The Cross and the Axe (1972)

Overview

An elegiac documentary about Krzyżtopór Castle in the village of Ujazd, southern Poland. Built between 1627 and 1644 by Krzysztof Ossoliński. It was occupied until 1770 when it was destroyed by the Russian army during the military actions against the army of the Bar Confederation. Nowadays, the castle is classified as a permanent ruin. The film is a powerful meditation on lasting tradition and historical decline; The images are accompanied by a folk ballad about the castle’s history, performed by the village choir from Iwaniska.