Description

During a summer camp for linguistics students, the results of a competition for the best research work of the year are to be announced. Jarek Kruszynski, a young assistant lecturer, accepts a paper by a student of Torun University. Associate professor Jakub Szelestowski, in charge of the seminar, advises against it. He says the vice chancellor is scornful of the Torun centre. When the vice chancellor arrives, it appears that this was merely a cynical joke. Jarek is reassured, but it soon turns out that Jakub has other intrigues up his sleeve. His ingenuity is virtually limitless. The film was awarded the Grand Prix at the Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdansk. It also won a major prize at the Teheran festival.

1977, Color, Screening Time: 106 min.

English Subtitled. ... Read more

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The two most famous episodes of Kieslowski's 10-part series, "Decalogue V" ("Thou Shalt Not Kill") and "Decalogue VI" ("Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery"), were expanded to feature length for release as A Short Film About Killing and A Short Film About Love, but these original hour-long versions stand on their own as the most potent episodes of the series. In "Decalogue V," the faith of a younglawyer is shaken when he defends a man accused of the violent murder of a taxi driver. Like Tim Robbins's Dead Man Walking, it's a provocative attempt to reconcile the gap between murder and state-sanctioned execution, and Kieslowski pulls no punches on either side: the murder scene is excruciating in its relentless intensity. But as he looks through the eyes of the troubled attorney who suffers a crisis in faith, the film turns inward and becomes contemplative and personal. "Decalogue VI" is a touching and troubling story of a young, emotionally unstable postal worker who becomes obsessed with a promiscuous older woman. He steals her mail and peeps through her apartment window with a telescope, but when she returns the gaze the one-way relationship becomes much more complicated. Kieslowski gets under the skin of both characters as the older woman confronts the boy andshames him with loveless sex--and they come out the other end of the tale as humbled humans who take a harder look at themselves and a sympathetic second look each other. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Description

TV serial based on a famous novel by a Soviet writer Mihail Bulghakov. Soviet bureaucracy and satanic feast. Brilliant acting.

Cast: Gustaw Holoubek, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Anna Dymna.

1989, color. English subtitles. Set of 4 Tapes. 370 min. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Very faithful to the book
I got it for myself as an early Christmas present and am really glad I did. This production is very faithful to the original novel that was published in '67 (translations based on a later edition added interesting, but not essential, material). Bulgakov's Devil is more a deadpan agent of justice--doing God's dirty work perhaps--than the figure of evil more familiar to western audiences. Great perfromances by all; even those playing minor characters like Natasha and Hella made the most of their roles. The Devil's Ball was very sumptuous.

The only downside is that the tape reflects the age of the original TV production (14 years), and I'd rather this were available on DVD, but if you're at all familiar with the book, this is a must-have.

One of the finest works of art ever to come out of Russia.
This Polish adaptation of the original Master and Margarita (aka Master and Margaret) is a wonderful video that I would recommend to anyone who appreciates a complex comedy, drama, and most of all, a work of art. Master and Margaret is an adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's play written in the 1930's. The only negative thing about this video were the subtitles being hard to read and they do not always remain long enough on the screen. Besides the subtitle problems, it is an excellent video which is on four tapes and was worth the money spent. The story has many twists and turns within including complex stories within stories that appear to be unrelated, later to have everything come together in the end. This work of art is so unique, it cannot be compared to anything you probably have ever seen. Partial comparisons that come to mind are Kiss of the Spider Woman and Pulp Fiction. The story is about the devil coming to Moscow for a friendly visit. The devil is very much like a genie as told in Aladdin's lamp but not as much of a granter of wishes, but an observer. The devil is portrayed as a kind and generous man. It is the greed of the people who come across his path who end up suffering the consequence of their actions. For those who are truly kind, generous and without selfishness, the devil rewards them. The devil has a couple of assistants. One is a gentleman, the other is a human sized cat that plays a rather significant role in the story. I mentioned there were several stories within this play. The first story is an argument between two atheists and the devil whether Jesus ever existed. The devil takes them visually to Rome in the days of Caesar to tell the story about Pontius Pilate. Another story involves a writer known as Master who is writing a story about Pontius Pilate. The writer loses his sanity and attempts to destroy the manuscripts by burning them. However, manuscripts don't burn as seen later. Another story includes the lovely Margarita who cares for the person she calls Master. Her wishes are not as much for herself, but for others including Master. The devil is truly impressed with her generosity and grants her wishes without any strings attached. The significant wish is the returning of Master and his manuscript that was believed to have been destroyed. Unfortunately, there is just too much of this story to be able to put into summarization here. If you watch this video, be patient, for it starts off a little slow, appears to go all over the place, picks up an accelerated pace, and all comes together near the end. When I looked at everything that went on, my mind was working for days thinking about everything that happened and how it all ties together. This story is something I will never forget. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Fall From Grace
Although a compelling drama, this film lacked a certain " Je ne saia quoi." Clearly, one would be disappointed after experiencing any of his other films

wajda does it again
Without Anesthesia is the story of a journalist who is seen as a disruption to those above him through the exploration and expression of his knowledge. It deals with many familiar Wadja themes such as isolation and an individual facing the attack of the larger society. Although it deals with many Polish themes and certainly contains quite a bit of social commentary (as all Wadja films do), I am unfortunately not knowledgable about Polish history and can't comment on that aspect of the film. However, I feel safe in saying that if you enjoy Wadja's other films, this one should be on your list if it isn't already. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Maya Komorowska superb in A Year of the Quiet Sun
A Year of the Quiet Sun is a love story told in the bombed out remains of Poland just after World War II. Scott Wilson is Norman, a private in the American Army who remains behind to take part in the investigation of war crimes. He meets Emilia, a woman he notices painting a picture in a burnt out car. He takes an interest in her and soon falls deeply in love with her and wants to marry her. Emilia is played by Maya Komorowska, who is easily the best thing about this film.

If Komorowska is so good, and she is, why haven't we seen her more frequently? The answer to this question comes in a special feature on the DVD. In the mid 1980's when this film was being made, Poland was still under Soviet oppression. Komorowska was a supporter of Solidarity, according to Scott Wilson, who tells us about the problems he faced working on this film with director Krsysztof Zanussi. Few freedoms were available to the Polish people and the oppression they experienced delayed their recovery from the disaster of the Second World War. Komorowska should have been a major star. Fortunately we have A Year of the Quiet Sun to appreciate her great talent.

As good as the acting is in this film by all involved, the story moves at a snail's pace. We are meant to feel the pain of Norman and Emilia as they attempt to find some happiness in a bombed out world of fear and poverty. Emilia speaks only a little English and Norman speaks no Polish. It takes time for them to figure out what each wants, which they do through nonverbal communication and occasional help from a translator.

Also, Zanussi wants us to see and feel the desperation of the people living in Poland just after the war. He shows us more than he tells us and he takes his time as, for example, we watch Polish bodies being excavated from a mass grave. Emilia's husband may be among the dead, although we are not certain of this.

What we are left with after two hours or so of watching this film is the experience of seeing the profound difference one good person can make in the lives of others. Emilia refuses to allow herself and her life to be reduced to hatred and bitterness. She buries the past and attempts to live nonjudgmentally in the present. She seeks happiness, but not at the expense of her duty to her sick mother and to her friends, most notably a prostitute who is her neighbor. Maya Komorowska brings Emilia to life so convincingly that we will not soon forget her or her story.

"Why Don't We Hear About These Movies?"
This was my husband's question halfway through this powerful film. In 1946, an American officer (Scott Wilson, "In Cold Blood") comes to a devastated, formerly German part of Poland to investigate war crimes. He befriends a displaced war widow (the superb Maja Komorowska) and her mother, despite their meager shared vocabulary. Friendship blossoms into love. But don't expect a lot of pretty scenes. This film is somber, with a complete absence of special effects. Light and color are doled out like postwar jam and coffee. The closest it comes to laughs is the occasional guffaw of frustration at the variously hapless and feckless translators recruited to the lovers' cause. Oh, and viewers of Polish background get a ticket for one chuckle of recognition at the portrait of the self-sacrificing mother. Also, there is no glamour-amid-the-ruins, absolutely none. No, all elements of light entertainment are stripped away here. The film's entire brilliance comes from Zanussi's script and direction, self-effacing yet dumbfounding art and camera work, the basis in history, and virtuoso ensemble acting. The real sufferings endured by millions are the canvas on which this film is painted. Somber, yes, but the story might really have happened; in fact, I have no doubt that some version of it really did happen, perhaps many times. Zanussi's real subject is the bright flame of decency, strength and heroism on which civilized behavior depends. I was a little worried about inflicting this movie on my husband after a hard day's work...would he doze off? But I'd forgotten one thing since I first saw "A Year of the Quiet Sun" years ago as a first-run movie in New York: the superb acting and the fragile communication between the main characters produce a sustained dramatic tension which will keep you on the edge of your seat. Believe me, we both stayed wide-eyed. Had enough of Hollywood? Here's your movie. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

eerie, powerful and moving
The late Polish film-maker Krzysztof Kieslowski, who began his career as a documentarian, has, with the Decalogue, produced what is surely one of the defining moments in late twentieth century cinema. Kieslowski's project, out of whose fifth episode this film grew, was nothing less than a wholescale re-interpretation of the Ten Commandments, applied to modern life.

In A Short Film About Killing, Kieslowski shows us a murder and its aftermath. Jacek, a young man, dreams of escaping the Warovian housing projects and dreary, late-Communist life to visit the mountains with his girlfriend. At the same time, a young lawyer graduates from law school, is called ot the Polish bar, nad has his first child. In what is surely one of the most horrific killings on screen, Jacek brutally strangles and beats a cab driver to death. Kieslowski's film goes on to examine the consequences of the murder on not only Jacek but his young lawyer.

Kieslowski's film achieves its brilliance in its delicate balance of condemnation with compassion. Even as we see the justice of Jacek's execution, the subtly riveting scenes where we hear of the major trauma of his childhood undermine any easy sense of moral certainty we have developed. The final execution is nearly impossible to watch, as Kieslowski has, by then, made his point-- that there is an ineffable beauty in life, and that, as Plato suggested in the Republic, justice is somethign that improves us, not which destroys.

Warsaw, ably filmed by the brilliant Slawomir Idziak (the cinematographer of GATTACA), is soaked in green and yellow colours, pestilential, and sometimes oddly beautiful. Kieslowski's pacing is superb. The film paints and whispers when it needs to, then it simply and quietly rips the viewer's heart out.

Ultimately, the film's suggestion is deceptively simple: killing, be it for individual gain, or by the State as sanctioned punishment, is murder. ... Read more