Legiony

The movie tells the story of Polish Legions that fight for the reestablishment of their motherland after 123 years of the Partition of Poland. While the historical aspects are presented quite well, underlying the patriotism and bravery of the Legionairies, the romantic plot that emerges between a deserter Jozek, a Legionairy Tadek and a young fighting woman Ola seems to lack some resolution. Female lead acting isn't the strongest, the emotional aspects seem to be missing, and the character of Ola ultimately appears to be bland and shallow, especially in the way she treats Józek in the end. Jozek is a much more complex character: withdrawn, brave, distant and a bit of a loner, he makes an intriguing individual. The actor definitely delivers. He deserves a better confrontation with Tadek and Ola as the way the love story ends seems like an unfinished business, something that was nice when it was needed but was ultimately shrugged off by the girl in a surprisingly emotionless way. All in all, it's a great movie about Polish people and their incredible patriotic spirit. I just wish the romance was at least half as powerful as the will of the Legionaries to recover their home.

By the beginning of WWI Poland did not exist as a country; it was partitioned among Russia. The Austro-Hungarian Empire and Prussia.. When war broke out Poland's nationalists saw an opportunity to to use the upheaval to procure the reinstatement and independence of Poland. The first priority was to defeat Tsarist Russia. The Poles were no supporters of the Central Powers but believed that the rest of the occupying powers could later be persuaded (or forced) to leave.

The formation of the Polish Legions was declared by Marshall Józef Pilsudski in August 1914 as independent formations of the Austro-Hungarian Army. The Legions only existed for two years (in 1916 they merged with other military formations) but participated in many battles and became one of the founding myths of modern Poland.

This movie covers the beginnings of the Legions and some of its initial battles, centering on three fictional characters, Legion members Józek and Tadeusz and Aleksandra, fighter and war nurse. There are Hollywood echoes, such as the heroic exploits of Józek and Tadeusz, and credibility is strained here and there such as in the blowing up of a bridge. The film does not really come together into a coherent whole, and it feels at times slow paced and overlong. It omits history, which possibly means it was aimed towards the Polish public. On the positive side, it does not preach or propagandize and contains some stirring war scenes such as a cavalry charge over enemy trenches. Production values and acting are of high level. It amply deserves to a watch.

IN A NUTSHELL:

In 1914, shortly after the start of World War I, the Polish Legions were formed to fight for a sole purpose; independence. Battling against vast empires, the young, quick-witted legionnaires endured the onslaught of world powers to secure Poland's sovereignty. The story follows Joseph, a deserter turned warrior, and Ola, an intelligence agent, through this tale of love and sacrifice in the face of great odds.

The film is a winner of the 2019 Polish Golden Lions award. Legions is presented by Janson Media in North America. This production from Poland is a thrilling tale of the legionary generation of 1914-1916 during WW1, which won Poland's Independence. Legions tells the story of young people who did not hesitate to join the vortex of struggle for regaining statehood and a free Poland.

THINGS I LIKED: I hadn't seen any of the actors in the cast before but I thought they did an outstanding job. The cast includes Sebastian Fabijanski, Bartosz Gelner, Wiktoria Wolanska, Miroslaw Baka, Jan Fryzc, Karolina Kominek-Skuratowicz, and more.

I'm fascinated by war movies.

Beautiful cinematography I loved the sweeping and dramatic musical score Decent special effects.

The love triangle reminded me of Pearl Harbor At the end of the movie, we get to see photos of the real men and women in Poland who fought in the war to secure their country's autonomy.

My husband has ancestors from Poland! We'd both love to visit the country someday.

I don't know anything about the specific battles that are enacted in the movie, so I can't tell you how accurate they or even the costume design are, but they all seemed believable.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Sometimes, it's hard to understand what people say. I watched the movie dubbed in English, so it was usually because the voice-over actors talked so quietly or quickly.

Some of the dialogue is pretty cliched.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids will be bored.

Violence Blood Super high body count. People die, often in gory, brutal ways Weapons of various kinds

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The movie shows how much strenght the Polish people have and their believe in their country during WOI. Impressive.

Hope the ending will be better. but this is good movies