Decalogue by Krzysztof Kieślowski

By Simone Malacrida

"Decalogue", which aired at the end of 1988, immediately became a cornerstone of Krzysztof Kieślowski's artistic work and, more generally, of cinematography.
This book will present the meanings and themes exposed, the various levels of interpretation and symbolism, the connections and references, the stylistic choices and the history that led to the conception and creation of the late director's Polish symbolic work

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simone Malacrida
• Release date: Oct 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223318781

Simone Malacrida

Simone Malacrida (1977) Ha lavorato nel settore della ricerca (ottica e nanotecnologie) e, in seguito, in quello industriale-impiantistico, in particolare nel Power, nell'Oil&Gas e nelle infrastrutture. E' interessato a problematiche finanziarie ed energetiche. Ha pubblicato un primo ciclo di 21 libri principali (10 divulgativi e didattici e 11 romanzi) + 91 manuali didattici derivati. Un secondo ciclo, sempre di 21 libri, è in corso di elaborazione e sviluppo.

Book preview

Decalogue by Krzysztof Kieślowski

Simone Malacrida (1977)

Engineer and writer, has worked on research, finance, energy policy and industrial plants..

ANALYTICAL INDEX

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INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 - FILMS' TECHNICAL SHEETS

CHAPTER 2 – THE IDEA AND THE STRUCTURE

CHAPTER 3 – THEMES AND MEANINGS

CHAPTER 4 – CORRESPONDENCES

CHAPTER 5 – FINDINGS AND SUBSEQUENT EVOLUTIONS

CONCLUSIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The opinions and reflections present in this book represent the author's personal ideas and are the result of multiple visions of the Decalogue (and of the other works of director Krzysztof Kieślowski), as well as personal knowledge of the places and environments represented therein.

All this has been integrated with what is present in the Bibliography section, drawing valid ideas from past interviews and analyses.

" Decalogue ", which aired at the end of 1988, immediately became a cornerstone of Krzysztof Kieślowski's artistic work and, more generally, of cinematography.

This book will present the meanings and themes exposed, the various levels of interpretation and symbolism, the connections and references, the stylistic choices and the history that led to the conception and creation of the late director's Polish symbolic work

" I don't believe in God, but even if I don't believe, I still have a relationship with Him ."

Extrapolation of a statement by director Krzysztof Kieślowski during an interview given to journalist Alberto Crespi in 1989.

INTRODUCTION

Why dedicate a specific book to Krzysztof Kieślowski's Decalogue?

Why not insert this work into a broader context, namely that of the Polish director's biographical and artistic life?

There is no single answer to similar, legitimate questions, but rather a variety of motivations.

First of all, precisely because it is not usual and is not a beaten path, there is originality and a desire to break away from pre-established and pre-established patterns.

Originality is not enough, however, to justify a satisfactory answer, not even by giving the most classic of reasons: "it is the book that I have not yet found on this topic and, therefore, I am writing it myself ".

In reality, the Decalogue has a capital importance and cannot be relegated to a chapter in Kieślowski's life.

Therefore, this book is not a re-proposal of the director's events, nor of his style, nor of his artistic maturation.

There will be hints and references to this background, as it is an important contribution, but not the only one.

An artistic work lives and survives well beyond the biography of the creator and creator, taking on its own existence and evolving, precisely because it is the public, the ultimate final recipient, who changes and modifies itself.

The eyes of today's spectators filter images, colours, sounds and emotions differently compared to what was done in 1988, the year the Decalogue was released, and it will be the same in the future.

The need for the book arises precisely from this desire to disconnect the destinies of the creator and the creature.

We will therefore probe the very foundations of the Decalogue be they artistic or semiotic, explicit or hidden, instinctive or reflective.

However, this book is more than just a technical data sheet with critical review.

What has just been said covers the first chapter, but the second will shed light on other, no less fundamental, aspects.

The genesis of the project, the initial conception and its evolution, the team of collaborators, the particular historical, social and cultural moment will be the ingredients of a perfect blend since, and we must say it right from the start, the Decalogue does not it would have been the same without a chain of events and causes that would be difficult to repeat.

Everything will be approached from various points of view, analyzing every peculiarity under the microscope and going down to the details.

By doing such an operation, there would be a further risk of losing sight of the overall picture.

And instead, the Decalogue acquires intrinsic value when it is abstracted, with a reverse path, up to the unity of the work and beyond, bringing the discussion to a level that is certainly not intimately cinematic.

Precisely this characteristic immediately attracted the attention of the public.

How to define it? In which section?

The classic label would say ten medium-length films for television of a dramatic nature.

But is such a definition enough?

No, in fact it is misleading.

What does for television mean?

Is it perhaps a fiction or a TV series?

Nothing could be further from reality.

In truth, the Decalogue was written, scripted and directed as if they were real films, but it is the length (about 55 minutes each) that makes each episode suitable for the small screen.

Beyond this detail (the duration), each episode is, in itself, a finished film.

The techniques are those of cinematography and the Lodz school.

The team of collaborators is the same as the feature films produced previously and the pace is certainly not television-like.

An immense artistic experiment that contradicted its own final purpose, if we want to give a more accurate label to what happened.

We wouldn't be here writing a book on the Decalogue, however, if there weren't some profound meanings.

The lay reader (or viewer) might think that it is the theme that fills the container with meaning.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The work was not designed to take the Ten Commandments as a reference and construct ten stories from them.

The subject wasn't enough, in fact it was almost an excuse, a way to leave free space for the director's ideas.

It is clear from how each single commandment is taken as a reference, but always and immediately linked to events that, at first glance, seem to be disconnected.

The secret lies not in the subject, but in how the different stories were told.

It is the how that makes the Decalogue a unique and unrepeatable work.

The entire book will, therefore, focus on the search for the how.

By breaking down every single aspect it will be possible to arrive at a complete and global vision.

Will we therefore have all the possible answers by reading this book or viewing the Decalogue?

Certainly not.

This is what Kieślowski suggests to us.

Life, in its complexity, never has a definitive point, but only a series of unstable balances in which to find our dimension.

And what saves man then, if he does not have the certainty of the absolute and of the definitive choice?

What brings him out of his own limitations and sense of inadequacy, of precariousness and doubt, of remorse and suffering?

As we will often see, there are many levels of response, but without compassion (sometimes we will talk about Christian pietas or empathy), that is, feeling the other close to oneself and sharing their emotions and feelings, there is no salvation and hope.

Finally, a note before starting.

Who is the target audience for this book?

Is it for experts or newbies?

Let's say, without mincing words, that you can read the book even if you haven't seen the Decalogue, but that, obviously, the use of it will be limited in its effects.

Without wishing to make risky comparisons, one could say that it is aimed at "everyone and no one ".

To everyone, as both the novice will be able to find valid ideas and reflections and the expert will find (and I'm sure of this) something that had escaped him in previous examinations.

To no one, given that the driving force of the writing came only out of personal needs.

Once we have reached the conclusion, the introductory hope is to have added a piece to the reflection and knowledge, partially tearing the veil on the importance of the Decalogue.

CHAPTER 1 - FILMS' TECHNICAL SHEETS

DECALOGUE 1

I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other God before me

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Plot

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Under the inscrutable and attentive eyes of a man in a sheepskin jacket sitting on the shore of a semi-frozen lake, the film begins, set in winter and in a popular residential neighborhood of Warsaw.

The story told is that of Krzysztof, a university professor in linguistics and a great enthusiast of science, computer science and chess.

Separated from his wife, he lives with his eleven-year-old son Pawel .

Although born and educated in a religious and Catholic family, Krzysztof is a convinced advocate of rationality and secularism as opposed to the spirituality