Rétrospective
Kieslowski’s Dekalog
More than any other director, Krzysztof Kieslowski was interested in chance and its evil twin, fate. It plays a major role in films like Blind Chance (1981) and The Double Life of Véronique (1991). But they are arguably explored in most depth in Dekalog (1988-1990).
Made for Polish TV, with the exception of two episodes that were first released as longer cinema features, Dekalog is comprised of ten one-hour films that are inspired by Christianity’s Ten Commandments. However, Kieslowski refuses to ever name them, adding his own variety of random chaos as some episodes could be about more than one commandment.
The setting is a single city towerblock, with each episode portraying a different protagonist struggling to make sense of their lives and find meaning and structure. Religion can be a useful tool for this, though Kieslowski, an atheist, suggests that mysterious other forces are at work too. Call it chance, fate or God’s will but it’s undeniable that we cannot control everything in life. Dekalog shows that when we try to face this momentous realisation, we finally reveal who we really are.
Dekalog: Instruction Manual
The Dekalog consists of 10 episodes of about an hour each. They are shown in groups of two, so you can watch all of them in five sessions, spread over two months. Though they are set in and around the same apartment complex, each film tells an independent story and they can be watched in any order (there is no chronological order). All films have English subtitles with the exception of the cinema versions of Dekalog Five and Six, which run 85 minutes and have French subtitles only (the hour-long versions of Five and Six have English subtitles).
Programme in April & May
Je 03 | 04 19h00 : Dekalog: One
Dekalog, jeden Pologne 1989-90 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 53' | digital | Cast : Henryk Baranowski, Wojciech Klata
Followed by: Dekalog: Two
Dekalog, dwa Pologne 1989-90 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 57' | digital | Cast : Krystyna Janda, Aleksander Bardini
> Preceded by the Ciné-conférence: Decoding Kieslowski’s Dekalog in English | about 45’
Ma 08 | 04 à 20h30 : Dekalog: Three
Dekalog, trzy Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 56' | digital | Cast : Daniel Olbrychski, Maria Pakulnis
Followed by : Dekalog: Four
Dekalog, cztery Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 55' (111’) | digital | Cast : Adrianna Biedrzynska, Janusz Gajos
Je 10 | 04 à 18h30 : Tu ne tueras point [Dekalog : Cinq, version longue]
Krótki film o zabijaniu Pologne 1988 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostFR | 84’ | digital | Cast : Miroslaw Baka, Jan Tesarz, Krzysztof Globisz, Artur Barcis
Lu 14 | 04 à 20h30 : Dekalog: Seven
Dekalog, siedem Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 55' | digital | Cast : Anna Polony, Maja Barelkowska
Followed by : Dekalog: Eight
Dekalog, osiem Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 55' | digital | Cast : Teresa Marczewska, Maria Koscialkowska
Ma 22 | 04 à 20h30 : Dekalog: Nine
Dekalog, dziewiec Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 58' | digital | Cast : Ewa Blaszczyk, Piotr Machalica
Followed by : Dekalog: Ten
Dekalog, dziesiec Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 57' | digital | Cast : Zbigniew Zamachowski, Jerzy Stuhr
Di 27 | 04 à 17h30 : Brève histoire d'amour [Dekalog : Six, version longue]
Krótki film o milosci Pologne 1988 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostFR | 86’ | digital | Cast : Olaf Lubaszenko, Grazyna Szapolowska, Stefania Iwinska, Artur Barcis
Je 01 | 05 18h30 : Dekalog: One
Dekalog, jeden Pologne 1989-90 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 53' | digital | Cast : Henryk Baranowski, Wojciech Klata
> Followed by: Dekalog: Two
Dekalog, dwa Pologne 1989-90 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 57' | digital | Cast : Krystyna Janda, Aleksander Bardini
Me 07 | 05 à 18h30 : Dekalog: Three
Dekalog, trzy Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 56' | digital | Cast : Daniel Olbrychski, Maria Pakulnis
Followed by : Dekalog: Four
Dekalog, cztery Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 55' (111’) | digital | Cast : Adrianna Biedrzynska, Janusz Gajos
Je 15 | 05 à 18h30 : Dekalog: Five
Dekalog, piec Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 57' | digital | Cast : Miroslaw Baka, Jan Tesarz, Krzysztof Globisz, Artur Barcis
Followed by : Dekalog: Six
Dekalog, szesc Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 58' | digital | Cast : Olaf Lubaszenko, Grazyna Szapolowska, Stefania Iwinska, Artur Barcis
Me 21 | 05 à 18h30 : Dekalog: Seven
Dekalog, siedem Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 55' | digital | Cast : Anna Polony, Maja Barelkowska
Followed by : Dekalog: Eight
Dekalog, osiem Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 55' | digital | Cast : Teresa Marczewska, Maria Koscialkowska
Je 29 | 05 à 18h30 : Dekalog: Nine
Dekalog, dziewiec Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 58' | digital | Cast : Ewa Blaszczyk, Piotr Machalica
Followed by : Dekalog: Ten
Dekalog, dziesiec Pologne 1990 | Krzysztof Kieslowski | vostEN | 57' | digital | Cast : Zbigniew Zamachowski, Jerzy Stuhr
