Adapted by Jean-Claude Carriere from a Polish play, Andrej Wajda's Danton was one of the high points of the 1983 New York Film Festival. In 1793, Danton (Gerard Depardieu), one of the leading figures in the French Revolution, returns to Paris to halt the Reign of Terror initiated by his former colleague Robespierre (Wojciech Pszoniak). What ensues is a power struggle between two egocentric leaders. The robust, earthy and emotional Danton wants to end the bloodshed; the ascetic, intellectual and reserved Robespierre is convinced that eternal vigilance is the key to continued revolutionary success. Neither man is willing to compromise; they paint each other into opposite corners.
In Man of Iron, Wajda proved his ability to orchestrate the dramatic juices of a politically-oriented film. Danton abounds with vivid vignettes: Robespierre's son memorizing the Declaration of Rights of Man; a private dinner Danton hosts for his adversary which dramatically portrays the character differences between the two; and the sham trial Danton and others are given by the revolutionary tribunal. These scenes coalesce to form a larger portrait of the fate of all revolutionaries when they pass from early idealism into beauracratic authoritarianism.
The images and messages of Danton can be extended to encompass other historical persons or points of view: Robespierre can be seen as Stalin, Poland's General Jaruzelski, and as the embodiment of Eastern totalitarianism. Danton can be compared with Trotsky and Lech Walesa and is a symbol of Western liberalism. Whether viewed as a dramatic tale about the French Revolution or as a larger political parable, Danton is a richly suggestive film about power, revolution, liberty and bureaucracy.