tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post2404210227775069212..comments2024-03-12T10:45:12.762-07:00Comments on moviesandsongs365: The Decalogue (1989) Episode 10Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-49103147823960900782013-08-22T01:04:07.369-07:002013-08-22T01:04:07.369-07:00@thevoid99: no 10 is pretty different to the other...@thevoid99: no 10 is pretty different to the other episodes, happy you liked the ending so much!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-5989364699211468052013-08-21T16:07:10.615-07:002013-08-21T16:07:10.615-07:00This one I had the most fun watching as I loved se...This one I had the most fun watching as I loved seeing Zbiginew Zamachowski and Jerzy Stuhr as I remembered them from <i>Trois Couleurs: Blanc</i>. I loved the fact that these two guys are trying to get something but it all goes wrong. The ending I think is perfect. Not just for the episode but for the series itself.thevoid99https://www.blogger.com/profile/03055459287396592446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-54479878588083454402012-12-18T11:50:23.746-08:002012-12-18T11:50:23.746-08:00@Josh: Thanks for showing an interest in the Decal...@Josh: Thanks for showing an interest in the Decalogue posts. I watched the whole series twice in the space of about two years, and still feel I missed things. So you're right, worth returning to. Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-85129913264248640712012-12-17T09:22:57.342-08:002012-12-17T09:22:57.342-08:00Excellent series of posts, Chris. I remember this ...Excellent series of posts, Chris. I remember this being one of the weaker episodes, as you mentioned is common, but I need to rewatch it. After I catch up on more 2012 releases, I'll definitely give it another look.Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08596682195753811295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-20302998979694167432012-12-17T01:34:27.858-08:002012-12-17T01:34:27.858-08:00@Alexandre Fabbri: I rewatched the train sequence ...@Alexandre Fabbri: I rewatched the train sequence again, he got off the train on crutches, you are correct. I was mistaken, I thought it looked like roller skates, when he moved in an odd way. <br /><br />I'm glad we agree there is no interpretation, except that which we put forward. <br />You're welcome. Bye for now.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-52056287738782288372012-12-17T01:02:32.866-08:002012-12-17T01:02:32.866-08:00The silent witness was a roller skater? That would...The silent witness was a roller skater? That would explain why he got off the train on crutches right at the end! You know, I totally agree with you, Chris. There's no meaning. No interpretation, except that which we put forward. Kieslowski detested pretension or people voicing off what they thought that they knew off his films. Always shrugged his shoulders in ignorance when someone suggested to him that he was trying to say this or that in his films. "Don't know. You might be right." sort of reply. "You know better than me." That's why I like him. Thank you very much for adding a link to my site and also good to see you in the Guestbook. Ciao.Alexandre Fabbrihttp://theatreharlequin.bravesites.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-1136074637509761332012-12-16T10:46:52.550-08:002012-12-16T10:46:52.550-08:00@Alexandre Fabbri: Thanks for the reply. I just ch...@Alexandre Fabbri: Thanks for the reply. I just checked that scene in episode 7. There is indeed a person on roller skates on the train platform, unfortunately he is so far away, that his face is not visible. Probably is the silent witness, as you said.<br /><br />Perhaps we have a tendency to over-analyze the Decalogue, and for me there is no harm in that. I think Kieslowski's work has taken on a life of its own, because it is so open for interpreting. Maybe it takes the mystery and magic away, if we try and reduce it to one particular interpretation. That's just my opinion. I don't think there is a set answer when dealing with art. It can mean 100 different things to 100 different viewers, and that's the beauty of it. It can be tempting to read and watch everything Kieslowski said, but at the end of the day, I don't think there should be definitive solutions. By reviewing all ten episodes I don't believe that I have the definitive solutions. My interpretations are my interpretations, and your interpretations are your interpretations.<br />I like what you say about "how important it was to be aware of others, to be sensitive, to be kind, to feel an acute sense of responsibility toward others' welfare." It's a great message in Kieslowski's work. I just think the Decalogue doesn't have to mean just that, it can mean other things, too.<br /><br />Remember what Irene Jacob recalls in interview about Double Life of V, that Kieslowski's theory was that if you said to people that you already knew what the film was about, nobody would offer any suggestions.<br />I'm sure Kieslowski was ok with, that his work meant different things to different people. That's what keeps the interest in his work alive. <br />I'll go to the guest book soon.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-80494030612143768152012-12-16T09:33:28.591-08:002012-12-16T09:33:28.591-08:00Chris, in each episode of the Decalogue the witnes...Chris, in each episode of the Decalogue the witness is to be seen watching what happens when an event occurs - an event which can go one of two ways - when an alternative choice could be taken. In Decalogue 7, this occurs when the biological mother suddenly turns and decides to jump on board the train and leave her daughter behind. This occurs at 52:24 into the episode. Watch this scene again and you'll have the answer to your question. I felt that Kieslowski's World was not really important to anyone at the time. Anyway, I believe that if something is forgotten that later seems to be very important to someone, it will come back into that person's memory at another time, the right time. There is 'A time for everything'. It's a song that I put on my old website. It's also on my new website. That's why I put it there. It is something that Kieslowski believed in. I will go further and say that more than once, chance will play a game with you, you may just not be aware of it happening. Kieslowski was trying to do draw his audience's attention to the need of sensitivity to our lives because in this world that we live in, with all our senses over-saturated by everything around us, it is so easy to overlook things. I had to go back and watch Kieslowski's films again and again to find out all that I had overlooked, years after I had first seen them, which was at the back-end of the 1980's. I was shocked at how dull I had been whilst watching his films back then. I thought then, quite naively, that were about morals, etc. It frightened me when I found out more of what Kieslowski had slipped into them. I mentioned little of what I discovered in Kieslowski's World because first, there was a lot of small things difficult to explain with words and second, I didn't feel it was the right thing to do anyhow. Kieslowski had burnt himself out trying to do what he was doing and I wasn't ready to undo all his good work by blabbing away behaving as if I knew something important or discovered some special meaning in a film of his. It was nothing about special meanings, never in fact, as he kept trying to point out in interviews. The point he was making, was how important it was to be aware of others, to be sensitive, to be kind, to feel an acute sense of responsibility toward others' welfare. It makes me really despair when film critics confidently tell their listening audiences that the Decalogue is about the Ten Commandments or that this means this or that means that. It has almost nothing to do with the Ten Commandments of Exodus in the Bible, other than the fact that there are ten episodes of the just one film. For now, have a really good evening, Chris, and by all means add yourself to my Guestbook. I do appreciate knowing that you have a keen interest in Kieslowski. In this day and age, it's rare and it's something of a relief to know that are still some thinking persons alive in this world. Un de ces jours. A.F.Alexandre Fabbrihttp://theatreharlequin.bravesites.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-33743994678581363292012-12-16T02:41:06.997-08:002012-12-16T02:41:06.997-08:00@Alexandre Fabbri: Thanks for the comments. Been a...@Alexandre Fabbri: Thanks for the comments. Been a while since I've heard from you. <br /><br />I read a conflicting comment to yours, in that Kieslowski didn't like the way the scenes with the silent witness turned out in E7 and E10, so that's why Artur Barcis was left out of those episodes. I didn't notice Artur Barcis in E7, I'll have to take your word for it. Would be interesting to know your sources for all this stuff you mention. <br />I like what you said about: "Is it OK to break one commandment in order to obey another?" I remember that going through my head while watching the series.<br /><br />Not sure why you deleted your awesome site Kieslowski's World, but glad too see you've decided to return, and I'll add your link to my bloglist.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-46042217070770281252012-12-15T09:25:07.751-08:002012-12-15T09:25:07.751-08:00Decalogue 10 was Kieslowski's first comedy, th...Decalogue 10 was Kieslowski's first comedy, the second being Three Colors White, which he said was his favorite of the Three Colors trilogy.<br /><br />Kieslowski explained that because the final episode of the Decalogue series was a comedy he would leave out the serious witness. Artur Barcis does appear though in the first nine episodes, one just have to look for him.<br /><br />The deceased stamp collector in Decalogue 10 is actually the same stamp collector of Decalogue 8 played by Bronislaw Pawlik.<br /><br />Kieslowski put in dozens of connections in this series to show his audience how people living in a Warsaw housing estate were interconnected, brushing past each other everyday, without ever being aware of it.<br /><br />Taking this even further, in Three Colors White, the police officer seen is the same police officer in Decalogue 10.<br /><br />The stories in the Decalogue were often more about what human beings share in common, rather than specific morals or lessons. One question Kieslowski liked to ask was, "Is it OK to break one commandment in order to obey another?" This does not have to be one of the literal ten commandments of Exodus either.<br /><br />Kieslowski appears to be in one of the Decalogue episodes with his back to the camera. I won't tell you which one - you will have to watch the series again...<br /><br />Kieslowski did like to repeat things - he has his back to the camera walking a cow toward the end of his earlier 1967 film, Koncert Zyczen (Concert of Requests). Here is the <a href="http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/848/bscap0004mx3.jpg" rel="nofollow">shot</a> in question from the film.<br /><br />When asked about what he was trying to do, Kieslowski said he was simply filming the same film every time. He was just trying to get closer to the inner part of the human being with each attempt.<br /><br />Incidentally, tomorrow I'm posting an interview of Irene Jacob on Krzysztof Kieslowski on my new website, <a href="http://theatreharlequin.bravesites.com/" rel="nofollow">Theatre Harlequin</a>.<br /><br />Feel free to drop by anytime and, if you wish, leave your website details in the Guestbook. :-)Alexandre Fabbrihttp://theatreharlequin.bravesites.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-31955014894994053692012-12-14T05:05:43.990-08:002012-12-14T05:05:43.990-08:00@Quirky BookandFilmBuff: If you don't mind sub...@Quirky BookandFilmBuff: If you don't mind subtitles, you should give The Decalogue a try. One of the finest tv-series ever made, in my opinion. Basically 10 episodes each lasting an hour. <br /><br />You can read my introduction post here: <br />http://moviesandsongs365.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-decalogue-1988-89-introduction.htmlChrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-11219090614942184962012-12-14T05:01:32.288-08:002012-12-14T05:01:32.288-08:00@SJHoneywell: I can totally get the trouble you ha...@SJHoneywell: I can totally get the trouble you had assigning a rating to episode 10. <br />In comparison, I think people also have mixed feelings about Three Colors: White (1994), because of the Polish Kieslowski humor, which takes some getting used to, and is quite different in tone to Red (1994) and Blue (1993)Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-5407551073038136152012-12-13T15:11:22.063-08:002012-12-13T15:11:22.063-08:00I have been skipping these Decalogue reviews becau...I have been skipping these Decalogue reviews because I haven't watched them and want to avoid possible spoilers. But I read the first paragraph of this summary and I'm intrigued. It sounds like this show might be a nice mix of relationship dynamics and mystery.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1619249406686227577.post-12640767363441141942012-12-13T06:38:46.711-08:002012-12-13T06:38:46.711-08:00You're right in saying that this one is differ...You're right in saying that this one is different from the other nine, and mostly for its tone. Because of that, it's the one I have the most trouble assigning a personal rating to. It almost feels like it doesn't fit.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.com