A gripping new docu-drama, 1970, cracks open a pivotal but overlooked chapter in the people-powered revolutions that ultimately toppled the Iron Curtain. Blending stark real-life protest footage with an eerie “puppet politburo,” it rewinds to the first major uprising behind the Iron Curtain – and the shocking brutality inflicted to smother it.
The film zeroes in on Poland, December 1970. Facing steep food price hikes, workers surge into the streets in a mass strike that rapidly spreads to multiple cities. As unrest engulfs the Baltic coast, stony-faced apparatchiks in Warsaw hatch ruthless suppression plans.
A Chilling Peek Behind the Iron Curtain
To depict those fateful backroom dealings, director Tomasz Wolski stages surreal reenactments with stop-motion puppets of communist officials. Voiced by recently unearthed phone tap recordings, they grumble, scheme, and ultimately set a bloody crackdown in motion:
“Unleash our full arsenal – tanks, heavy weapons, live ammunition. We must make an example of these hooligans!”
The film then cross-cuts to haunting black-and-white scenes of the protests escalating in Gdansk and beyond. Wolski brilliantly juxtaposes this raw footage with the macabre puppet show, producing an unsettling glimpse behind the Iron Curtain façade.
Solidarity’s Roots Amid the Carnage
In the end, 44 died and 1000+ were injured as Soviet troops unleashed a brutal onslaught to crush the protests. 1970 powerfully captures the human toll, the terror inflicted on civilians daring to demand change:
“Machine gun fire echoed in the streets. Tanks rolled over makeshift barricades. Bloodied protesters were dragged away. It was hell on earth.”
– Lech Walesa, Solidarity Leader
Though not explicitly named, a young Lech Walesa makes a cameo in news clips from the unrest that radicalized him. The future Solidarity icon and Polish President would go on to help demolish the Iron Curtain for good 20 years later.
Hard-Won Concessions Plant Seeds of Change
Despite the brutal crackdown, the 1970 protests shocked Poland’s communist overlords enough to force key reforms. Puppet premiers glumly rescind the price hikes and even sacrifice a scapegoat, as the hardline party chief resigns in disgrace.
- Unprecedented Protests: Largest public uprising in Soviet bloc to date
- Forced Concessions: Price hikes canceled, leadership shake-up
- Solidarity Origins: Pivotal event radicalizes future changemakers like Lech Walesa
- Iron Curtain Cracks: Proves communist system is vulnerable to “people power”
Though far from a full victory, experts see this as a key turning point, the first real crack in the Iron Curtain. 1970 director Tomasz Wolski reflects:
“The protests didn’t topple the regime, but they fundamentally shook it. They showed change was possible, however unimaginable that seemed. December 1970 planted the seeds that Solidarity and civil society would harvest a generation later.”
Innovative Docu-Drama Format
Stylistically, 1970 breaks bold new ground in the docu-drama genre. Wolski’s satirical puppet “reenactments” add biting edge to dry history. He brings the communist apparatus to tragicomic life, highlighting the absurdity and inhumanity behind the bureaucratic banality.
“I wanted to make the abstract human, to show the people, however flawed, scheming behind the scenes. Using puppets highlights how surreal and nightmarish this system was for those living under it.”
– Tomasz Wolski, Director
At the same time, the film avoids downplaying the protests’ stomach-churning human toll. Cutting between the cartoonish puppets and real massacre footage produces a shivering tonal disconnect. The contrast captures how delusional the party line rang to Poles facing tanks in the street.
Captivating Must-See for History and Film Buffs
For history aficionados, especially Cold War scholars, 1970 is an essential record of a long-obscured catalyst for the Soviet bloc’s ultimate collapse. Wolski deserves immense credit for rescuing the 1970 protests from dusty archives and renewing focus on the sacrifices Poles made to crack the Iron Curtain.
Cinephiles will relish the genre-bending invention on display. Wolski has crafted a spellbinding docu-drama hybrid that probes hidden history with dark humor, jolting style, and moral fury. Love or hate the puppet politburo, it’s an undeniably unique, unsettlingly immersive leap into Eastern Europe’s communist past.
In the end, 1970 is vital viewing for anyone hungry to understand Soviet communism’s downfall and how average citizens set that domino effect in motion. It captures the terror and tenacity of Poles who stared down tanks to demand a dignity their leaders denied. Like the protesters it salutes, 1970 punches through propaganda to show the human face – and human cost – of defying an inhumane system long before the Berlin Wall buckled.
