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Mar 13, 2006 23:54

Krzysztof Kieslowski

The first step in becoming wise to cinema auteur Krzysztof Kieslowski is learning how to pronounce his name. It took me nearly a half hour to memorize the spelling and $15 and another half hour to call my friend in Warsaw and learn how to pronounce it.
Before you try to sound it out, you need to adopt a thick Eastern Bloc accent like Yakov Schmirnoff from Night Court. Or Dracula. Seriously, start talking like that for one or two minutes, then drop in a Kuh-reee-stoff. OK, one more time. And another I want you sounding like a fucking Cold War-era James Bond villain. Savor each syllable: Kuh-ree-stoff. Great! Now Kee-ess-lovv-skee. And faster now. And voila. You’re practically an expert.
So, who is this guy with the Z-loving parents?
Joking aside, most people in the know would argue that he’s one of the finest film directors of the 20th century, an artist of the highest order whose work profoundly addresses man’s search for meaning in an unforgiving world. Damn, talk about a tonal shift. I go from bad pronunciation jokes to full-on artistic earnestness. sue me, its midnight and ive been working all day.
I think the only way to learn about this man and his work is to watch one of his films. His Colors trilogy (Rouge, Blanc et Blu) is his best known international work and each is hailed as a masterpiece. To that I would add the Double Life of Veronique, starring Irene Jacob who also was in Rouge (Juliette Binoche starred in Blu, and Julie Delpy, White).
If though you are looking for a truly challenging and enlightening experience, watch the Decalogue series. There are ten episodes, filmed for Polish television (and funded by West Germany) in 1989. Each 55-minute short is based on one of the Ten Commandments, some more abstractly than others. It all takes place in and around a housing project in Warsaw. I have only seen 5 of the 10, but am planning to see the rest this week and next at a screening at the National Film Theater in London. You can rent them though from Netflix.

In summary, must-see films in order:
1. Decalogues 1-10 (10 hours of viewing pleasure)
2. Red
3. White
4. Blue
5. La Double Vie de Veronique
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