Another fabulous WWII film from Munk. This one consists of two roughly forty minute episodes. The first concerns a Polish soldier who flees the Warsaw uprising and gets caught up with some Hungarian war profiteers. The second is a less active, more claustrophobic tale of a POW camp. Each is imbued with the same dark humor found in Munk's other films, satirizing Polish ideals of heroism. Quite effective, engaging stuff from this little known auteur.

Two stories that tear down grandiose ideas of heroism and highlight the individual struggles. The first is a lively comic tale, that clips along nicely from one amusing episode to the next. The second half is darker, but balances drama and black comedy in a way that Stalag 17 fails at. The entire movie is highlighted by exquisite photography. It's just a terrific movie all around, with some good performances. Only complaint is the tonal difference between the two halves didn't quite work for me.