The Decalogue
Encyclopedia
The Decalogue is a 1989
1989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...

 Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 drama series directed by 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:...

 and co-written by Kieślowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Krzysztof Marek Piesiewicz is a Polish lawyer, screenwriter, and politician, who is currently a member of the Polish Parliament and head of the Ruch Społeczny or Social Movement Party....

, with music by Zbigniew Preisner
Zbigniew Preisner
Zbigniew Preisner is a Polish film score composer, best known for his work with film director Krzysztof Kieślowski.-Life:Zbigniew Preisner studied history and philosophy in Kraków. Never having received formal music lessons, he taught himself music by listening and transcribing parts from records....

. It consists of ten one-hour films, each of which represents one 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,...

 (according to their Roman Catholic division) and explores possible meanings of the commandment—often ambiguous or contradictory—within a fictional story set in modern Poland. The series is Kieślowski's most acclaimed work and has won numerous international awards, though it was not widely released outside Europe until the late 1990s. Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...

 wrote an admiring foreword to the published screenplay in 1991.

Production

Though each film is independent, most of them share the same setting (a large housing project in Warsaw) and some of the characters are acquainted with each other. The large cast includes both famous actors and unknowns, many of whom Kieślowski also used in his other films. Typically for Kieślowski, the tone of most of the films is melancholic, except for the final one, which, like Three Colors: White
Three Colors: White
Three Colors: White is a 1994 Polish mystery comedy-drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski...

, is a black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...

, and features two of the same actors, Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr is one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors. He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor...

 and Zbigniew Zamachowski
Zbigniew Zamachowski
Zbigniew Zamachowski is a Polish actor.Zamachowski graduated the actor's faculty in "PWSFTViT" in Łódź. He began his acting career in 1981 and in 1989 had a co-starring role in Part Ten of director Krzysztof Kieślowski's film series, The Decalogue...

.

The series was conceived when Piesiewicz
Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Krzysztof Marek Piesiewicz is a Polish lawyer, screenwriter, and politician, who is currently a member of the Polish Parliament and head of the Ruch Społeczny or Social Movement Party....

, who had seen a 15th-century artwork illustrating the commandments in scenes from that time period, suggested the idea of a modern equivalent. 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:...

 was interested in the philosophical challenge and also wanted to use the series as a portrait of the hardships of Polish society, while deliberately avoiding the political issues he had depicted in earlier films. He originally meant to hire ten different directors, but decided to direct the films himself, though using a different cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...

 for each with exception of episodes III and IX, both cinematographed by Piotr Sobociński
Piotr Sobocinski
Piotr Sobociński was one of the most respected cinematographers ever to come from Poland, picking up where his father, legendary Polish cinematographer, Witold Sobociński, left off. He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Three Colours: Red in 1994.-Early life:Born in 1958,...

.

There is also a nameless character, played by Artur Barciś, possibly supernatural, who observes the main characters at key moments but never intervenes (this character also appears in all episodes except 10).
Episode Character played by Artur Barciś
Decalogue I
Decalogue I
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 homeless man sitting by a fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....

 near the lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

Decalogue II
Decalogue II
The Decalogue - Two is a second part of a television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the second imperative of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."-Plot:The episode focusses on two persons: an elderly doctor ,...

An orderly
Orderly
A medical orderly , is a hospital attendant whose job consists of assisting medical and/or nursing staff with various nursing and/or medical interventions. These duties are classified as routine tasks involving no risk for the patient.- Job details :Orderlies are often utilized in various hospital...

 in the hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

Decalogue III
Decalogue III
The Decalogue - Three is a third part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the third imperative of the Ten Commandments: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy....

A tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

 driver
Decalogue IV
Decalogue IV
The Decalogue - IV is a fourth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, loosely connected to the fourth imperative of the Ten Commandments: Honor thy father and thy mother....

A man rowing a boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...

 and later seen carrying the boat
Decalogue V
Decalogue V
The Decalogue - V is a fifth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the fifth imperative of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not kill....

A construction worker holding a measuring pole and then as a different construction worker carrying a ladder
Ladder
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope ladders that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or stiles . Rigid ladders are usually...

Decalogue VI
Decalogue VI
The Decalogue - VI is a sixth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the sixth imperative of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not commit adultery."...

A man carrying bags of groceries
Decalogue VII
Decalogue VII
The Decalogue - VII is a seventh part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the seventh imperative of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not steal....

A man on the railway station (However Kieślowski experienced technical difficulties including him in this episode)
Decalogue VIII
Decalogue VIII
The Decalogue - VIII is the eighth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the eighth imperative of the Ten Commandments, "thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."...

A student at the University (He appears suddenly)
Decalogue IX
Decalogue IX
The Decalogue - IX is a ninth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the ninth imperative of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife....

A man riding a bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....

Decalogue X
Decalogue X
The Decalogue - X is a tenth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the tenth imperative of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods, nor anything that is your neighbor's....

Does not appear


Milk also plays as a symbol in some of the films:
Episode Role of milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...

Decalogue I
Decalogue I
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."...

The milk is sour.
Decalogue II
Decalogue II
The Decalogue - Two is a second part of a television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the second imperative of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."-Plot:The episode focusses on two persons: an elderly doctor ,...

The doctor carries milk almost all the time.
Decalogue IV
Decalogue IV
The Decalogue - IV is a fourth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, loosely connected to the fourth imperative of the Ten Commandments: Honor thy father and thy mother....

Michal is going to buy milk at the end.
Decalogue VI
Decalogue VI
The Decalogue - VI is a sixth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the sixth imperative of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not commit adultery."...

Tomek delivers milk and Magda spills it.
Decalogue IX
Decalogue IX
The Decalogue - IX is a ninth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the ninth imperative of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife....

Roman is pouring milk while watching a child play.

Themes

The ten films are titled simply by number (e.g. Decalogue: One). In English, they are sometimes referred to by the commonly used short forms of the commandments based on the King James Bible text (see below), however the themes are fashioned after the commandments after the catholic ritual, considering the Polish religious background. According to Roger Ebert's
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...

 introduction to the DVD set, Kieślowski said that the films did not correspond exactly to the commandments, and never used their names himself. However, they appear to follow the order of the commandments found in Deuteronomy chapter 5.

Episodes

Episode Commandment Cast Cinematography
Decalogue I
Decalogue I
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."...

I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me. Henryk Baranowski
Wojciech Klata
Maja Komorowska
Maja Komorowska
Maja 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...

Wieslaw Zdort
Decalogue II
Decalogue II
The Decalogue - Two is a second part of a television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the second imperative of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."-Plot:The episode focusses on two persons: an elderly doctor ,...

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Krystyna Janda
Aleksander Bardini
Aleksander Bardini
Aleksander Bardini was a Polish theatre and opera director, actor, notable professor at the State Theatre School in Warsaw...


Olgierd Łukaszewicz
Olgierd Łukaszewicz
Olgierd Łukaszewicz is a Polish film actor. He has appeared in over 60 films since his 1969 graduation from the Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts in Kraków...

Edward Klosinski
Decalogue III
Decalogue III
The Decalogue - Three is a third part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the third imperative of the Ten Commandments: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy....

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Daniel Olbrychski
Daniel Olbrychski
Daniel Olbrychski is a Polish actor best known for leading roles in several Andrzej Wajda movies and also known for playing the Russian defector and spymaster Vassily Orlov, alongside Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie in the movie Salt....


Maria Pakulnis
Joanna Szczepowska
Piotr Sobociński
Piotr Sobocinski
Piotr Sobociński was one of the most respected cinematographers ever to come from Poland, picking up where his father, legendary Polish cinematographer, Witold Sobociński, left off. He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Three Colours: Red in 1994.-Early life:Born in 1958,...

Decalogue IV
Decalogue IV
The Decalogue - IV is a fourth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, loosely connected to the fourth imperative of the Ten Commandments: Honor thy father and thy mother....

Honor your father and your mother. Adrianna Biedrzyńska
Janusz Gajos
Janusz Gajos
Janusz Gajos is a Polish actor.He graduated in 1965 from the National Film School in Łódź as one of its best students despite having been rejected during entrance exams for three times. He debuted while he was still in film school in children's film Panienka z okienka in 1964...


Adam Hanuszkiewicz
Krzysztof Pakulski
Decalogue V
Decalogue V
The Decalogue - V is a fifth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the fifth imperative of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not kill....

You shall not murder. Miroslaw Baka
Jan Tesarz
Krzysztof Globisz
Sławomir Idziak
Decalogue VI
Decalogue VI
The Decalogue - VI is a sixth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the sixth imperative of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not commit adultery."...

You shall not commit adultery. Olaf Lubaszenko
Grażyna Szapołowska
Witold Adamek
Decalogue VII
Decalogue VII
The Decalogue - VII is a seventh part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the seventh imperative of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not steal....

You shall not steal. Anna Polony
Maja Barelkowska
Katarzyna Piwowarczyk
Dariusz Kuc
Decalogue VIII
Decalogue VIII
The Decalogue - VIII is the eighth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the eighth imperative of the Ten Commandments, "thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."...

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. Teresa Marczewska
Teresa Marczewska
Teresa Marczewska is a Polish actress and the wife of the Polish film director, Wojciech Marczewski.- Selected filmography :* Who Never Lived * Quo vadis * Weiser...


Maria Koscialkowska
Andrzej Jaroszewicz
Decalogue IX
Decalogue IX
The Decalogue - IX is a ninth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the ninth imperative of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife....

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. Ewa Blasczyk
Piotr Machalica
Jan Jankowski
Piotr Sobociński
Piotr Sobocinski
Piotr Sobociński was one of the most respected cinematographers ever to come from Poland, picking up where his father, legendary Polish cinematographer, Witold Sobociński, left off. He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Three Colours: Red in 1994.-Early life:Born in 1958,...

Decalogue X
Decalogue X
The Decalogue - X is a tenth part of the television series The Decalogue by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, connected to the tenth imperative of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods, nor anything that is your neighbor's....

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr is one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors. He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor...


Zbigniew Zamachowski
Zbigniew Zamachowski
Zbigniew Zamachowski is a Polish actor.Zamachowski graduated the actor's faculty in "PWSFTViT" in Łódź. He began his acting career in 1981 and in 1989 had a co-starring role in Part Ten of director Krzysztof Kieślowski's film series, The Decalogue...

Jacek Blawut


(This list follows Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

 and Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...

 tradition; most other Christian denominations and Judaism follow the original division of the commandments as they are written in the Book of Exodus. Poland is predominantly Catholic.)

Reception

The Decalogue was admired by critics as well as by important figures from the movie industry such as Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...

.
The DVD box issue holds 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...

 based on 28 reviews. The series was also praised by some of the renowned film critics, including Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...

  and Robert Fulford.

In the 2002 Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute .Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today...

 poll to determine the greatest films of all time, The Decalogue and A Short Film About Killing
A Short Film About Killing
A Short Film About Killing is a 1988 film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski expanded from the fifth episode in the Polish television series Dekalog...

received votes from 4 critics and 3 directors, including Ebert, New Yorker critic David Denby
David Denby (film critic)
David Denby is an American journalist, best known as a film critic for The New Yorker magazine.-Background and education:Denby grew up in New York City. He received a B.A...

, and director Mira Nair
Mira Nair
Mira Nair is an Indian film director and producer based in New York. Her production company is Mirabai Films.She was educated at Delhi University and Harvard University. Her debut feature film, Salaam Bombay! , won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and also earned the nomination...

. Additionally, in the Sight & Sound poll held the same year to determine the top 10 films of the previous 25 years, Kieslowski was named #2 on the list of Top Directors, with votes for his films being split between Decalogue, Three Colors Red/Blue, and The Double Life of Veronique
The Double Life of Véronique
The Double Life of Véronique is a 1991 French- and Polish-language film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, co-written by Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, starring Irène Jacob, with original music by Zbigniew Preisner. The film was Kieślowski's first to be produced partly outside Poland.A...

.

Longer feature films

Kieślowski expanded Five and Six into longer feature films (A Short Film About Killing
A Short Film About Killing
A Short Film About Killing is a 1988 film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski expanded from the fifth episode in the Polish television series Dekalog...

and A Short Film About Love
A Short Film About Love
A Short Film About Love is an expanded film version of the sixth episode of director Krzysztof Kieślowski's 1988 Polish language ten-part television series, The Decalogue...

), using the same cast and changing the stories slightly. This was part of a contractual obligation with the producers, since feature films were easier to distribute outside Poland.
In 2000, the series was released on five DVDs, each containing two parts of about 2 hours.

Ranked #36 in Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...

magazines "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK