided into two parts. The first part is the events preceding the decisive battle; the disclosure of characters, moral and physical preparation for battle, parting speeches of the priest. The second part is a directly decisive battle, where scenes of fierce fighting in various sections of the “front” are interspersed with heartbreaking footage from the medical center, where the wounded in battle flow in a continuous stream. However, the director from time to time makes a kind of “pause” here to remind the viewer that the Poles fought with the Poles at the Vuek mine.
10 out of 10