Perhaps the most ridiculous financial extravagance of my young adult life was spending $80 on a Facets Video three-DVD set of 10 hours of Polish film that I had never even seen before. But damn, it was worth it.
What I am referring to is, of course, Krzysztof Kieslowski's "The Decalogue" -- 10 made-for-television Polish films, each based on one of the Ten Commandments. Unavailable on DVD until last year and not often shown because of the extreme length of all the films combined, "The Decalogue" is one of those hard to procure masterpieces that anyone interested in film should be required to see, though few have been able to view.
Finally, it has become easier for anyone to have a little taste of Kieslowski's grand masterpiece without breaking the bank, and to experience Kieslowski in general beyond the widely available "Blue," "White" and "Red." This is because earlier this month Kino Video released Kieslowski's "A Short Film About Killing," a theatrically released adaptation and expansion of "Decalogue V."
The film is a full 20 minutes longer that its original form in the Decalogue series, and slightly different. It tells the story of three strangers in Warsaw (a drifter, a cabbie and a lawyer) whose lives intersect and are united through a murder of one character by another. It is a very powerful film, at points quite gruesome, and often sadly and deeply moving. The film is a visual tour de force that led to extensive debate in Poland about the use of capital punishment.
Thankfully, the release by Kino Video of the DVD does the film more than adequate justice (which is more than can be said for the characters in the film). Kino has most wisely released the film in widescreen, as well as enhanced it 16x9 television sets. Furthermore, the picture quality is fantastic. Although Kieslowski's lighting of the film is experimental and often dark, the Kino transfer is constantly crisp and clean. The drabness that Kieslowski paints Warsaw in (with "The Decalogue's" omnipresent apartment complex looming in the background) remains at once oddly alienating yet cinematically beautiful throughout the film.
The DVD is also chock-full of extra features. As Kieslowski has passed on since the release of the film, a director's commentary track is no longer a possibility. To compensate though, Kino has stuffed the disc with a bevy of interesting interviews with collaborators on the film, wonderfully including the cinematographer, Slawomir Idziak. Also notable is a 17-minute documentary on Kieslowski, entitled "A Night Porter's Point of View."
Although from a cultural standpoint, one of the most interesting features is the gallery of theatrical trailers for Kieslowski's films, as the Polish idea of a trailer is a far cry stylistically from its American equivalent.
One criticism of Kino's DVD might be that sometimes contextual translations are ignored. When a blue van pulls up that reads "Milicja" on the side, although it is obvious to any speaker of an Eastern European language, it might not immediately click with any American that it is the police, and Kino offers no contextual help at this point.
One other complaint with the release might be that a spectacular film deserves a spectacular package and this Kino does not provide. Criterion's commitment to beautiful packaging makes a film collection more of prize and pride for the owner. Surely this is superficial, but Kino's packaging of "A Short Film About Killing" is an unenticingly dull DVD keep-case with blase lettering.
But the faults are minimal and the film itself is fantastic. It is to Kino's credit that they have released such a fine piece of cinema and presented it on a stellar DVD. It can only be hoped that its release will give more Americans both an available introduction to Kieslowski and "The Decalogue," as well as a chance to final view an extraordinary piece of cinema in its full glory.
DVD courtesy of International DVD & Poster, 44 South Main Street. Open daily.
