The Great Way, Wielka Droga, 1946, 87 min, Poland

Directed by:  Michał Waszyński

Written by: Konrad Tom

Music: Henryk Wars

Principal Cast: Jadwiga Andrzejewska, Renata Bogdańska, Albin Ossowski, Józef Winawer

The film follows the fate of an engaged couple – Adam and Irena separated by the outbreak of World War II. It  incorporates authentic, and unique archival recordings, as the action moves from the siege of Lwów in 1939 to the formation of the Anders Army and evacuation of Polish citizens from Soviet labor camps, and the subsequent journey through Iran, Iraq, Palestine and Egypt, leading to the Italian Campaign and Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944. The Great Way was shot in 1946 in Italy. It is the only film showing the Polish participation in the Italian Campaign.

MICHAŁ WASZYŃSKI
Born in Kowel, Volhynia (now Ukraine) in 1904. One of the most important directors of the interwar period. He made forty films in the decade preceding World War II. In 1941, he joined Polish Armed Forces in the East commanded by General Władysław Anders. With Konrad Tom, they recorded the army’s journey to the Middle East in the documentary film “Children” (1943). A year later, he shot another documentary, “Monte Cassino”. Died in 1965 in Spain.