Krzysztof Kie艣lowski was an influential Academy Award-nominated Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors (Trois couleurs).
The Decalogue = Dekalog: The Ten Commandments, Krzysztof Kie艣lowski
Dekalog is a 1989 Polish drama series of films directed by Krzysztof Kie艣lowski for television and co-written by Kie艣lowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz, with music by Zbigniew Preisner.
It consists of ten one-hour films, inspired by the decalogue of the Ten Commandments.
Each short film explores characters facing one or several moral or ethical dilemmas as they live in an austere housing project in 1980's Poland.
丿乇 亘夭乇诏蹖 丕蹖賳 賮蹖賱賲 賵 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕 鬲丨爻蹖賳 丕爻鬲賳賱蹖 讴賵亘乇蹖讴 賮賯蹖丿 讴賮丕蹖鬲 丕爻鬲: I am always reluctant to single out some particular feature of the work of a major filmmaker because it tends inevitably to simplify and reduce the work. But in this book of screenplays by Krzysztof Kieslowski and his co-author, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, it should not be out of place to observe that they have the very rare ability to dramatize their ideas rather than just talking about them. By making their points through the dramatic action of the story they gain the added power of allowing the audience to discover what's really going on rather than being told. They do this with such dazzling skill, you never see the ideas coming and don't realize until much later how profoundly they have reached your heart.
Dekalog, Episode 2, written by Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, directed by the former
A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
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Dekalog is a fabulous series. It has been included on the list of best films, including the one compiled by TIME Magazine, The All-TIME 100 movies:
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All the ten episodes of Dekalog are based on the Ten Commandments and the story lines refer to the Bible, at least as pretext for the plot
- "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain".
This is the second commandment and the place to start in this narrative, which has at the center a woman called Dorota Geller.
She is a musician with the Philharmonic. Her husband is very ill and she tried to find more about his condition from the elderly doctor who is also their neighbor.
The doctor is rather morose, unfriendly and detached. We would later find there is a reason for this attitude and it has to do with a tragedy that has affected the life of the poor man.
Dorota Geller calls at the door of the apartment:
- Do you know me? - Yes, you ran over my dog two years ago鈥�
After this inauspicious debut to their (mis)communication, the two neighbors would gradually become friendlier, but in the second half of this episode.
The distressed woman wants to know how serious is the condition of her husband, only the doctor gives this information鈥�
- On Wednesday, between 3 and 5 in the afternoon, this is when I see the relatives of my patients - But it is Monday - Yes, the day after tomorrow - I wish I ran over you instead of your dog鈥�
Notwithstanding this death wish, Dorota Geller comes to the hospital to see her spouse and then tries again to engage with the doctor. She is offering him a ride home in her VW Beetle, but he refuses because he says he always walks home.
The musician is clearly haunted and finally gets invited to the apartment of the doctor where she explains her ordeal. Dorota says that she must know if her husband will die because she loves him but is also involved with a good friend.
- I am pregnant and the child is not my husband鈥檚 - I see - So I need to know if he will live to determine if I will have an abortion - It is impossible for me to say鈥 really do not know
And then he elaborates on the situation which is probably where we get as close as possible to the second commandment, for the doctor explains that he has seen cases where the patient recovered miraculously and others where someone died without warning so to say鈥�
There is another stage where the doctor may seem to be playing God, for he is more assured now and he thinks he knows. I will not say what to avoid spoilers. But whereas earlier on he refused a definite prognosis, saying that although the situation is critical things could change, at a later moment he has made up his mind.
There are powerful and thought provoking scenes. One patient talks about coming from 鈥渢he other side 鈥瀉nd how
- The world was disintegrating
He now seems to be taking life as a miracle that does not stop. It reminds me of the final three minutes in the life of Fyodor Dostoyevsky 鈥he last minutes in the life of the Russian titan were regularly mentioned, for the effect they had had on me and the emphasis which could be placed afterwards on enjoying life, seeing as it is short, what we see before death: - Dostoyevsky was condemned to death. - As he was facing the firing squad, he thought he will divide the last three minutes into鈥ell, three: - The first minute will be used to place the whole life in front of his eyes, from early childhood to death - For the second minute, the intention was to pass it saying goodbye to members of his family and friends - The last minute 鈥� he will admire a ray of sunshine that was looking wonderfully on a steep church tower nearby That is the amazing epiphany of the last moments before dying- you can see only then, alas, how extremely beautiful life is and how you wish you lived on a bare rock in the middle of the ocean, which would still be a billion times better than ending it and dying.
Another version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- and
The Dekalog has been included by TIME Magazine on the list of Best All-TIME 100 Movies. You can find it here:
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the films in this series are so meaningful and thought provoking that I have decided to dedicate a note to at least a couple of the episodes. In the past few days, I had the chance to watch episodes 9 and 10.
The series has 10 parts, dedicated to the Ten Commandments. Or better said based on them.
To begin with, I must state that I am not religious. I am trying to find the Absolute Truth鈥�
- God, The Holy Grail or have some epiphany or a miracle that would wake me up, perhaps in the manner of Jules from Pulp Fiction
Decalogue, episode 9 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor鈥檚 wife鈥�
In this part of the narrative, roman is the hero and he is married to Hanka, the spouse that he loves very much. Alas, at the start of the film he finds out that he is impotent and shares this with Hanka, adding that she should take a lover. Which she does, but in spite of his agreement, Roman finds that he cannot bear the jealousy and knowing about their intimacy. Furthermore, he goes on to the place where they have their affair and waits on the steps, listening in on their conversation on the phone.
He contemplates suicide, while cycling near a bridge and when his wife invites the lover for a meeting, Roman is in the apartment. Fortunately for him, Hanka is breaking up and tells the younger man that they will not see each other from then on.
As the wife departs for a ski resort, having mended their differences and talked about their love, there are some clouds. Roman is suspicious again and confirms what John Milton wrote in Paradise Lost about the ways in which the mind works:
- 鈥淭he mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven...鈥�
Decalogue, episode 10 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor鈥檚 goods"
This last installment begins near the stage of a rock concert, on which Artur is performing with his band. Jerzy is his older brother and he is approaching the stage to try and get his sibling to stop his performance.
Their father has died and they go to his apartment, where they find little of interest, at first glance, in spite of the alarm system. There are also bars at the windows and they are puzzled by the precaution that is not justified by the apparent lack of valuables.
They find a collection of stamps and Jerzy takes three with Zeppelins for his son who loves airplanes, but without much zest. But when Artur takes the stamps to the union of stamp collectors, they find that they have a fortune on their hands. One stamp can buy a Fiat, another one is enough for an apartment and the whole is estimated at millions of zloty.
Nevertheless, the president of this Collectors鈥� Union emphasizes that their father had dedicated his whole life to these unique stamps. And somehow the sons get addicted and start on the path wherein one of them is ready to give an organ for a valuable piece of paper.
The message sent by this commandment is similar to the rule that Positive Psychology established and which says:
- Do not compare yourself with others - In some works it is: if you do, compare with those who have much less- perhaps the refugees from Syria鈥�