Dekalog

Kieslowski left us way too soon. But he did leave behind a handful of achievements that place him at the forefront of filmmakers of the last quarter of the 20th century. The Three Colors movies and The Double Life of Veronique - the movies for which he is probably best known - would be enough to ensure his reputation, but is this film - or ten films, if you wish - that elevate him.

While the movies are based upon the Ten Commandments, they are not simple morality tales and illustrations. Kieslowski and his co-writer, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, create meditations that connect both intellectually and emotionally with the commandments instead. They explore the commandments' themes with the head and the heart. One great example is the first movie, in which a parent and his child use a computer to predict the freezing rate of a pond. Casting the computer and human knowledge as false Gods is not a new or unique idea, but in Kieslowski's hands, the idea expands and fills not only the mind but the heart. Man, I wish I had the vocabulary to express what moves in me every time I watch any one of these films.

Everything about this film, from the cast - always nice to see the ubiquitous Daniel Olbrychski (ubiquitous for Polish films; I always wondered if Poles ever play six degrees of Daniel Olbrychski) - on. The cinematography for each episode is ideal; the look and feel of these movies, shot with the same director but different cinematographers, are all perfect.

And who is that watchful, mute man who appears in the background of all or most of these films?

Look, just see this. Find it, rent it. If you love beautiful, heartbreaking, thoughtful movies, you'll thank me for this advice.

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.

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.

The Decalogue is without doubt a monument of movie history. The ten films are apparently based on the ten commandments, but this relationship is tentative. Kieslowski himself commented that "the films should be influenced by the individual Commandments to the same degree that the Commandments influence our daily lives". The amazing thing about them is that they are much more than a series of abstract cinematic emblems. Assisted by superlative acting, they acquire each their own depth, their own real personalities and complex dilemmas. Kieslowski presents a cinematic view of morality that is about as sophisticated as it gets. A grand achievement of one of the great film-makers of the twentieth century.

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 !!!