Dekalog (1988)

[Boz]

Dekalog
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski
1988

Overall, the 10 part examination of the daily trials and tribulations of the Polish middle class was impressive in its scope and wide range of emotional ground covered, but while Kieslowski elicits some great performances here and there, and shows true directing innovation at times, his technical execution during the series as a whole didn't quite merit any overzealous praise. If anything, he must be respected for having the ambition and the vision to take on such a project, and noted for having done nearly the best he could given his available resources.

Everything about this series seemed good, but not great, interesting, but not ground-breaking. This format of multi-character, epic-type film definitely works better as a single piece with the stories intertwined in my opinion, as evidenced by the films of Paul Thomas Anderson and Robert Altman, among others. I feel like Kieslowski could've achieved a deeper emotional impact and expressed a clearer overall message had he chosen the best few of his 10 stories, wrapped them into one film, and given it a bit more of concurrent theme.

[Capo]

What is technical execution?

Welcome to the site.

[bobbyreed]

mistamista said:

You'd be surprised how difficult it can be to sit through a 10 hour long Polish TV series from the late 80's.

Did you do it in one sitting?

[Boz]

admin said:

What is technical execution?

Camera work, editing, lighting, etc.

[Boz]

bobbyreed said:

mistamista said:

You'd be surprised how difficult it can be to sit through a 10 hour long Polish TV series from the late 80's.

Did you do it in one sitting?

No, it actually took me 12 or 13. ;D

[Capo]

I think the camerawork, editing and lighting are all brilliant; camerawork is very austere while also very poetic, the editing very succinct, and the lighting is atmospherically dull, a fitting evocation of a Warsaw building estate.

I did Dekalog in three sittings, and never felt strained once.

[Boz]

I admittedly have a very short attention span for movies, let alone mini-series.

[RNL]

I've had this whole thing on my computer for sooo long - easily a year and a half. I started watching it last August, watched the first two episodes, then gave up. I'm not sure why, it was quite good.

[Boz]

Originally Written 7/4/06 - 7/19/06

Dekalog, jeden
1988/Kieslowski
A good first chapter to the 10-part series. Very simple in style, setting, characters, and yet Kieslowski still succeeds in creating an interesting atmosphere and posing thought-provoking questions. I really enjoyed the dual main character aspect of this film, focusing equally on both the father and the son, and seem to remember reading that this is a running theme of the series. It really shows Kieslowski's talent that he's able to take all the themes of questioning the purpose of life, reliance in technology, father and son dynamic, and children's naivety, and pack them all into a well-made, hour long film. I look forward to continuing the series tomorrow hopefully.

Dekalog, dwa
1988/Kieslowski
Segment #2, slightly better than the first. This segment had two adult main characters as opposed to the child character of the 1st segment. This provided an oppurtunity for Kieslowski to showcase more of everyday urban Poland, which he didn't get to do much of the first time around. Krystyna Janda, our first female main character, also turns in a great understated performance, doing her best acting with her eyes, which seem to able to run through a wide range of emotions very quickly and all are expressed with such beauty. Aleksander Bardini was also enjoyable as the Doctor although I wish Kieslowski had made more time to explore his personal life.

It's also becoming apparent that Kieslowski isn't striving to stick to the 10 commandments structure that supposedly connects the 10 segments, as neither of the first two parts bore any noticeable resemblance to their given themes. Overall, although the conclusion of this segment was slightly confusing for me, it was still the better of the two so far. Looking forward to Part 3 later on today hopefully.

Dekalog, trzy
1988/Kieslowski
The third installment, and definitely my favorite so far. The entire story takes place in one night, Christmas Eve, which allows for Kieslowski to light the film using lots of shadows and christmas lights. This mix shows up beautifully on the low-quality, late 80's film stock that's used, resulting in a nice effect that reminded me of Thief. The plot here was the most interesting thus far as well, with a nice chemistry going between our two main characters, who are ex-lovers. The plot and the solitary urban setting reminded me almost of a 40's noir film. Kieslowski also suceeds in executing some of his best camera movements so far in the series.

Dekalog, cztery
1988/Kieslowski
An interesting chapter. Kieslowski again uses a dual main character setup, and actually gives the viewers a little more exposition this time around, as we come to feel like we know our characters better here than in the other segments. This story revolves around a 20-year old girl who discovers a letter from her long-deceased mother revealing that her "father" is not really her father. Although I wasn't sure about the slightly sexually suggestive turn the relationship took from there, overall the chemistry was interesting. I didn't quite understand the message behind this one as much as the other parts so far, so it was subsequently probably my least favorite. Still solid though, Kieslowski continues to impress.

Dekalog, piec
1988/Kieslowski
I really enjoyed the opening half, where Kieslowski shows some of his best editing skills as of yet, going back and forth between the young man, the cab driver, and the lawyer. Voice over is also used with great effectiveness in this section. This was also the first segment of the series that skipped a large portion of time, with the story taking place over a year's span. Overall, I wasn't quite sure if the young man's moral transformation was justified and/or explained. Perhaps this is better handled in the longer version. 5 down, 5 to go. Really looking forward to segment 6.

Dekalog, szesc
1988/Kieslowski
This segment was alright. For some reason Kieslowski's camerawork felt extra-amateurish this time around, although it has been a while since I last watched a segment. I didn't feel as though either of the 2 central performances were very strong here, and the story seemed too simplistic to remain interesting. I did, however, like how Kieslowski was able to simultaneously present both facets of sexual frustration, showcasing both overabundance and denial. He also seemed to use music more here as well, which I enjoyed. Overall, average.

Dekalog, siedem
1988/Kieslowski
One of the better segments so far. Kieslowski's camera work takes a drastic turn from the last part and returns to his nice, well-framed or gracefully moving shooting style. The story here provided oppurtunities for strong performances from all the main cast, although I felt as though Boguslaw Linda as Wojtek really shined.

Another great showcase of Kiesklowski's talent is his choice to take the commandment of "Thou Shalt Not Steal" and turn this episode into a metaphorical tale of a teenage girl's daughter being taken from her by her mother. And once again, Kieslowski opts for a dual main character style, which allows him to consistently demonstrate hypocrisies and differences among the different age and social classes in Poland. Overall, an excellent chapter in the series.

Dekalog, osiem
1988/Kieslowski
I didn't quite enjoy this segment. Kieslowski tries to craft an interesting dual character study about the Holocaust and it's lasting effects on two individuals, but ultimately the emotional message doesn't come out clearly or effectively and we're left with an uneventful, uninteresting, and boring chapter in the Dekalog series. Eight down, two to go.

Dekalog, dziewiec
1988/Kieslowski
A much better chapter in the series. It seems to me that when Kieslowski doesn't have such heavy-thinking type subject matter, he's able to concentrate a little more, flesh out his characters better, write a more interesting story, and make a better film, which is odd, I admit, but so far in the series, my favorite segments seem to be fairly simple stories of husbands and wives and cheating and whatnot.

Kieslowski displays some of his best editing and writing skills here, and they make for an overall solid segment. This piece contained some of the best moments of breaking the 4th wall I've ever seen as well. In the pentiultimate scene, a man attempts suicide by riding his bike off of a bridge, just as simultaneously, his wife rushes home on a bus to try to stop him. Kieslowski shows us the man's anguished face, and then a slow motion shot of him freefalling, and then he cuts directly to the wife in close-up, staring directly into the camera with this hopeless sort of look on her face that just completely expresses the emotions of the entire piece really. It was quite an inspired moment.

It's interesting to see that the next and final segment is actually a comedy, which drastically differs from the rest of the series so far. Kind of odd. Looking forward to wrapping this up today or tomorrow.

Dekalog, dziesiec
1989/Kieslowski
The final chapter in the 10 part series, and interestingly enough, a noted departure from the style utilized throughout most of the films so far. Segment 10 plays out like a Coen Brothers black comedy, with moments of true drama, moments of true suspense, but overall, a darkly comedic overtone reigns over the entire piece. Kieslowski uses one of the best little nuances I've ever seen here when at a particularly suspenseful or comedic moment, a brief drum roll suddenly comes in, specially emphasizing the absurdity of the whole situation.

Overall, a fitting final chapter to an impressive series.