Details
Movie Description
One of the greatest and most ambitious cinematic achievements, Krzysztof Kieslowski's THE DECALOGUE consists of 10 short films inspired by the Ten Commandments. Each film takes place in and around the same area of late-20th-century Warsaw, provoking timeless ethical and moral questions for this era. Specifically, the films address personal issues dealing with family, friends, love, life, and death. Winner of awards from the Venice, São Paulo, and Cannes film festivals and originally made for Polish television, Kieslowski's masterwork has been screened all over the world to international acclaim. The video release will give viewers the opportunity to revisit each episode and discover characters from the other films that pop up in the background of the current story and might also help to better explain the mysterious presence of Artur Barcis, a quiet onlooker who might be an angel or a devil. Kieslowski, collaborating with cowriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz, has made a series of films that feel small and intimate yet are actually epic commentaries on modern human existence, making THE DECALOGUE a lasting work of art.
Synopsis
Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's acclaimed 10-part series THE DECALOGUE, originally shot for Polish television, concerns morality and ethics as manifested in the lives of singular yet universal characters in late-20th-century Warsaw who wrangle with questions of truth, fate, deception, and consequence. The films, inspired by the Ten Commandments, are emotionally complex, substantial works that can stand alone or be watched together, making timeless viewing.
Film Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Single Side - Dual Layer
Additional Release Material:
Interviews - 1. Krzysztof Kieslowski - Director
2. Roger Ebert - Film Critic
Behind the Scenes Footage
Featurette - 1. KIESLOWSKI KNOWN AND UNKNOWN
2. KIESLOWSKI MEETS THE PRESS
Printed Booklet
For specific plot summaries and credit lists, see each specific release, which consists of two episodes.
Kieslowski's cowriter, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, suggested the Ten Commandments concept to the director, who initially had conceived the series as a way for young directors to make their first films. However, after becoming too attached to the scripts, Kieslowski decided to keep them for himself.
The series was shot in Poland over 11 months and was first broadcast on Polish television.
Kieslowski hired 10 different directors to work on each episode in order to keep the narrative and visuals slightly different.
THE DECALOGUE was released theatrically in New York City in the summer of 2000.
Industry Reviews
"...Fresh, vivid, living art....Relentlessly contemporary..." -- 5 out of 5 stars
Premiere - Glenn Kenny (05/01/2000)
"...[The series] stands as a masterwork of modern cinema, essential viewing for anyone who cares about the movies as a serious art form..."
New York Times - p.E16 - Stephen Holden (06/12/2000)
"...Riveting....Kieslowski's late-'80s masterpiece..." -- Rating: A
Entertainment Weekly - p.54 - Lisa Schwarzbaum (08/11/2000)
"...Rarest of all are those films that are so accomplished, so overwhelming, so profound that seeing them on screen is nothing less than a privilege. Krzystof Kieslowski's THE DECALOGUE is such an event..."
Los Angeles Times - p.F4 - Kenneth Turan (06/26/1994)
"...An extraordinary series of 10 films....The individual DECALOGUE films strike at a deep personal level..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (03/22/1996)
"...It manages to visualize ideas in compelling dramatic fashion....The rapturous praise bestowed upon the series is, indeed, well deserved..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (04/21/2000)
Ranked #1 in Entertainment Weekly's "BEST VIDEOS OF 2000"
Entertainment Weekly - pp.120-3 - Ty Burr
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