Decalogue I
Encyclopedia
The Decalogue - One is a first part of a television series The Decalogue
by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski
, connected to the first imperative of the Ten Commandments
: "I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me."
A university professor (Henryk Baranowski) trains his young son in the use of reason and the scientific method, but is confronted with the unpredictability of fate. Reason is deified with tragic results.
One cold winter morning Paweł asks his father to give him a physics
problem to solve, Krzysztof does so and Paweł solves it very quickly in his computer
, later Paweł becomes depressed at the sight of a stray dead dog
and begins to wonder about deeper things in life. When asked about the nature of death
, his father gives him a very objective (but cold) explanation of death as the ending of all vital functions.
A TV crew comes to Paweł's school and makes several shots of Paweł and his schoolmates for their reportage on the poor quality of milk in public schools. Paweł creates a program that allows him to know what his mother is doing (she appears to be living in a different continent, since the program also calculates time zone differences), but the computer is unable to answer as to what she dreams, but his aunt answers easily: she dreams of Paweł. Perhaps also important is the fact that Pawel believes that his father's computer must know his mother's dreams. Paweł talks with his aunt about what his father said about death but she elaborates on that and talks about the soul
and religion
. Irene and Krzysztof discuss about Paweł's decision to take religious courses at the local church.
One day, when arriving home Krzysztof and Paweł notice that Krzysztof's computer turned itself on. Paweł and his father use the computer to calculate if it is possible for him to skate on the ice, if it would hold him
. After filling in the data into the computer, the PC says that the expected ice would hold three times Pawel's weight. Krzysztof even goes to the lake and corroborates that the ice is strong enough to hold him.
Paweł finds a pair of skates in a drawer meant to be a Christmas gift and wants to try them on the lake not far away from their home. His father gives his permission. The next day, Krzysztof hears firemen's sirens going off and people rushing to the lake. Later the mother of a classmate of Paweł's comes distraught to Krzysztof; the English lesson where Paweł was supposed to be was cancelled due to illness of the teacher and the ice in the lake broke. Krzysztof refuses to believe that the ice could have broken, since his studies indicated that the ice would not break. After searching all over the place he gets confirmation from one of Paweł's friends that he was skating at the time of the accident.
Irene and Krzysztof are desperate when the rescue services fish several corpses out of the frozen water (Paweł is not specifically shown to be among them, but Krzysztof and Irene's reaction seems to indicate that he is). Krzysztof returns home to find that his computer has turned on by itself again. Krzysztof later enters a provisional church, destroying a small altar to the Częstochowa
, which appears to be crying. The film ends as Krzysztof, in tears, sinks to his knees and makes a cross on his forehead with a block of frozen holy water.
The Decalogue
The Decalogue is a 1989 Polish television drama series directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and co-written by Kieślowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz, with music by Zbigniew Preisner...
by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Krzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
, connected to the first imperative of the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
: "I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me."
A university professor (Henryk Baranowski) trains his young son in the use of reason and the scientific method, but is confronted with the unpredictability of fate. Reason is deified with tragic results.
Plot
Krzysztof lives alone with Paweł, his 12-year old and highly intelligent son, and introduces him to the world of personal computers. They have several PCs in their flat and do many experiments with programming such as opening/closing the doors or turning on/off the tap water with help of the PC, etc.One cold winter morning Paweł asks his father to give him a physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
problem to solve, Krzysztof does so and Paweł solves it very quickly in his computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
, later Paweł becomes depressed at the sight of a stray dead dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
and begins to wonder about deeper things in life. When asked about the nature of death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, his father gives him a very objective (but cold) explanation of death as the ending of all vital functions.
A TV crew comes to Paweł's school and makes several shots of Paweł and his schoolmates for their reportage on the poor quality of milk in public schools. Paweł creates a program that allows him to know what his mother is doing (she appears to be living in a different continent, since the program also calculates time zone differences), but the computer is unable to answer as to what she dreams, but his aunt answers easily: she dreams of Paweł. Perhaps also important is the fact that Pawel believes that his father's computer must know his mother's dreams. Paweł talks with his aunt about what his father said about death but she elaborates on that and talks about the soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
. Irene and Krzysztof discuss about Paweł's decision to take religious courses at the local church.
One day, when arriving home Krzysztof and Paweł notice that Krzysztof's computer turned itself on. Paweł and his father use the computer to calculate if it is possible for him to skate on the ice, if it would hold him
Pressure
Pressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...
. After filling in the data into the computer, the PC says that the expected ice would hold three times Pawel's weight. Krzysztof even goes to the lake and corroborates that the ice is strong enough to hold him.
Paweł finds a pair of skates in a drawer meant to be a Christmas gift and wants to try them on the lake not far away from their home. His father gives his permission. The next day, Krzysztof hears firemen's sirens going off and people rushing to the lake. Later the mother of a classmate of Paweł's comes distraught to Krzysztof; the English lesson where Paweł was supposed to be was cancelled due to illness of the teacher and the ice in the lake broke. Krzysztof refuses to believe that the ice could have broken, since his studies indicated that the ice would not break. After searching all over the place he gets confirmation from one of Paweł's friends that he was skating at the time of the accident.
Irene and Krzysztof are desperate when the rescue services fish several corpses out of the frozen water (Paweł is not specifically shown to be among them, but Krzysztof and Irene's reaction seems to indicate that he is). Krzysztof returns home to find that his computer has turned on by itself again. Krzysztof later enters a provisional church, destroying a small altar to the Częstochowa
Black Madonna of Czestochowa
The Black Madonna of Częstochowa is a revered icon of the Virgin Mary housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland.-The icon:The origins of the icon and the date of its composition are still hotly contested among scholars...
, which appears to be crying. The film ends as Krzysztof, in tears, sinks to his knees and makes a cross on his forehead with a block of frozen holy water.
Cast
- Henryk Baranowski - Krzysztof: an atheist, professor of linguistics at the university.
- Wojciech Klata - Paweł: Krzysztof's 12 year old son.
- Maja KomorowskaMaja KomorowskaMaja Komorowska is a Polish film actress. She has appeared in 35 films since 1970.-Selected filmography:* Family Life * A Woman's Decision * Budapest Tales * Spiral...
- Irena: Krzysztof's sister, she deeply believes in God and does not understand her brother much but they respect each other and have in common their love for little Paweł. - Artur BarciśArtur BarciśArtur Barciś is a Polish actor. He appeared in the television series Aby do świtu... in 1992. and Kieślowski's "Dekalog"-References:...
- man in the sheepskin - Maria Gladkowska - English teacher
- Ewa Kania - Ewa Jezierska
- Aleksandra Kisielewska - woman
- Aleksandra Majsiuk - Ola
- Magda Sroga-Mikołajczyk - journalist