How can there be no discussion about this, one of the greatest miracles on film? I'd just like to know everyone's favourite episodes.
I personally consider 1, 3-6 are my absolute favourites but if I had to pick one it would be #4, honour thy father and mother.
Every episode is so rich in its own unique way. For some reason, I really responded most strongly to #3 ("Remember the Sabbath"), especially the last half. It has some of the most enduring images of the series. #4 ("Honor thy father and thy mother") is incredibly engrossing and well acted. # 10 is actually the funniest of the series. After sittting through nine really heavy episodes, #10 almost plays like a screwball comedy. I found #6 ("Thou shalt not commit adultery") to be the most hopeful movie in the Decalogue. But for sheer spiritual resonance, I think #8 ("Thou shalt not bear false witness") is my favorite.
Its very rare to meet film characters who stay with you as long as those from the Decalogue. I've only seen the series once, but there must be 20 different characters that I liked and empathized with. Honestly, this series contains some of the best acting you'll ever see.
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Number One is my favorite, from the stare at the beginning to the cleansing with frozen holy water. It started me off and addicted me from the beginning and i found it to be the most perfect at the end.
I don't talk much. I just cut the hair. -Ed Crane
By the way, where is the Young Man in Decalogue 7??
I don't talk much. I just cut the hair. -Ed Crane
Regarding the young man in 7, he isn't there. The script called for him to be on crutches in the train station, but as Kieslowski puts it, "I didn't film him right and had to cut him out."
-- TopFrog
I don't think the young man is in three either.
Not only is it possible, it is essential
No, he's in Episode Three. When Janusz and Eva are driving through a tunnel, the mysterious man is driving the rig that nearly hits them.
He is also nowhere to be found in Episode Ten (even though one of City Death's members bears an uncanny resemblance to him.)
Anyway, my three favorite episodes are One, Four, and Five. I'll explain (spoilers):
One: The film's first forty minutes are upbeat and occasionally humorous, profiling the lives of Krzysztof, a professor, and his intelligent young son, Pawel. Krzysztof believes that the world is ruled by mechanics and machines, such as computers, and that all information can be discovered through technology. Pawel is not so sure. Almost naturally, a tragedy ensues- a miscalculation resulting in the young boy's death. Like many of the other episodes, director Kieslowski makes us believe the story is leading one way, when he suddenly shocks us with where the story is going. One of the most powerful short films I've ever seen, with two images that constantly haunt me: the image of the wax pouring on to the painting of the archangel, making it appear as if it is crying; and the grainy television image of Pawel, joyous and happy, unaware of the tragedy to come.
Four: Like the first episode, Four deals with parenting. Anka is a young woman enrolled in a theatrical school. When her father goes away on business for a week, she is tempted by an unopened letter addressed to her- but only to be opened after her father's death. She, of course, gives in and discovers a shocking revelation within the letter that leads to emotional and sexual tension between her and her father. The film is laced with suprises, and the end is another shocker- I at first dismissed it as unrealistic, but the more I thought about it, the more everything made sense, in context. Almost remarkably, Kieslowski ends this sad and somber story with a happy finale, giving the viewer hope for these tragic figures.
Five: Often remnescant of Fritz Lang's "M", Five tells its story in two parts. The first half is a shocking and unblinking portrait of a young man named Lazar who randomly and brutally kills a stranger. It shows the killing without remorse or emotion. The second half shows the prosecution of Lazar, and the young lawyer, Piotr, who defends him. It is only after Lazar is executed that Piotr realizes the truth about human nature and how utterly senseless violence truly is. Unlike One and Four, this episode is almost totally void of emotion- only hints of Lazar's tortured past, and a sad glimpse at a society which cannot except anything less than an eye for an eye.
"The Decalogue" as a single series stands among "Casablanca" and "The Godfather" as one of the greatest film achievements of all time. Each episode is wonderfully unique- they don't offer brain-warped religious allegory, but simply show the berevity and despair of the human psyche. Although these stories may be sad, it's the reactions of the characters and their emotions that offer hope in the world- like the final scene of Episode Ten, which gives us promise for our flawed species.
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"Lost in Translation" was snubbed!
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You spoke a bit too soon, djgranados: it took awhile, but now there are 60-something posts to this single question (which I can't answer yet b/c I'm still watching the DVDs).
shareMaybe I'm boring but I put 5 & 6 on top. Try to see the versions of these listed as "A Short Film Abouting Killing" & "A Short Film About Love" as they have extra scenes & the second has a different ending.
shareI can't really pick a "favorite", but episode 6 affected me most personally. It was incredibly poignant and haunting. Episode 5 was just devastating. The fact that these two pieces were expanded into longer works is perhaps the best argument as to their "superiority" amongst the anthology, but I really have a hard time deciding which is superior. Each episode is so incredibly unique that I almost feel it would be easier for me to pick a favorite shot or "moment" from each episode than a favorite episode. Even THAT is difficult, considering the fact that I got chills evertime the "watcher" appeared.
This might be my favorite foreign film...its perfect in nearly every respect.
Its absence on the top 250 is sacrilege...I love Lord of the Rings, but mentioning it in the same sentence as this film almost makes me wince.
Once it has more than 1,000 votes it'll be in the Top 250, very likely even the #1. The Rotten Tomatoes meter for The Decalogue is 100%! It got higher ratings than The Godfather. So keep the votes coming! The Decalogue will be brought to the attention of a much larger audience once it makes the Top 250.
Bart: "Dad! You shot zombie Flanders!"
Homer:"He was a zombie?"
The problem is that the IMDb counts The Decalogue as a mini-series, not an actual movie. So it won't end up on the top 250 no matter how many votes it gets. It actually is eligible to make the top movies of the 80s but it doesn't because it's considered a mini-series. Maybe we should try to petition to get this counted as a movie and gain wider recognition as one of the greatest films of all-time.
share"The fact that these two pieces were expanded into longer works is perhaps the best argument as to their "superiority" amongst the anthology"
You may be interested to know that, according to an interview KK gave not long before his death, Kieslowski, Piesiewicz and the production team were a hair's breadth away from expanding episode 9 to a feature length presentation - prospective title, "A Short Film about Jealousy". KK and Piesiewicz discussed additional scenes etc for the film but eventually decided against it - the material wasn't quite strong enough, and the strain of doing what basically amounted to 13 films in roughly 12 months was seen as too much of a stretch. I'll dig out the interview if anyone wants the full transcripted quote.
Finally got the dvd's of this.. way overdue..heheh. My parents have watched this a long time ago and have recommend to me. I'm a aspiring director, and Kieslowski is on my top list. I thought there would be more of a discussion about Kieslowski and his works on here but there isn't, that's sad.
Just finished watching eppy 1 and 2 so I can't say yet what my fave eppy is. Can't wait till tomorrow so that I can contiune to watch this series.
And what do you all think about Young Man aka (Man in the sheepskin in eppy 1) in the series.
My favourites are 1,2,3,5 and 6.
In the second episode, there's a music that makes me feel so sad...when the woman looks through the window and the camera goes down to the window of the doctor. Every time I hear that music of the soundtrack, I feel so blue...
The 6th is a precious love story.
It's so beautiful when he tells her he has seen her crying...that was a way of sharing something with her, he had her intimacy for a while.
She feels something for him. Maybe she doesn't love him, but she cares for him and gets worried when he disappears. So at the end, she feels something for the boy.
The 1st, 2nd and 5th are devastating sad stories. I love them as well, but they are quite depressing.
1,5, 9, and 10 would be my favourites after just one viewing. I'm going to go through them all again very soon.
shareI loved 1, 2 and 5, these were my favorites. 5 (A short film about killing), especially, is absolutely brilliant. I suppose that my least favorite episode was 3. Unlike the others, I just had no interest in these characters and what happened to them. I felt more removed from three than any of the other episodes. I'm not sure what the reason for this was??
Well, perhaps it was because I thought that neither of the characters were redeemable, I actually hated both of them by the end of the episode. Am I crazy, maybe, but that's how I felt. I had more compassion for Jasek in five, the murderer, than I did either of them.