Cert 15
112 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, injury detail
About three years ago, my family and I visited Poland for the first time.
We had a fascinating weekend, combining the delights of the beautiful city of Krakow and its pubs and bars with sobering visits to Schindler's factory and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In Krakow, we stayed in a hotel in the picturesque Jewish quarter where it seemed hard to believe the atrocities which had taken place during The Second World War.
But the Poles are determined not to forget the horrors to which they were subjected and there were reminders in our hotel of its place in history.
Meanwhile, the war still features heavily in Polish cinema and Stones For The Rampart is the latest in the genre.
The film surrounds the resistance group in German-occupied Warsaw where retribution for acts of native defiance was ruthless.
It is based on Aleksander Kaminski's non-fiction book of 1943 which was printed by the underground press and, since the war, such has been its popularity that it has remained on the school curriculum in Poland.
It centres on men in their early 20s who dare to defy the Germans with acts of sabotage but doesn't hide from the fact that the resistance was often disorganised and on the hoof.
Tomasz Zietek and Marcel Sabat are the key players among what became known as the Polish boy-scouts. Interestingly, their fall-outs over tactics are highlighted as much as their derring-do.
It is important to recognise that those in occupied countries did not just bend over and accept German rule.
This was demonstrated recently in Suite Francaise which highlighted the work of the French resistance and Stones For The Rampart does a similar job for the Poles.
The only surprise is that it has taken Robert Glinski's film to bring Kaminski's stories to wider attention.
Director Robert Glinski: After a screening a young man approached me to say he really enjoyed the film. ‘I went to see it with my girlfriend,’ he said, ‘and she was crying the whole time. I had to just hug and console her. A very good film’.
Reason to watch: Provides a fascinating take on occupation through Polish eyes
Reason to avoid: Some of the violence is hard to bear
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 7/10