Samson is a 1961 Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda that uses art house aesthetics to tell a story about the Holocaust.

Wajda's World War II film alludes to the Old Testament story of Samson, who had supernatural physical strength.

Wajda uses this journey as a means to explore expressionist cinematography and the weighty issues facing the Jewish people.

When Samson is bruised and exhausted, lying on the ground, he is encouraged by a close friend who says, "one man can suffer such blows and rise again."

Samson is a scrawny, haggard young man, who says very little and might almost border on boringly average; but he has the ability to rise again despite any blow, proving his strength of spirit.

As veterans of Ashes and Diamonds both of us, Jerzy Wójcik and myself, realized the power of narrative shortcuts and the impact of symbolism on the screen.