Weekly Wednesday Update, November 3, 2021

Krzysztof Kieslowski's THE DECALOGUE (aka: DEKALOG) was shot and edited over the span of 21-months with a different cinematographer for each episode. The 10-part series was rolled out on Polish Television and released in 1988. Despite its origins as a TV project, THE DECALOGUE screened at prestigious film festivals around the world, where it was heralded as a major cinematic achievement. Life in mid-80s Poland was marked by chaos and disorder, and Kieslowski recalls that "I sensed mutual indifference behind polite smiles and had the overwhelming impression that, more and more frequently, I was watching people who didn't really know why they were living." (Any sentient being reading those words should now pause, re-read those words, and think about how they apply now.) The one-hour dramatizations, loosely based on the Ten Commandments, were also inspired by actual events derived from the life of co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz.

Kieslowski's DEKALOG and his three-color trilogy (all on 35mm!) will all be screened in Muenzinger Auditorium at regular admission rates. This week we skip around to accommodate exams and football events and, since each DEKALOG is an hour-long, we'll double them up so that the first two hours screen tonight, the next two hours during the Sunday matinee slot, followed by two more on Monday evening.

DEKALOG ONE introduces us to a father, a son, and a tragedy. It brings the cruelty of the Old Testament and will have viewers wondering if the characters are being punished for their excessive faith in technology. It will be followed by DEKALOG TWO, wherein a violinist who thought she was infertile finds herself pregnant by someone other than her husband. (Tonight: Wednesday, 11/3, at 7:30pm)

DEKALOG THREE examines the aftermath of a messy affair while DEKALOG FOUR takes on an ironic twist on the commandment to "Honor thy father and mother." (Sunday, 11/7, 2pm)

DEKALOG FIVE involves a young man who kills a taxi driver. DEKALOG SIX deals with a timid postal worker and Peeping Tom obsessed with an artist. Murder and punishment followed by the nature of love and passion — you can't ask for a more jam-packed two hours than that. (Monday, 11/8, 7:30pm)

More Kieslowski next week!