Plot

Krzysztof Kieslowski, the internationally renowned filmmaker best known for his Trois Couleurs trilogy (Blue, White, and Red), created perhaps his most ambitious work with this ten-part series produced for Polish television in 1988 and 1989. Each of the ten segments, running between 53 and 58 minutes in length, takes place among the inhabitants of a Warsaw apartment complex, and focuses on a moral and ethical quandary inspired by the Ten Commandments, of which Kieslowski said, "For 6,000 years these rules have been unquestionably right, and yet we break them every day." After TV showings in Europe and many international film festivals and art-house screenings, The Decalogue was released on home video in the spring of 2000. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Review

An ambitious, tour-de-force epic originally made for Polish television, Krzysztof Kieslowski's The Decalogue (1988) explores nothing less than the Ten Commandments. Written by agnostic Kieslowski and Christian Krzysztof Piesiewicz, each of the ten short films examines a commandment (without specifying which one) in terms of the moral quandaries faced by ordinary people in their daily lives. Setting all the stories in the same bleak Warsaw housing project, Kieslowski and Piesiewicz emphasize the universal yet mundane nature of the different conundrums, in an everyday world replete with coincidences, tragedies, and cosmic jokes. Although each film could stand alone, as in Kieslowski's subsequent Three Colors trilogy, they occasionally intersect in subtle ways that enhance the complex cohesion of the whole, along with the unifying use of washed-out colors and close-ups. Parts Five and Six were expanded and released theatrically as A Short Film About Killing (1987) and A Short Film About Love (1988); Part Nine features a predecessor to the Polish singer in Kieslowski's The Double Life of Veronique (1991). Considered Kieslowski's masterpiece by many critics, The Decalogue finally received its U.S. video release in 2000 after a decade of occasional screenings at film festivals and film societies. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Credit

Halina Dobrowolska - Art Director, Krzysztof Kieslowski - Director, Ewa Smal - Editor, Zbigniew Preisner - Composer (Music Score), Ryszard Chutkowski - Producer, Nikodem Wolk-Laniewski - Sound/Sound Designer, Malgorzata Jaworska - Sound/Sound Designer, Wieslawa Dembinska - Sound/Sound Designer, Krzysztof Kieslowski - Screenwriter, Krzysztof Piesiewicz - Screenwriter

Episodes

The Decalogue 1 (1988)
Krzysztof's (Henryk Baranowski) faith in scientific reason is challenged when incorrect computer weather information leads to tragedy for his young son, Pawel (Wojciech Klata). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Decalogue 2 (1988)
As Dorota's (Krystyna Janda) husband lies dying, she must decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy by another man. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Decalogue 3 (1988)
Taxi driver Janusz (Daniel Olbrychski) abandons his wife and children on Christmas Eve to help an old girlfriend search for her husband, whom she claims is missing. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Decalogue 4 (1988)
When 20-year-old Anka (Adrianna Biedrzynska) learns that her "father" is not her biological father, her feelings for him take a new turn. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Decalogue 5 (1988)
Jacek (Miroslaw Baka) murders a cab driver and is sentenced to die, despite the efforts of his inexperienced lawyer. This episode was released in an expanded version as A Short Film About Killing. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Decalogue 6 (1988)
Nineteen-year-old Tomek (Olaf Lubaszenko) spies on the older, promiscuous Magda (Grazyna Szapolowska), who then seduces him. This episode was released in an expanded version as A Short Film About Love. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Decalogue 7 (1988)
When Majka (Maja Barelkowska) gets tired of pretending that her illegitimate daughter is her sister, she kidnaps the girl and takes on her mother, who has been posing as the child's mother. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Decalogue 8 (1988)
Elzbieta (Teresa Marczewska) confronts ethics professor Zofia (Maria Koscialkowska), who refused to hide her from the Nazis during World War II, and the women gain a deeper understanding of how the war scarred both of them. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Decalogue 9 (1988)
Impotent Roman (Piotr Machalica) encourages his wife to see other men, then becomes jealous when, after much hesitation, she does so. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Decalogue 10 (1988)
Jerzy (Jerzy Stuhr) trades a kidney for a rare stamp, only to see a twist of fate underline his folly. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi