Also, did anyone else notice the similarity between the spilled ink scene and the photograph scene in Don’t Look Now? I wonder if it was an intentional reference.
Well … first of all, probably not the best choice if one’s moving from Polanski to other Polish directors. You might want to go a little more gradually. I mean, one doesn’t begin with Berlin Alexanderplatz as an introduction to German cinema, does one? Might want to start with the Three Colours trilogy. Or better yet, try out some Skolimowski.
Anyway, back on topic: Personally, I always finish a film that I’ve begun even if I really hate it (I finished Avatar didn’t I, ha) – I’m not sure if you adhere to this rule, but it’s not like it’s a crime to leave a film unfinished. I thought The Decalogue was pretty good. Not a masterpiece, but worth watching. It does, in a way, have a “religious agenda” (I wouldn’t use that term personally, I don’t think it applies here) though … it’s meant to be representative of the Ten Commandments.
Why isn’t it the best choice? I guess I’m a bit surprised since the film seemed to have a very conventional structure. If anything, Polanski’s films (early ones at least) are more inventive and experimental.
Because it’s 10 hours long … a 10-hour investment tends to lack accessibility.
Why not start with A Short Film about Killing & Short Film about Love
These two pretty much encapsulate K’s greatness without being too onerous timewise
Yeah, I might just watch a few more that were recommended, and decide from there. I found the film itself to be very accessible, though. That was almost the problem; it seemed a bit cut and dry.
@ Megg — Thanks for the recommendations. If I don’t end up finishing the Decalogue now I’ll definitely check out those.
@Kate
From what you wrote, my sense is that you don’t like the pro Judeo-Christian position of the first “film.” If I remember correctly, I don’t think the other films are so overt in promoting an agenda as you say. However, I believe the Vatican lists gives this film a special designation among films (or something to that effect), so….I’m a Christian, so I wouldn’t object to pro Judeo-Christian view, but I many of the sections offer a thoughtfully examine each of the commandments. (The film that examines the fifth commandment—honor thy parents—is not so simplistic, I think.) I don’t think you should give up completely just yet.
But if you don’t like the religious slant, some of Kieslowski other films might be better—the Color Trilogy as Deck mentioned or Double Life of Veronique.
@Jazzaloha — It’s actually not the religious slant that bothers me. The religious elements in Bergman’s or Tarkovsky’s films never bothered me. It’s more that I felt the science vs. faith thing was given an overly simplistic treatment here, almost as if the moral of the story was underlined at the end. Compare it to the much more nuanced treatment of science/faith in a movie like Solaris. Then again, maybe it was just the time constraint here.
I heard the fifth segment was one of the best, so I’ll probably watch that one next. I’m assuming that’s the one you’re referring to.
@Kate
Assuming the fifth segment is the one on honoring thy parents, yes.
I hear what you’re saying about the first segment, and it’s not very rich or nuanced treatment of the first commandment—“Thou shalt have no other gods before me”—but you have to remember the segment is not about science and religion so much as a way to understand this first commandment in a modern context—or at least that’s the way I understood it. In that respect, I think it’s somewhat interesting, if a bit simplistic or one-dimensional. Since we don’t have other gods like they did in the ancient times, what would constitute a “god” for us today? I think science and technology is a pretty fits the bill. Also, the segment shows that one can have a kind of “faith” in science that is not unlike a religious faith. OK, not earth-shatteringly insightful or nuanced, but not bad for a modern update on the first commandment, imo.
I think it’s fair to say that each segment is an attempt to examine/understand/re-contextualize the ten commandments. As many films like this (i.e. short segments/vignettes), some of the segments are work, others don’t. The first one may not be the best.
Yeah, it didn’t seem to me that that was the filmmaker’s purpose: science vs. religion specifically. Sure, that’s superficially what’s going on, but you could replace science with anything humanity deifies in place of god – this is the point, not specifically science (though science is the most relevant to us in the modern day, increasingly relevant in fact).
… as Jazz already stated above, ha.
@Jazz — That interpretation does make it seem more interesting. I will stop my bitching, and watch the other episodes before forming an opinion. :P
@Deckard — Good point. And I suppose God could also be replaced with the apparent unpredictability and randomness of the universe.
Kate—Have you seen any other Polish (or Eastern European) films?
Yeah, although I’d like to broaden my knowledge. I’ve seen all of Tarkovsky’s, Eisenstein, Andrzej Zulawski, some by Aleksandr Sokurov, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Nikita Milkalkov. I am sure there are others I’m forgetting…
Ahh, Zulawski. One of my new favorites.
You bring up a few names I need to see as well.
Watching the fifth segment now and already like it a lot better.
Decalogue ranked:
1. One
2. Four (could well become my favourite on a second viewing)
3. Five
4. Nine
5. Two
6. Six
7. Three
8. Seven
9. Ten
10. Eight
Yeah, the first episode is my favourite. I just find it staggeringly moving, and I say this as someone who is not religious. I also love its mood, and the way the relationship between the father and son is portrayed. It is the only episode of the series which allows itself to be interpreted in such an explicitly religious way as you state, however I don’t necessarily take to the religious interpretation of the episode: I find it interesting simply from the perspective of the father putting too much faith in his computer’s equations, and then the conflicts this sets alight inside him in response – who can he blame when things go wrong; himself, bad luck, God? How does he deal with the guilt, and how does all this impact his religious beliefs? Also whilst Krzyzstof (the father) in this film reacts to the accident by renewed belief in god, notice that Irena, who before was very much Christian and who said that god is love, is seen walking the streets crying in reaction to the accident in what seems like a moment of agnosticism: though interested in the first commandment and its application to the modern world, this first film is as much about how happenings in the world can both make you believe or make you deny belief in a god.
In an interview in 1989, after the release of his ten-film series, Decalogue, Kieslowski commented: “I don’t believe in God, but I have a good relationship with him.”
…
Kate
After hearing from another member that Polanski isn’t the most interesting Polish director, I decided to explore more Polish cinema. I have only seen the first episode so far tonight, and not sure if I should continue with the other nine. Usually, I’ll just finish a movie I started, but nine hours is quite a time investment.
SPOILERS BELOW!
For the record I liked the episode, but it didn’t bowl me over. Maybe my expectations were too high. I found the story moving and well crafted, but I also had some problems with its themes. I felt that the director had a religious agenda, and he didn’t leave enough ambiguity in his final message to make it interesting. He depicted the science vs. faith theme in a way that I thought was overly simplistic. I felt like the father’s character was merely a device for his agenda, and wasn’t fleshed out enough to transcend that, perhaps because of the film’s short length. The boy’s death left me feeling somewhat manipulated, as I wondered if the director just used it to further his agenda.
Given that I enjoyed the first segment, I would keep watching except I’ve read in a number of places that it’s one of the best in the series.
I would love to hear other interpretations! Maybe I am missing something. :)