Kazhes pierakstu burtnīca

Lai arī rietumu pasaule pa īstam Kišļovski iepazina astoņdesmito gadu beigās (ar "Dekalogu") vai pat deviņdesmito sākumā (kad viņš sāka uzņemt filmas franču valodā), Polijā (un ne tikai) viņu kā ļoti vērā ņēmamu režisoru pazina jau daudz senāk, un "Amatieris" viņam bija jau piektā režisētā pilnmetrāžas filma.

Šo Kžištofa Kisļovska filmu man neviens skatīties nerekomendēja, to uzreiz atzīstu. Taču man ieintriģēja filmas sižets, kurš, kā varēja lasīt Wikipedia, esot iespaidojis "Lola rennt". Nav gluži tā, ka "Lola" manās acīs būtu tāds pārākais šedevrs, ka mani interesētu viss ar to saistītais, bet filma, kurā tiek parādīts, kā varētu iegrozīties viena cilvēka dzīve atkarībā no trim dažādiem iznākumiem vienai un tai pašai relatīvi nebūtiskai situācijai, gan atbilst manām interesēm.

Jau pēc pirmajām šīs filmas sekundēm man radās sajūta, ka esmu to jau iepriekš redzējis, un visai ātri izrādījās, ka tā arī patiešām vairāk vai mazāk bija. Proti, kā atklājās, šī filma ir nedaudz pagarināta versija vienai no "Dekaloga" sērijām, turklāt vienai no tām, ko es biju noskatījies - proti, sērijai par tēmu "though shalt not commit adultery". Dažas ainas gan bija pamainītas, citas - izvērstas garākas, bet kopumā tā bija tā pati filma. Un līdz ar to - arī tikpat laba, tikai nedaudz garāka, vienīgi īsajai versijai, manuprāt, bija nedaudz labākas beigas.

Honor the Sabbath Day - it`s what this film tells us to do. I don`t really get what this has to do with Saturday but I guess there`s no reason why I should honor that day less than I honor any other day. Janusz is celebrating X-mas with his family and has just taken off his Santa Clauses costume when his phone rings. It`s his former lover Ewa that wants to meet him. He tells the family that somoene`s trying to steal his car and leaves them. It turns out that Ewas husband is missing, and she together with Janusz goes on looking for him. But in fact he`s not missing, he has left Ewa several years ago, and she simply was too lonely and wanted to spend the Christmas night with Janusz (no, I don`t mean sex by that!). The film is really strange, there`s a naked man that quite appears on the screen dragging a christmas tree behind him and saying "Where is my home?" The whole search makes absolutely no sense, for there`s nobody that can be found. The only reason why I rated this one lower than the previous parts of the film is that I had already seen 3 parts of the Decalogue before and this one didn`t shake me very much.

What is the second commandment? Do you know the answer to this question? It says that Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. And what is this film about? Is it about appliance of religion in modern society? No, it isn`t. There`s Dorota who`s husband is in a very bad condition in the hospital and who wants him to get well once again. But she also has a lover, and she`s pregnant from him. She knows that if her husband will get well she`ll have to make an abortion, but if he`ll die she`ll lose him (logical, isn`t it?). Then there`s the Consultant - an old doctor who treats Andrzej (Dorotas husband) and who`s life isn`t a particulary happy one. He spends his time telling every day a part of his loss of his family to a woman that makes food for him and cleans his room. He`s not the kindest person in the world, but neither is the most unpleasant one. To end this review I want to say, that after having watched 3 parts of the Decalogue I`m still entertained and planing to watch more.

After a long break I decided to give another chance to Krzystof Kieslovsky`s "Decalogue". This time I chose the part that told us not to commit adultery. It doesn`t mean that I was planning to do just that and to understand why I shouldn`t do it I watched the film. Anyway, there`s Tomek - a young boy who spends most of his free time when not working at the post peeking through a looking glass at Magda - a woman from a neighbouring house. She can`t do much without him noticing, he never misses her making love to Roman. Tomek uses every chance to meet her, but without much success. When he tells her that he has been peeking on her for quite a long time she invites him into her apartment. Magda tries to prove him that it`s not love what he`s feeling towards her, but she fails at that. Tomek cuts his wrists, and now it`s Magda who wants to see him. In the end his final words to her are: "I don`t peep at you any more". And I liked the film, it`s sad just like every part of the Decalogue is (as far as I know) but it`s very powerful in it`s minimalism.

Krzystof Kyslovsky did this while still in Poland somewhere in nineteen-eightees. I don`t really know why he made films the 10 commandments but that`s just what he did (the summary length of the film is somewhere around 10 hours but since the episodes are not that much connected they can be also viewed one apart from another. In this first episode a son (at the age <10) of a Polish computer freak (in the eighties, man!) who`s fond of technics himself discovers the meaning of death on his way turning to God. If I got it right God was portrayed by some dude who looked quite homeless and who was burning a fire by a lake during the whole film. Nobody ever told that he was merciful and that he loved anybody (God I mean). The film is very powerful in its form where dialogues are rare and expressions and silence express much more than words. I am ready... if you know what I mean.

"Veronikas dubultā dzīve" ir viena no tām filmām, kuru es grasījos noskatīites jau sen. Patiesībā - jau ļoti sen. Ja tevi interesē, cik - vismaz kopš tā laika, kad skatījos Kislovska visas 3 krāsu filmas. Un tas bija patiešām sen. Bet agrāk to kaut kādu iemeslu nevarēja nekur dabūt, tagad beidzot man izdevās to dabūt savā īpašumā un pārliecināties, ka gadiem ilgi to gaidīt nebija vērts.

The first part of the famous trilogy by Krzystof Kyslovsky. Juliette Binoche who also played in `The Unbearable Lightness of Being` plays a woman who loses her husband and child in a car accident (just like in 21 Grams). After that she doesn`t spend much time around other people (just like in 21 Grams) and has her freedom. Of course, the similarities with the 21G movie end pretty fast for in a European movie it is not a strange thing by any means that she has sex with her husbands best friend just to tell him that he doesn`t need her. The husband was a composer although it seems that his wife was the author of most of his works. There`s also a strip dancer who lives in the same house as the central widow and gets scared when she notices her father among the spectators of the show. The deceased husband turns out to have cheated on his wife for a few years and his girlfriend is pregnant but the reaction of the Binoche character is nothing like what you could expect from a Hollywood movie (for it ain`t no Hollywood movie). The images are very interesting, mainly there`s focus on the blue colour for it`s what the title says. Another thing to mention - the ending is quite similar to that of Donnie Darko (as camera passes from one person to another). And it`s the blue of loneliness and only partly the blue of hope we`re talking about.

Wouldn`t you know - it took me quite a lot of time to prepare to watch the most succesful part of the "Three Colours" trilogy. What was the reason for that? I enjoyed the first two ones, thus having no reason not to watch the third one. Nevermind the reasons, this film is totally great. It kinda sums up the previous parts tying everything together. Valentine is lonely for her beloved is in another country and he doesn`t treat her the way he should. Her life is changed when she hits a dog while driving a car. The dog turns out able to live and she returns it to its owner - a strange old man who spends his days listening on the radio to other people`s private conversations. Valentine tells him (btw., he`s played by Jean-Louis Trintignant) to stop doing that, for the people are good, and he obeys him. In the film it turns out that Valentine and le Juge (the old man, a former judge) live in parallel worlds - she`s his lover whom he never had from the days of his youth. And there`s Auguste - the judge of the modern age, who is the new le Juge - the man Valentine has to meet. Of course, it`s clear from the beginning that one day she and he should meet, but it`s not shock and unexpected twists we away from this movie. A great movie, without doubt - the highest peak in dialogue, acting and images Kieslowsky ever achieved.

The trilogy goes on although there ain`t a single character appearing in both movies. A man named Karol has to escape from France back to his native country of Poland for after being divorced from his wife, he has no money and has police on his heels (his ex-wife told them he set her aparment on fire). What`s complicated about their relationship - is the fact that they still love each other in a strange way. After returning back to Warschaw in a suitcase Karol returns to his work at a barbershop and also, using the changes in the country (it`s the early nineties - if you know what I mean) gets rich from buying and selling land. He also becomes friends with another Pole named Mikolaj who asks Karol to kill him. Later Karol imitates his own death (with the help of Mikolaj who regains will to live), in order for his ex-wife to come to the burial. After that he has sex with her and leaves but before that he makes sure that Dominque (played by the then gorgeous Julie Delpy) is the main suspect for his death. The film is a bit strange for the deeds of his and hers are quite illogical but sadly it`s just the way it goes. A good film, I would perhaps even prefer it to the first part.