★ 7 / 10
Poland, December 1970
ricardojorgeramalho
"1970" is a documentary that attempts to reconstruct the events that took place in northern Poland in December 1970. These events brought tens of thousands of…
"1970" is a documentary that attempts to reconstruct the events that took place in northern Poland in December 1970. These events brought tens of thousands of protesters to the streets of Gdansk, Gdynia, Szczecin and Elblag, on the Baltic coast, resulting in 44 deaths among the protesters (mostly teenagers, the youngest being 15), six deaths among military personnel, more than 1,100 civilian injuries, and more than 3,000 arrests.A sharp rise in food prices and shortages of some products, such as meat, inflamed the spirits of shipyard workers in the north, who went on strike and began street demonstrations, joined by many students. The Prague Spring had been crushed by Soviet tanks just two years earlier, so the Polish government wanted to demonstrate its ability to control events without the need for Soviet intervention. With the militia surrounded, several soldiers injured or in danger of death, some public buildings set on fire, and the streets blocked by tens of thousands of protesters, the authorities called in the army and ordered fire on the crowd, forcing it to disperse. This led to a massacre followed by fierce police pursuits.But despite being subdued, the December 1970 uprising was the spark that ignited the Polish revolution. It led to the resignation of the president and the removal of most of those responsible for the massacre. In 1976, new uprisings broke out, in 1979 the Solidarity trade union was created, and in 1980 the wave of strikes began that would eventually lead to the fall of the Soviet regime in 1991.Bringing together a remarkable collection of films and telephone recordings from the period and using puppets to represent the military and government officials, in a clear allusion to the fact that they were in the service of Moscow and against the Polish people, the film effectively and sagaciously manages to indict those responsible and honor the victims.A historical document.
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★ 10 / 10
Fantastic
oanaantoniastroe
An absolute must-watch. I saw 1970 at the Transylvania International Film Festival this June. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it surely wasn't a…
An absolute must-watch. I saw 1970 at the Transylvania International Film Festival this June. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it surely wasn't a flawless blend of stop-motion animation and breathtaking archive footage of the 1970 Polish uprising.
The documentary's structure builds upon archive recordings of telephone conversations between the Communist leaders tasked with silencing the uprising. It makes for a chilling, authentic insight into the devious decisions made by the Communist leaders (and the overall power apparatus) as they attempt to shut down the initially unyielding protestors, which rioted for an impressive 8 days.
Just watch it!
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100%
TOMATOMETER
· 7 reviews
100%
AUDIENCE
7.3/10
124
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Because communism sucks !