Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011) - full transcript

World War One...

brought defeat to the three powers...

that had occupied
the partitioned Poland for 123 years.

Germany and Austria lost the war.

The Bolshevik Revolution plunged Russia...

into a bloody civil war.

In November 1918,

after over a century of bondage

Poland regained her independence.

Encode.

'Moscow. The Kremlin.'.



To the attention of Comrade Lenin.

At this moment,

when the majority of the white generals...

have been defeated,

the invincible Red Army...

should come to assist...

the Polish proletariat...

in its struggle to abolish...

'the bourgeois government.'.

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW
'From the Polish Soviet Republic'

to the worldwide revolution.

Signed: Leon Trotsky,

'People's Commissar
for Military and Naval Affairs.'

I trust the Politburo
will support this decision?



Poland is a barrier...

that separates the Russian revolution
from the European revolution.

It must be eliminated.

Thank you, comrade Stalin.
Who's in favor?

So, comrades...
first we take Poland,

then Germany,

Italy, England...

and the entire world.

1920: BATTLE OF WARSAW

I know this scent so well
t read your little card

I'm tired of your gifts of gems and gold.

'Cause now I have a whim to travel very far.

Why don't we just escape out of this cold.

To be there, with you, my sweetie,
to be there, in our Tahiti...

WARSAW A special manifesto
to the Polish nation.

Hear ye, hear ye.

Fellow citizens.

We've regained our political autonomy,

but our poetry is shitting on itself.

It is high time we created
new canons of national art.

Down with the bourgeois Dadaism.

Down with it.

Down with it.

Down with the Cubism, Primitivism
and Expressionism.

Down with it.

Our new art shall draw
on the proletarian Onanism.

Wankers of the world, unite.
Gentlemen...

I opt for a more patriotic content.

They'll accuse us of Bolshevik agitation.

The Major is right.
Some patriotic spirit, gentlemen.

Every girl is proud and merry
when a patriot plucks her cherry.

No one will be as dear to me as you.

Only you.
Excuse me... sorry...

No one's kisses will be so sweet as yours...

none but yours.

Your heart is so kind and sweet

I can calm and comfort mine.

When I'm down and cry or weep...

and pine.

No one else can love me so much as you.

Only you.

Who can understand me so well as you.

Only you.

Other's words and sweet caresses...

always will be cold and dull...

for my love is once and for all for you.

Only you.

Bravo.

You're late again.

Army is mobilized... draft, and...

Oh Christ.

A stint at the front will cure him
of that futurist nonsense.

Oh, no, no. Nonsense
is my specialty. Right, dear?

Relax.

I love you.

What?

I love you.

A lot?

A lot.

How much is a lot?
A lot is a lot is a lot.

Marry me.

Marry me.

Do it.

Today. Now. This instant.

You madman.

Don't get up, gentlemen.

So...

Here you are.
Thank you.

Ten of clubs.

Ace of hearts.

How do they do that, Ola?
They count the cards.

Make use of your talent in Monte Carlo.

I'm on the black list there.
Me too.

Ignacy, is that you?

Oh... God bless you.
With Father Ignacy, please.

Asleep? At this hour?
So wake him up.

I'm calling from the Curia.

Yes, the bishop's one, who else's?
Get him for me, on the double.

Gentlemen, I am impressed.

Captain Kostrzewa.
Will you permit me...

to ask the lady to dance?

I'd be immensely honored.

You are absolutely ravishing.

The lady only dances on stage.

And that?
That was someone special.

What are you suggesting?

Enough, pops.
Excuse me?

You're dismissed.

I demand satisfaction.

What are you doing?

Major...

the uniform of a Polish officer
has been stained.

Barman, was the vodka straight?
Yes sir.

A straight vodka leaves no stains
on uniforms and honor.

You have declared your consent
before the Catholic Church.

Lord, bless this couple.

In the name of the Father,
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, bless and consecrate
those two rings as a symbol...

of their love.
Through Christ our Lord.

Exchange the rings
to seal your sacred vows.

Take this ring...

as a sign of my love and fidelity.

Take this ring...

as a sign of my love and fidelity.

Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.

Will you return?
I will.

Say it.

I will.

Promise me you will.

I promise.

HANDS OFF THE SOVIET RUSSIA

BELVEDERE PALACE, WARSAW
(Residence of Polish Presidents)

Marshall Pilsudski, Sir...
Don't you think it's a mistake?

How will the West react
to the Kiev offensive?

I don't care, Prime Minister.
First of all...

we've been at an undeclared war
with the Soviets for a year.

Secondly, our intelligence tells us...

the Soviets are preparing a massive
offensive. We'll pre-empt this.

Thirdly...

or firstly to be precise,

an ethnic Poland would be too
weak to defend herself...

against the White or Red Russia
on the East...

and Germany on the West.

That's why I opt for...

a federation of independent states,

the nations used to live
on the Polish territory.

And that is why I acceded
to Hetman Petliura's request...

to help him liberate Ukraine
from the Bolshevist plague.

Once we take Kiev...
we'll give it back to the Ukrainians.

"Missy War",
What's your sweet decoy?

Why are you attracting why are you...

attracting every handsome boy?

Why are you attracting why are you...

attracting every handsome boy?

To your lances, fear at bay
Drive the Bolsheviks away.

To your lances, fear at bay
Drive the Bolsheviks away.

There's no fate that could be worse:

Being knocked down off your horse...

fellow soldiers just ride on ahead.

Trampling you until you're dead.

To your lances, fear at bay
Drive the Bolsheviks away.

To your lances, fear at bay
Drive the Bolsheviks away.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Great news.
Kiev is ours!

BELVEDERE PALACE, WARSAW

Please accept my most sincere
congratulations, Marshall.

An excellent victory.
I was wrong.

Unless the Ukrainians
support Hetman Petliura...

this victory shall slip
through our fingers like sand.

Budyonny's First Cavalry Army.

Photographed by our American volunteers.

Not to worry.
Excuse me?

Cavalry is of no significance in this war.

It's an entire army,
not just one squad.

That's insignificant.
Even Napoleon's cavalry...

couldn't break through the infantry lines.

And we have machine guns,
tanks, and aircraft.

True. We have one tank regiment
and one aircraft squadron.

The days of cavalry are over,
my dear Wieniawa.

THE POLISH-BOLSHEVIK FRONT LINE IN UKRAINE
Your saber reminds me of a meat cleaver.

Yours is a Russian piece of shit.
It chopped enough of you, Prussians.

But we kicked your asses.

That's because the Tsar's Lady was German.

Shut up, you two,
or they'll catch you off guard.

Oh...

Lermontov.

Leave that Soviet propaganda.

That's Lermontov.
Their commissar? Throw it away.

Let's go back,
the Bolsheviks've split, chief.

We're missing lunch.
You like horse meat so much?

Like the Bolsheviks say:
existence influences the consciousness.

I see you're fascinated by them.

They give people land.
And land is worth more than life,

just like a horse is worth more
than a woman. Right?

You've fucking talked him round.

Me?

Charming.

A charming photo, look.

'Our troops are like patchwork.'.

They all speak Polish,

but all they do is boast
who served where during the Great War.

And conflicts arise.

Ex Russians cuirassiers versus
ex Prussian hussars or ex Austrian soldiers.

There's no sign of the Bolsheviks,

and they say we're to be replaced
by the Ukrainians.

We are stationing on the banks
of the Dnieper and waiting.

I miss the touch of your hands and lips...

And the rest is only for me.

Ah, you.

Got any rolling papers?
No.

Come here.

Here you go.

What's that?

A Bolshevik leaflet.
Just perfect for a roll-your-own.

'Comrades workers and peasants of Poland.'.

To our brothers fighting in the Poland army.

You must to strip the Poland authorities...

of any support.

Let the capitalist government
stand their selves alone itself...

against the Russia-Poland proletariat.

Alone against the power
of the revolutions state'. Slick.

You're agitating?

But...
Shut up.

I'm not deaf. What's that?

Nothing.

A picture of a whore?

You son of a bitch.

Keep it up.

Good job.

Bravo.

Come on, chief.
I'm arresting you...

for assaulting your superior
and for Bolshevik agitation.

It's awfully hot in here.
Le's wrap this up.

All rise.

Having been proven guilty
of sowing defeatism...

platoon leader Jan Krynicki is sentenced...

to death by firing squad...

and will be executed at dawn.

Executed?

Take him away.
What for?

What for? I'm innocent.

Say something.

I didn't do anything.

Lord, have mercy.

No one said a word in his defense.

Say it yourself.
I will.

You'll get into trouble.
And if he really is a Bolshevik?

The Reds.
Battle stations.

Come in.

Bolek.

What are you doing here?

What's wrong?

Ola...

I have bad news.
No...

Jan's squad
was wiped out by the Bolsheviks.

He's dead?
We don't know.

He's dead.
We don't know.

Spring has come
And all white roses bloom.

Come back, Johnny,
Come back to me soon.

Come and kiss me.

Come and hold me close.

And I will reward you.

With the sweetest rose.

Come and kiss me.

Come and hold me close.

And I will reward you.

With the sweetest rose.

My poor Johnny Lays deep in the tomb.

And white roses flower in full bloom.

Wav down vender.

A new rosebush grows.

On poor soldier's grave.

There blooms the sweetest rose.

'Marushka'.

Our lads are on position.

They don't fear the damn Bolsheviks.

They just mock them All the time.

Everybody.

Marushka, my dear Marushka.

Come and sleep with me.

Says here you were to be shot
for being a communist.

You're a party member?

No. I was wrongly accused.

Wrongly?

What are your political views?

Progressive.

A non-party communist.

Not precisely.

I need someone to write leaflets in Polish.

They exiled me in 1905.

So my Polish is rusty.

Let's get one thing clear.

You're talking to Commissar Bykowski.

I'm a Chekist.

You've heard of the Cheka?

Yes. You're the secret police.

Nothing of the sort.

Che-ka:

the Extraordinary Commission
for Combating Counter-Revolution.

The greatest invention of our revolution.

The French Revolution
invented the guillotine.

Which was... a step forward
from beheading with an axe.

But the guillotine's output was small,
so the French Revolution failed.

Meanwhile the Cheka's output is so big...

that before the Red Revolution
takes over the globe,

all the enemies of the people
will have been eliminated.

Is that clear?

- I think so.
- Wrong.

You don't think in the Cheka,
unless you are Comrade Dzerzhinsky.

Our job is to keep the output up.

Why are you staring like that?

Attractive, huh?

A lot of guys would like a piece of that.

But only I may fuck her.

She's my war wife.
Sofia Nikolayevna.

A wild thing,
impossible to tame.

Used to be the wife of a Tsarist colonel.

We hanged the bastard.

Come on. Make some tea.

You'll continue to wear your uniform.

Let people see we've recruited
some Poles as well.

Welcome,
distinguished Polish gentlemen.

Which one accused you?

I'm not seeking revenge.

Bourgeois morality?
All right.

Bielski.

Ah, that's you?

Do forgive me, Major.

You were the judge yesterday,
today you are being judged.

You win some, you lose some.

What goes round comes around.
Tough luck.

That's people's justice,
as comrade Dzerzhinsky calls it.

All officers step forward.

Take them for interrogation.

Soldiers,
we are going to Poland.

Not to conquer her.

But to free her workers and peasants
from the bourgeois regime.

To get rid of your nobles
and establish the people's republic.

Who will join the Red Army?
Volunteers step forward.

What was that?
They tried to escape.

Bloody hell... There's no one
to interrogate again.

Take them away.

Did anyone witness his death?

No.

Then believe he's alive.

Delude myself?
No.

Believe.

Everything is in God's hands.

I'll celebrate that mass.

But we won't pray for Jan's soul...

but for his return.

Comrades.

There are no masters anymore.

We are in power now.

All that you see here is yours.

To prove this we'll appoint
a revolutionary committee.

Name your candidates.

Don't be shy, comrades.

I see you need help.

You.

You.

You.

You.

You.

Who is against this choice?

Who is abstaining?

Nobody.

They have been unanimously approved.

The palaces and mansions
will belong to the working class,

not to damned bourgeois families.

But first you will turn the buildings
into shithouses, right?

What?

Your intelligentsia nose feels
offended by the smell of shit, huh?

Let me explain.

Where did the farmers and workers
shove their dear exploiters?

Up their asses.

Capitalism lay heavy on their guts.

Now they have to shit it out and feel free.

Got that?

Why did you stay here?

The masters run away,
the servants hid in the village.

Who's going to tend the cows?

The cows?
Yeah. They need to be fed...

and milked.
Leave this place.

Not to worry.

Not to worry.

No. Let me go. Let go.

Piss off.

Learn to knock...

or I'll shoot you.

Stop staring. I've got piles.
Shut the door.

Come on, more hot water.

Careful. Don't boil my nuts.

What's the rush?
They're raping a girl in the barn.

It's all right.

- The boys 'wannee fuckee'.
- What?

'Wannee fuckee'. A peasant's
way of saying 'I needed a fuck'.

They shot him, not for raping
an old hag, but for leaving his post.

If every 'wannee fuckee' left his post,

we'd have lost the Revolution long ago.

Don't you understand?

The Red Army is supposed
to free the oppressed masses,

- ...not to gang rape them.
- What oppressed masses?

- They're not doing the landlady?
- No, the milkmaid.

A proletarian?

Motherfuckers.

Brave lads.

Eager to fuck,

reluctant to fess up?

You don't recognize anyone?

How? I had the skirt over my face.

Who went first?

Who? You?

No, comrade Commissar.

You?

No, comrade Commissar.

You'll find out anyway. I did.

And you are...?
Ivanov, soldier.

Enemy of the people, you mean.

You'll be shot.
What for?

For... hostile activities.

Are you satisfied?

It doesn't make a difference.

No one will marry a dishonored girl.

Not even a widower or a cripple.

So that's how you see it?

Ivanov.
Yes, comrade?

If you marry her, I won't shoot you.

I'd rather be shot.

Why's that?

They'll kill me with laughter.

Will you?

He made his choice.

Comrade Dzerzhinsky used to say
that the ringleader...

must be eliminated.

Anyone who's first at anything
is a threat to the Revolution.

That's why we execute the officers.

An army without commanders
is not an army.

And a nation without leaders
is not a nation.

Right?

Good evening, Alexandra.

You do recognize me?

What brings you here?

I take it you've already heard the news...

about your husband's treason.

I'm so sorry.
Treason? What do you mean?

So you didn't know?

He has joined the Bolsheviks.

He's alive?

He survived?
He did, which is most unfortunate.

You don't seem to appreciate
the gravity of the situation.

Should his treason be publicized,

you're likely to be fired and interned.

How so?

Unless...

a person of irrefutable reputation...

vouches for your innocence.

A person like yourself?

At your service.

Why would you do that?

Let's say I have a weakness for you.

Build up your strength with vitamins.
Good night.

Listen to me, doll.

Are you really so eager to be interned?

To be raped with a toilet brush
three times a day?

Think it over.

You'll find my card in the bouquet.

Our Tukhachevsky is a pure military genius.

The Poles think that the
railroad track's width difference...

makes it harder to supply
provisions and ammunition.

Meanwhile, twenty thousand
peasant wagons...

solve the problem.

We'll reach Warsaw in a few days.

Airplanes? Airplanes.

Airplanes.

Move it.

Farewell, comrade.

What?

I'm joining my people.
You? A communist?

You've cured me from communism.
Once for all.

You bastard.

It's empty. I counted the shots.

Sofia, give me the pistol.

Quick.

What...?

You bitch.

Come on.

Come with me, quick.

Too late...

I...

my soul is sinful...

But wanted to live so much.

Death...

scared me so...

Light... a candle...

at the Holy Virgin's altar...

for the Lord's servant...

Sofia...

Nikolayevna...

I'm not a Russian Orthodox.

We are all children...

of one God...

What do you eat?
Get up.

Faster.

Don't shoot, you'll ruin the uniform.

Great shoes. Let's take them.

Take off your shoes.

Kill them.

Bravo, Mister Lancer.

But one man in a field is no warrior.

The first bullet that hit.

The first bullet that hit
wounded my horse's leg.

And the second bullet.

And the second bullet.

And the second bullet hit...

me in the heart.

What made you, Cossacks,
come over to our side?

What do you gain
shooting your own people...

for Poland's sake?

This is not about Poland.

You are fighting for Poland.

But if the Bolsheviks defeat you,

we'll lose our freedom as well.

Who did you leave at home?

My wife.

Buddy...

You have a lot to fight for.

And al I that's left for me... is my revenge.

Don't you have anything stronger?

I'll take a look.

Would you care to dance?
Can't we just get on with it?

Well then... get undressed.

What the fuck...?

'What the fuck'?
There are ladies present.

Jesus...
The nose.

All right, little bug, some champagne
and some rectified spirit.

Or 'the flames of Moscow'
as the Russians put it.

Ladies' health.

Bottoms up.

Bottoms up.

Who are you?
A Bolshevik, a real one.

Please, back off.

Get back.

What's going on?
A Bolshevik.

You.

Hands up.

There.

Our dear captain...

has been demoted and sent to the front.

Victory.

At war, if you flee, you're wrong.

You were defeated in all Russia, too.

Not all of us and not everywhere.

As they say, a forest will always grow back.

They can't slay us all,

and we will keep slaying them.

Fuck me...

I had no idea.

Careful. Careful.

People of Poznan are deeply concerned...

by the developments at the front.

They can't understand,
and suspect treason.

And it seeks treason right here.

All men to the trenches.
All men to the trenches.

All men, join the army.
Aren't you ashamed?

Draft dodgers, break your tethers,
stop growing yellow feathers.

Draft dodgers. Skulking rats.

What the devil is that?

Volunteers joining the army.
Women?

Gentlemen, we're saved.

The Bolsheviks will just run for their lives.

Gentlemen?

How can we help you, madam?

We're raising money for bandages.

Will you support the cause?

Of course.
Gentlemen, this is our duty.

Thank you so much.

Ola.

Good morning. How are things?

You look worried.

We all worry nowadays.

One has to act, sweetie. Act.
I'm on my last legs,

but I can't be idle
when our soldiers suffer at the front.

So I devote myself.
To what?

To charity.
Day in, day out.

A raffle,

a charity ball
to send our soldiers some candy.

Wonderful.

I admire patriotism,

but that is going overboard.
Don't you agree?

A woman is destined to be a woman.

You're right.

Stop.

Now you look for your people,

and I'll look for mine.

Good luck, Pole.
It's time to split.

God willing, we'll meet again.

Follow me.

No one will be as dear to me as you.

Only you.

No one's kisses will be so sweet as yours.

None but yours.

Your heart is so kind and sweet.

It can calm and comfort mine.

And my love is once and for all for you.

Only you.

Faster, boys, faster.

Positions.

Nice, isn't it?
Very.

Gun-layer, move over.

Attention.
Get into shooting position.

You don't know how?
I'll demonstrate.

On your knee...
hands on the grip.

Once more. Attention.
Shooting position.

It's like shooting a rifle.
Rear sight... bead.

If it jams, flip it open,
remove the case.

Close the flap,

reload twice, and...

Fire at will.

That's was lousy.

One more time.
Aim...

fire.

That's it. Better.
Did you see that?

That's the way.

Next.

And you?
Cavalry, please.

It's for grownups only, sonny.

But I... I'm eightee...
seventee... I'm sixteen already.

Off you go, or I'll whoop your ass.
Next.

Look here, Mister.
Says I was born in 1904.

Black on white.

Where? There's a blot.

That's not my problem.
You have it there, black on white.

You'll be black and blue.
All right.

Sign the crafty one up.
Next.

All right, youngsters,
medical battalion.

Next.

We're together.

Already had your whiff of gun powder?

It's good for sniffing, too?

We'd like the radiotelegraph service.

Why the radiotelegraph?

Because we know how to operate that crap.

Two years in Austrian signal corps.

It's not enough to fill in for casualties.

We have to breathe...

new life into the ranks
demoralized by the retreat.

You, General Haller,

shall take command of the Volunteer Army.

Thank you, Marshall.

Everyone volunteers in towns and cities.

But the villagers are reluctant.

They seem indifferent
to the Bolshevik invasion.

It will change soon.

Marshall, the Prime Minister.

Excuse me, General.

Limiting the Polish army
to 50 thousand men?

Surrendering surplus arms
and a corridor to East Prussia?

Pulling our troops back
west of the Bug River?

How could you,
you, the Polish Prime Minister,

accept such conditions
of the armistice with the Soviets?

It makes us
completely dependent on Russia.

Our army is not effective.

We shall win...
if we believe in victory.

We will be defeated if we lose that faith.

You have overstepped your authority.

I'll be awaiting your resignation.

I had no choice.

I have nothing else to say to you.

Wieniawa.

Locate Mr. Witos...

and fetch him here.

Mister Chairman.

What is it?

The Head of State is asking you
to come to Warsaw.

I entrust you,

as the widely respected peasant leader,

with the task of creating
the Government of National Unity.

I agree. On one condition.

Yes?

That I shall be able to return home
at harvest time.

Oh well... l have no choice,
but to accept.

How do you intend to start governing?

With an appeal to the Polish people.

Prime Minister Witos' appeal.

Prime Minister Witos' appeal.

Fellow peasants in all parts of Poland.

This is a crucial moment
for us and for our country.

Therefore I do not ask you,
but I demand:

Let each one of you do their duty.

The battlefields, the front...

await all those who are
able to carry a weapon.

Dear peasant sisters,

close your houses and protect
your farmsteads against...

deserters.

You are threatened
with disgrace and destruction,

and they sit at home
avoiding military service.

All borough and village leaders
will make sure...

that not a sole deserter
hides in their settlements.

That every able-bodied villager
joins the army.

THEY FEED AND THEY PROTECT

OUTSKIRTS OF WARSAW

Dismount.

Dismount.

For Sofia Nikolayevna.

You can't pray for your own life.

That would incur the wrath of God.

Why's that?

God has already planned everything out.

Which fly...

sits on which pile of shit.
He won't change His scheme...

just because of someone's prayer,
otherwise we'd be in a great mess.

Don't believe such nonsense.

Nothing's planned out.

RADZYMIN NEAR WARSAW

Marynia, stop shaking
or you'll spill everything.

But they're shooting.

See? They are all cowards.

And yet they call peasants
the 'healthy tissue of society'

as opposed to the sickly upper classes.
And it's the peasants that rot.

Infected with Bolshevism.

I'm rotting?
Not you,

peasants in general.
Scratch my back.

Mrs. Wigctawska nee Matachowska.

Ola Krynicka. Pleasure.

Bolsheviks.

The gun, Marynia.
Jesus Christ.

Stop. Don't.

Evacuate. Evacuate.

Comrades, Delegates to the
2nd Congress of the Comintern.

Today, the invincible Red Army...

captured the town of Radzymin,
15 kilometers away from Warsaw.

In a short time we shall liberate
the capital of Poland...

and then hasten to the rescue
of the revolutionary proletariat...

in Germany.

And we shall also...

hasten to the rescue of the
revolutionary proletariat in France.

Comrades, Delegates
to the Comintern Congress.

We shall start it with the
socialist federation of Europe...

and end it with a worldwide revolution.

We've deciphered
hundreds of Soviet codes.

But the bastards introduced a new one,
impossible to crash.

Have you ever seen anything like it?

Did you do the frequency analysis?
Yes. We've identified some cycles...

but it doesn't add up.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Caesar cipher.

With a double or triple shift.

What are you talking about?
You've been referring...

to the Russian alphabet.
Take the Latin one, with 26 letters.

And you two know Latin?

Ad unum omnes.
'All to a man.'

Marshall...

I've asked not to disturb me.

The head of the Cipher Bureau.

They've cracked
the Soviet radiotelegraph code...

and read Tukhachevsky's orders.
Get him in.

Lieut Jan Kowalewski, sir.
Where's that order, son?

You are aware of the significance
of this wire?

That is why I'm here, Marshall.

If this is confirmed,
you'll be awarded the Virtuti Militari.

Yes, sir.

And if this is a hoax,

I will have you shot.

Yes, sir.

Gentlemen, being too weak
for any effective defense,

we have to strike.

Thanks to our radio intelligence
we are almost certain...

of two things.
Budyonny's Cavalry Army...

is waiting near Lviv,

while Tukhachevsky
is redirecting his 4th Army...

to the South-East
to strike on Sikorski's troops.

If Budyonny makes a move,
he'll have to take Zamosc first,

and the town will be fiercely defended...

by the Ukrainians
led by General Bezruchko.

This will create a gap in the Bolshevik front.

Observe. Budyonny here,
the Mazyr Group here.

We shall launch a counteroffensive
between those two armies.

From the Wieprz River.

I will take the command.

General Rozwadowski shall provide
appropriate orders in writing.

A splendid plan.
But we have no reserves.

All units are engaged in combat.

And that is why...

we have to disengage
the best of our units...

and strike from here,
where no one is expecting us.

A great risk.

What if our troops yield to pressure
and Warsaw falls...

before you attack?

You'll just have to stop the enemy
at the outskirts of the city,

until my troops regroup at their rear.

That's the only solution.

If you fear Waterloo,
you'll never have Austerlitz.

Just one last effort...

and Warsaw is ours.

Then Berlin.

And then the rest of Europe.

On to Warsaw.

Death to the Polish landowners.
Death to Polish capitalists.

Forward. Onward to victory.
Hurray, comrades.

Hurray.

To Warsaw.

ON TO WARSAW.

Stop.

Or I'll shoot.

Load.

Fire.

Load.

I surrender.

Dead. Take him away.
Next one.

Nurse.

Here.

Dress the wound.
Throw that away.

They say we're getting a thrashing
everywhere.

There Bolsheviks are swarming,
it's impossible to kill them all.

But they also say there'll be a miracle
on the Assumption Day.

And the tables will turn.

Stop babbling, Marynia.
They'll take you for a thickhead.

But that's what people say.

Soldiers.

Who can carry a weapon,
get back to the trenches.

To the trenches.

How are things in town?

The Diplomatic Corps has left Warsaw.

And the Papal Nuncio?

Monsignore Ratti has stayed.

That's good.

The Church knows what it's doing.

We have to round up all the cavalry units...

and put them under Rummel's command.

On your feet.

Attention.

203rd Volunteer Cavalry Regiment.

9th Riflemen Regiment.
At ease.

Your losses?

Half the men.
Will you manage two more days?

Yes, sir.

We will, provided we get
support and ammunition.

I'm taking your lancers.
General, but...

I have to.

Ossów near Warsaw.

Bolsheviks in the trenches.

Form the lines.

Fix... bayonets.

I absolve you from your sins...

the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

In small leaps... forward.

They'll shoot us all like ducks.

Holy Mary,

Mother of God, pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Lord, you blessed Poland
for hundreds of years.

Shedding your light of power upon her...

Forward.

Forward.

Charge.

Here at Thy altar.

We beg and implore Thee.

Give us back freedom.

Give us back our country.

RED ARMY HEADQUARTERS...

Comrade.
Later.

This was found on a dead Polish officer.

Pilsudski's order.
Yes, comrade.

Counteroffensive.
Yes, sir.

Dismissed.
Yes, sir.

That's not possible.

It's a set-up.

They want to lure us away from Warsaw...

if I were him,
I wouldn't take that risk.

However...

they could force a wedge here.

That's their plan.

Get me the 4th Cavalry Army.
Send corrections to the orders.

Don't use the code.

Let's make sure they're reading us.

No reaction, comrade.

Is the other machine on?

The Poles are jamming us.

They're on our frequency
and they keep sending this...

What is it?

Read it.

The Holy Scriptures.

What?

The Holy Scriptures.

The bastards... Jesuits.

'God called the light Day,
and the darkness he called Night.

And the evening and the morning...

were the first day.

And then God said,
Let there be a firmament...

in the midst of the waters
to separate the waters.'.

You're jamming them?
Yes, sir.

What's that text?
The Holy Bible.

Perhaps they'll convert.

We must succeed.

In wartime,
it's all in the hands of God.

Warsaw is a city where
the streets are lined with chocolate.

Expensive shops, gold, furs,

bourgeois apartments,
they will all be yours.

Let's take Warsaw.

Marynia, come.

Bandage, Marynia.

Aurelia... Aurelia wait.

Oh Jesus.

Jesus.

Save Marynia.

Save her...
Stay with me.

Do you hear?

Loader.

Where is the loader?

Here I am.

We're under attack.
We're greatly outnumbered.

Sarge.

To arms. Everyone to arms.

Sarge.

Medic. Medic.

Stretcher.
Help.

We've got no chances...
Retreat.

Pilsudski and his Poles...

have dealt a major blow to the cause...

of global revolution.

We'll have to build a socialist state
elsewhere.

Excellent victory, Marshall.

Our compatriots will attribute it
to someone else.

Our compatriots will call it a miracle.

A miracle?

I'm sure they will.
The miracle at the Vistula.

You know, Wieniawa,

you might just be right.

You're back...

I promised...

so I'm back.

POLISH VICTORY WITH SOVIET UNION AGGRESSION
HAVE SAVED EUROPE FROM SPREAD OF COMMUNISM.

20 YEARS LATER GERMANY AND SOVIET UNION HAVE
ATTACKED POLAND AGAIN AND STARTED WORLD WAR II.

CAST