THE DECALOGUE

THE DECALOGUE (1989-1990)

The Decalogue films, which still hold true today for understanding the moral struggles inherent to contemporary society, are a loose adaptation of the Ten Commandments. Originally produced for television, The Decalogue is a series of 10 episodes lasting sixty minutes each. The series shows the dilemmas caused by manifestations of sin in the lives of ordinary Warsaw citizens. It was a powerful influence on the director’s last project Three Colors, both in terms of mood and cinematic language.

DECALOGUE 1 (DEKALOG, JEDEN), 1989

Poland, DVD, Color, 53’, Polish

Cast: Henryk Baranowski, Wojciech Klata, Maja Komorowska

“I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Krzysztof is a young scientist who blindly believes in his computer and scientific calculations. His ten-year-old son Pawel receives a pair of ice skates from his father as a Christmas present. Pawel is happy because the computer has calculated that the frozen lake is safe to skate on.

DECALOGUE 2 (DEKALOG, DWA), 1990

Poland, DVD, Color, 57’, Polish

Cast: Krystyna Janda, Aleksander Bardini, Olgierd Lukaszewicz
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” A woman’s husband is gravely ill and may die but she is pregnant with another man’s child. If her husband dies she wants to keep the child but she wants the doctor to give her an honest verdict on her husband’s chances of surviving. The doctor is faced with a difficult decision because his answer will directly affect the life or death of another human being. Is he entitled to play God?

DECALOGUE 3 (DEKALOG, DWA), 1990

Poland, DVD, Color, 55’, Polish

Cast: Daniel Olbrychski, Maria Pakulnis, Joanna Szczepkowska

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Janusz is a taxi driver who betrayed his wife with Ewa three years earlier. Janusz plans to give his family members presents on Christmas Eve. Ewa’s husband is missing and she asks Janusz to help her find him. Should Janusz stay home on this holy day or help Ewa?

DECALOGUE 4 (DEKALOG, CZTERY), 1990

Poland, DVD, Color, 56’, Polish

Cast:Adrianna Biedrzynska, Janusz Gajos, Artur Barcis

“Honor thy father and thy mother.” Anka is a young acting student who lives with her father and whose mother died after giving her birth. The girl is good friends with her father who often takes business trips out of the city. On one such day Anka finds an envelope in her father’s room that says “Not to be opened before my death!” and learns new facts about her father.

DECALOGUE 5 (DEKALOG, PIEC), 1990

Poland, DVD, Color, 55’, Polish

Cast: Miroslaw Baka, Krzysztof Globisz, Jan Tesarz

“Thou shalt not kill.” Focusing on the atrocity of murder, this episode presents an uncompromising portrait on both the motiveless murder of a taxi driver and the death penalty inflicted on the perpetrator. The film lays emphasis on the ruthlessness of murder, whether legal or not, equally condemning both types and leading us to actively question moral precepts. This episode had such a deep impact in Poland that executions were suspended for five years.

DECALOGUE 6 (DEKALOG, SZESC), 1990

Poland, DVD, Color, 58’, Polish

Cast: Olaf Lubaszenko, Grazyna Szapolowska, Piotr Machalica

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” In this episode, which was later reworked into A Short Film about Love, Tomek, a shy 19-year-old boy, spies on his opposite neighbor Magda through a telescope. Magda entertains the lovers she receives in her apartment with curtains open. Soon, merely watching will not be enough for Tomek who decides to pay her a visit.

DECALOGUE 7 (DEKALOG, SIEDEM), 1990

Poland, DVD, Color, 55’, Polish

Cast: Anna Polony, Maja Barelkowska, Wladyslaw Kowalski

“Thou shalt not steal.” Six-year-old Ania is in the center of a conflict between her mother Majka and her grandmother Ewa. When she was 16, Majka fell in love with a young literature teacher who got her pregnant. To avoid a scandal, her mother, the headmistress of the school at that time, legally claimed Ania as her own and the child has been in her care since. They have hidden the truth from Ania. Years later, the lie begins to have devastating effect on Majka. One day she kidnaps Ania with plans to emigrate to Canada.

DECALOGUE 8 (DEKALOG, OSIEM), 1990

Poland, DVD, Color, 54’, Polish

Cast: Maria Koscialkowska, Teresa Marczewska, Artur Barcis

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Zofia is an esteemed and knowledgeable professor of ethics at the university. But when Elzbieta, a Polish-American woman, starts attending her classes, Zofia has to face her own past. When the class discusses that whatever the conditions, “there is nothing more important than the life of a child,” Elzbieta reveals that she is the 6 year-old child who sought refuge in Zofia’s house to escape the Gestapo during the genocide in Poland. Zofia and her husband refused to shelter her so as not to bear false witness.

DECALOGUE 9 (DEKALOG, DZIEWIEC), 1990

Poland, DVD, Color, 58’, Polish

Cast: Ewa Blaszczyk, Piotr Machalica, Artur Barcis

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.” We witness Roman, an impotent husband, struggling to believe that his wife Hanka is faithful to him. When Roman learns that his illness is permanent he is sure that his wife will cheat on him. One day he catches her in the arms of another man but this will draw the couple closer together. They decide that to put their relationship back in order Hanka should go on vacation. An in-depth look at relationships between the modern husband and wife, the film questions the boundaries of love and devotion.

DECALOGUE 10 (DEKALOG, DZIESIEC), 1990

Poland, DVD, Color, 57’, Polish

Cast: Jerzy Stuhr, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Henryk Bista

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.” Two brothers come together for a stamp collection they have inherited from their deceased father. At first they are not interested but when they learn that the collection is extremely valuable the two brothers embark on a quest to find a single stamp needed to complete a one-of-a-kind collection in Poland. If they can add that one stamp they will be in possession of an invaluable collection. But when their father’s house is burgled they separately go to the police. As a comedy Decalogue 10 stands out from the other episodes.