The Decalogue [TV Series] (1988)

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Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski.

Krzysztof Kieslowski, the internationally renowned filmmaker best known for his Trois Couleurs trilogy (Blue, White, and Red), created perhaps his most ambitious work with this ten-part series produced for Polish television in 1988 and 1989. Each of the ten segments, running between 53 and 58 minutes in length, takes place among the inhabitants of a Warsaw apartment complex, and focuses on a moral and ethical quandary inspired by the Ten Commandments, of which Kieslowski said, "For 6,000 years these rules have been unquestionably right, and yet we break them every day." After TV showings in Europe and many international film festivals and art-house screenings, The Decalogue was released on home video in the spring of 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:No sir, I don't like it
by Risselada in B Movies

hasn't rated it.

"Woah! The Decalogue and Winter Light are both fantastic! That makes me want to see Early Summer too now! I know what you are saying about the "Yeah let's watch it again!" thing. But Winter Light is at least one I wouldn't mind watching again every few years. As opposed to some movies that I think are just as good but I could probably watch them a couple times a year and still enjoy them. " [More]

Re:No sir, I don't like it
by csprague in B Movies

hasn't rated it.

"[quote user="SkyPilot"] You know the horse from Ren and Stimpy? MISTER HORSE: Hmmm... (rubs chin with hoof, wags tail) No sir, I don't like it. That's what I'm like when I wonder if I liked Eraserhead. I recently saw it for the third time. It was showing in an independent movie theatre, and there was a guy in the lobby trying to decide if he should see it. He asked me, "Is it good?" "Not really, but you'll never forget it." "That's what everyone's saying!" he said. Have you guys had movie experiences like this? Do you have a name for them? And why do I keep watching Eraserhead if I can't even say I like it? Circle of Iron is a little like this for me too, though I have more fun watching that movie than Eraserhead. I struggle for the metaphors to describe what it's like for me to watch Circle of Iron... It's like drinking celery-flavored pop, then burping a little bit of warm soda back into my mouth, and then laughing. [/quote] mmmm celery flavored pop. That sounds absolutely ... " [More]

Available in Grand Rapids?
by patches in Litter Box blog

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I'd like to finally see this film, does anyone in the Grand Rapids area have a copy that I bould borrow? Message me here at Spout please.Wanna swap? Check out my Movies I own list, there's some gems in there I'd be willing to loan out.Thanks! " [More]

The Decalogue
by paul in paul on spout.com

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"The Decalogue [TV Series] I watched episodes 4 and 5 of Kieslowski's The Decalogue last night. I'm finding the only approach for me to take in watching The Decalogue is to savor one episode, think on it for several days and watch another. It's the same approach I'm taking with reading the Cassavetes on Cassavetes book. Although the book is several hundred pages long, I can only read a few pages at a time or I start to feel I'm missing too much. I'm Charlie with his one Wonka bar. I sat in a living room full of friends (9 in all) and when episode 5 ended we could do nothing but sit in silence for several minutes. What is strange is that all of us in that room are not well acquainted with each other–usually adding pain to an awkward silence–and still none of us said anything. Usually I'm busy trying to make myself sound intelligent or my mind is going in a thousand different directions, but there just weren't words last night. It is said that the 10 episodes of The Decalogue ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

loved it.

An ambitious, tour-de-force epic originally made for Polish television, Krzysztof Kieslowski's The Decalogue (1988) explores nothing less than the Ten Commandments. Written by agnostic Kieslowski and Christian Krzysztof Piesiewicz, each of the ten short films examines a commandment (without specifying which one) in terms of the moral quandaries faced by ordinary people in their daily lives. Setting all the stories in the same bleak Warsaw housing project, Kieslowski and Piesiewicz emphasize the universal yet mundane nature of the different conundrums, in an everyday world replete with coincidences, tragedies, and cosmic jokes. Although each film could stand alone, as in Kieslowski's subsequent Three Colors trilogy, they occasionally intersect in subtle ways that enhance the complex cohesion of the whole, along with the unifying use of washed-out colors and close-ups. Parts Five and Six were expanded and released theatrically as A Short Film About Killing (1987) and A Short Film About Love (1988); Part Nine features a predecessor to the Polish singer in Kieslowski's The Double Life of Veronique (1991). Considered Kieslowski's masterpiece by many critics, The Decalogue finally received its U.S. video release in 2000 after a decade of occasional screenings at film festivals and film societies. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Tags: Loved-It , wow , deep , kieslowski , ten-commandments
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