DECALOGUE (DVD) DVD

The Decalogue [TV Series]
Part of Series:
The Decalogue [TV Series]
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, All Movie Guide

Includes Episodes:
The Decalogue 1
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, All Movie Guide
The Decalogue 2
As Dorota's (Krystyna Janda) husband lies dying, she must decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy by another man. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The Decalogue 3
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, All Movie Guide
The Decalogue 4
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, All Movie Guide
The Decalogue 5
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, All Movie Guide
The Decalogue 6
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, All Movie Guide
The Decalogue 7
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, All Movie Guide
The Decalogue 8
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, All Movie Guide
The Decalogue 9
Impotent Roman (Piotr Machalica) encourages his wife to see other men, then becomes jealous when, after much hesitation, she does so. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The Decalogue 10
Jerzy (Jerzy Stuhr) trades a kidney for a rare stamp, only to see a twist of fate underline his folly. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast n/a

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

The Decalogue [TV Series]
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, All Movie Guide
 

Krzysztof Kieslowski: São Paulo International Film Festival, Critics Award (winner)

Chicago Film Critics Association, Best Foreign Film (winner)

General Specifications: Language Options: Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: Additional Features: Introduction to The Decalogue by film critic Roger Ebert Visit to the set of The Decalogue Extended interview with Kieslowski An appreciation of Kieslowski by his colleagues Booklet with full credits Kieslowski's statement of The Decalogue Interview with screenwriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 3 DVD Sides: 3 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 584 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- Decalogue Disc 1 2. Opening Credits [:18] 3. Pavel's Morning: Miss Piggy Catches Kermit [2:04] 4. A Talk About Death [3:37] 5. A Talk About God [4:23] 6. The Chess Game [9:11] 7. The Classroom Lecture [4:17] 8. Tricky Calculations [3:55] 9. The Search for Pavel [5:30] 10. An Unthinkable Tragedy [11:30] 2. Opening Credits [:16] 3. The Doctor [1:06] 4. The Doctor Tells a Story [5:48] 5. Patient Andrzej Geller [4:35] 6. Dorota's Dilemma [11:57] 7. Dorota's Decision [:29] 8. The Doctor Continues His Story [6:19] 9. The Prognosis [10:35] 10. The Reprise [1:56] 2. Opening Credits [:18] 3. Christmas Eve [:37] 4. Ewa's Christmas Visit to Janusz [7:36] 5. The Missing Husband [8:18] 6. The Affair Remembered [11:07] 7. The Drunk Tank [14:01] 8. Ewa's Confession [3:33] Side #2 -- Decalogue Disc 2 2. Opening Credits [:20] 3. Anka and Her Father, Michal [:49] 4. The Letter [6:48] 5. Words From the Past [11:54] 6. A Search for the Truth [4:17] 7. Feelings Long Hidden [4:28] 8. Anka's Admission [19:35] 2. Opening Credits [:17] 3. Waldemar, Jacek, and Piotr [:59] 4. Jacek Searches for a Victim [9:01] 5. The Fated Encounter [9:19] 6. The Murder [2:22] 7. The Verdict [6:47] 8. The Execution [5:21] 2. Opening Credits [:17] 3. A Peeping Tomek [1:24] 4. Disrupted Romance [4:53] 6. Tomek's Confession [4:16] 5. Spilled Milk [5:49] 7. Cafe Conversation [9:57] 8. Premature Love [8:02] 9. A Change of Heart [14:15] 2. Opening Credits [:18] 3. Bitter Rivalry [:50] 4. The Escape [3:29] 5. Wojtek Meets His Daughter [8:54] 6. Mother to Mother [13:34] 7. "Please Say Mother" [6:36] 8. Final Demands [6:31] 9. The Search [4:56] Side #3 -- Decalogue Disc 3 2. Opening Credits [:17] 3. Ethical Hell [1:01] 4. Past Connections [17:31] 5. Noakowski Street [4:24] 6. The Whole Secret [9:20] 7. The Morning After [10:10] 8. The Tailor [3:33] 2. Opening Credits [:18] 3. Never Again [2:05] 4. Other Possibilities [7:57] 5. Searching for Evidence [8:46] 6. Secrets [5:10] 7. A Matter of Physics [6:09] 8. Out of the Closet [6:06] 9. Desperate Measures [7:13] 2. Opening Credits [:17] 3. The Unknown Passion of a Dead Man [1:18] 4. The Stamps [7:29] 5. The Austrian Rose Mercury [12:28] 6. The Dog [5:40] 7. The Deal [5:54] 8. Delicate Operations [6:09] 9. A New Series [8:42]