Le décalogue

Dekalog is a brilliant work by Krzysztof Kieslowski and i bet if there is any other movie/series more powerful. please don't read my review just go and watch it....you will enjoy it because you will experience feelings that you have never experienced before. It's just WONDERFUL by all means. Dekalog, based on the ten commandments in a very different way, offers ten short (each is slightly under an hour) scenarios, each scenario deals with one person in a critical situation which affects him/her and people around them. The acting is great, the story is masterfully written and directed. Dekalog 1 - "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" Between God and Computers. Dekalog 2 - "Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain" Death and delivery. Dekalog 3 - "Thou shalt remember the Sabbath and keep it holy" a family man who was forced to leave his wife and children on Christmas Eve and try to help his ex-girlfriend to find her missing husband. Dekalog 4 - "Honour thy Father and Mother" A complicated relationship between a girl and her father. Dekalog 5- "Thou shalt not kill" the most powerful segment. Dekalog 6 - "Thou shalt not commit adultery" a tale of a 19-year-old shy and quiet postal worker who peeps on (and later stalks) his beautiful, free-spirited neighbor. They meet later with tragic consequences. Fascinating and very clever.

Dekalog 7 - "Thou shalt not steal" A family war. Dekalog 8 - "Thou shalt not bear false witness" An American woman returns to Poland to face a famed lecturer who during WWII refused to help her, a 6 year old girl at the time, to find a hiding place from the Nazis.

Dekalog 9 - "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife" Infidelity and unfaithfulness. Dekalog 10 - "Though shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods" Greed and obsession.

It's worth noting that about the same time this was airing on censored, Communist Poland TV, America was airing the "Heart to Heart reunion" and "V". Obviously, the Ten Commandments themes that it reportedly addressed in order are not actually in order, some of the shorts address two and even three commandments. No worries, though.

This collection is a masterpiece. It's a major accomplishment with every film short being watchable, and some being unquestionable masterpieces. Kieszlowski is a master of presenting both sides of the argument; the pregnant, cheating wife and the cuckolded husband's doctor; the peeping Tom and the lonely woman; the atheist father and the religious sister.

The final film centers on two brothers who inherit the stamp collection of their recently deceased father. They come to find that the collection is priceless and they scheme to sell it, mistrusting their father's former colleagues and ultimately one another. But despite their eventual downfall, the brothers find something of value from their folly. It's wonderfully affirming without being sentimental. That sentence probably describes most of these shorts.

Written in little over a year and a half and done with a budget that any Hollywood production would consider ridiculous, Krysztof Kieslowski and Krysztof Piesiewicz created some of the most thought provoking and emotional films of all time with this miniseries. What was even more dramatic is that these pieces were unavailable on video for almost 15 years due to its distributor. Based on an original idea of Piesiewicz, Kieslowski's long time collaborator, the series was to be given to different directors each time. But Kieslowski fell in love with the project and ended up filming all of them. What makes these pieces unique is their rhythm, their unique images and their amazing scripts. Very little dialogue is used all along. Instead, Kieslowski gives you a full knowledge of his characters by little incidents in their lives, which end up having more resonance. Each one of the stories are linked by location, all occuring to different occupants of an apartment complex over the course of what's very likely one year. Each piece is an entity by itself and can be watched separately, although some of the characters do reappear in different episodes in bit parts. Most significant is that one who has been called "the angel", a mysterious figure whose gaze serves as a warning sign to the main characters. Since the films are loosely based on the ten commandments (and the different ways we break them every single day), the mood is one of anguish and solitude. And Warsaw and that inhumane apartment complex are a perfect setting for these desolate stories. Still, there's no need to be a Christian or even a religious person to enjoy these films. Most films deal with human issues and tough moral choices. Although the stories have received a subtitle to associate each of them with a commandment, these were not present in the original vision of the director and were added later by the Venice Film Festival's press office. Also, if you've seen two of the films in their longer versions: "A short film about Killing" and "A short film about Love", you should also watch them again here in their original versions, since they provide a small glimpse at the genius of Kieslowski who changes and adds small scenes that make the movies (specially "a short film about love") different experiences and almost vignettes of a people's lives.

I am among those very fortunate few in this world to have seen the 'dekalog' series in a theater.And i am proud of it.I knew precious little about Kieslowski until i saw this series which was shown during the 29th international film festival of India, held at Trivandrum. ever since i have respected,admired and loved this man for his skills. Anybody can learn a lot from the these 10 little gems. Even a lot many contemporary so called serious movie makers have lots to learn from this extremely intelligent filmmaker.

Shot mostly in stark black and white, the camera seems to have a knack to bring out the faintest of internal turmoils each of the characters undergo. This man has proved how good an observer of life he is. His way of putting across ideas in a simple but intense manner will leave an everlasting impression in our minds.

'A short film about killing' and 'A short film about love' may have found its way to the theaters and gained more attention. But i strongly feel that one has to see all the 10 episodes (in any order and do note that) which covers issues from adultery to incest to treachery and what not. Even more amazing is the fact that all the episodes seem to have been shot in the same locality, covering the occupants of a large residential complex.There are very few characters in each episode(which is about an hour each)and they ALL seem to leave an imprint in our minds. Krzysztof Piesiewicz,the screenplay writer for all the episodes has done a marvellous job.But i am sure i have lost the essence of some of the dialogues as i saw only the subtitled versions.

There are no grandiose attempts while making these episodes-say through utilisation of huge sets or big stars or slick camera movements. It is kept down to earth,realistic and bereft of too many cinematic elements.The camera moves snail pace but something keeps you alert because you realise that the man behind it is making an attempt to speak not just though dialogues. I wish i got a chance to see more of his works and keep away from the commercial crap we are being forced to view everyday.

I sincerely hope more of Kieslowski's offerings find its way to my country and more people from all over the world get a chance to see the works of this genius. This man is SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL !!!

Krzysztof Kieslowski's "The Decalogue" is one of the most powerful cinematic experiences you'll ever have, and probably the best ensemble cast I've ever seen (if you consider them a single film, like I do). I used to think Mike Nichols, Ingmar Bergman and Robert Altman were the supreme actor's directors, but I might consider Kieslowski (1941-1996) my #1 for this project alone. It helps that all the actors are unknown to most of us and not famous Hollywood stars, and that makes the experience even more real, but that wouldn't be much if they couldn't act. I had seen Kieslowski's "Three Colors" (which happens to be my all-time favourite trilogy), but I didn't think of him as a particular actor's director because Juliette Binoche or Julie Delpy don't necessarily need a great director to deliver a great performance (I'm not sure about Irène Jacob, though; I haven't seen "The Double Life of Veronique", in which she's supposed to be brilliant, and I do like her in "Red", but she never impressed me in any movie not directed by Kieslowski). Adrianna Bierdzynska (who looks like a cross between Jennifer Jason Leigh and Hilary Swank) and Olaf Lubaszenko, from segments 4 and 6, respectively, stand out; they're more Oscar-worthy than 90% of the nominees of the past decade; but every member of the cast did a terrific job. Stanley Kubrick described "The Decalogue" as the only masterpiece he could name in his lifetime - if that doesn't make you curious to watch this poignant, unique experience, then you're not a film lover. 10 out of 10 in my books.