Kieslowski, Krzysztof

Kieslowski, Krzysztof
▪ 1997

      Polish film director (b. June 27, 1941, Warsaw, Pol.—d. March 13, 1996, Warsaw), crafted psychological dramas that examined moral issues with intellect and passion and was regarded as one of the finest filmmakers in Europe. He was known internationally for his final work, the trilogy Trois Couleurs (Three Colors). It comprises Bleu (1993; Blue), the story of a Frenchwoman who tries to escape her shattered past; Blanc (1993; White), a black comedy about a Polish man who plots revenge on his French former wife; and Rouge (1994; Red), about the relationship between a misanthropic retired judge and a caring young model in Switzerland. After training at the School of Cinema and Theatre in Lodz, Kieslowski began his screen career shooting documentaries about communist Poland. He first earned critical acclaim with the feature films Amator (1979; "The Camera Buff"), Przypadek (1981; "Blind Chance"), and Bez konca (1984; "No End"), which was coauthored by Krzysztof Piesiewicz, a lawyer who helped write the remainder of Kieslowski's films. Dekalog (1988; "Decalogue"), often considered his masterwork, is a collection of 10 short films based on ethical dilemmas posed by the Ten Commandments. Two of them were expanded into feature-length motion pictures—Krotki film o zabijaniu ("A Short Film About Killing") and Krotki film o milosci ("A Short Film About Love"). With La Double Vie de Véronique (1991), he began shooting outside Poland, mainly in collaboration with French studios. He retired from filmmaking in 1994.

▪ 1996

      Little was heard from Polish film director Krzysztof Kieslowski in 1995 after he publicly declared his retirement in 1994, just when his work was reaching its widest audience and receiving its greatest acclaim. But his swan song, the Trois Couleurs (Three Colors) trilogy, still resonated clearly as the voice of one of the most talented filmmakers in Europe. The trilogy, which depicts characters linked only by coincidence, was thematically arranged around the colours of the French flag and the revolutionary slogan of "liberty, equality, and fraternity." One theme, the frailty of human relationships, emerged from the lonely awakening in Bleu (1993; Blue) and permeated the grim humour of Blanc (1993; White) before providing the symbolic epiphany in Rouge (1994; Red).

      Kieslowski was born on June 27, 1941, in occupied Warsaw. There he attended a school specializing in theatre technology (1957-62) before studying film directing in Lodz at the School of Cinema and Theatre (1964-69). His early works were mostly television films and documentaries about daily life in communist Poland. He began shooting short feature films in the mid-1970s, but his first feature to reach an international audience was Amator (1979; "The Camera Buff"), which shows the powerful impact that camera images can make on lives. Przypadek ("The Accident," or "Blind Chance"), which was completed in 1981 but not released until 1987, marked Kieslowski's shift from real-life, political issues to deterministic, psychological themes. The film traces three fateful directions the protagonist's life may take as he rushes to board a train.

      In 1982 Kieslowski met Krzysztof Piesiewicz, a lawyer who defended Solidarity activists arrested during the period of martial law in Poland. Piesiewicz would coauthor the remainder of Kieslowski's films, beginning with Bez konca (1984; "No End"), the story of a woman who searches for meaning in her life after the death of her husband. Kieslowski also directed Dekalog ("Decalogue"), a 1988 series of 10 films for television, each based on one of the Ten Commandments. That same year two of the episodes were expanded into feature-length films—Krotki film o zabi janiu ("A Short Film About Killing") and Krotki film o milosci ("A Short Film About Love").

      With his next film, La Double Vie de Véronique (1991), Kieslowski began working outside Poland, primarily with French studios. The film compares the lives of two women with similar backgrounds and uses an unorthodox narrative style to communicate how the sufferings of Weronika of Poland have mysteriously influenced the life of Véronique of France. After releasing Rouge Kieslowski announced his retirement—for reasons known only to himself. (TOM MICHAEL)

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▪ Polish director
born June 27, 1941, Warsaw, Pol.
died March 13, 1996, Warsaw

      leading Polish director of documentaries, feature films, and television films of the 1970s, '80s, and '90s that explored the social and moral themes of contemporary times.

      Kieślowski graduated from the State Theatrical and Film College in Łódź, Poland, in 1968 and began his film career making documentaries, including one he had made for Polish television before graduating, Zdjecie (1968; The Photograph). His first significant film was Murarz (1973; The Bricklayer), the story of a political activist who becomes disenchanted with politics and returns to his former profession of bricklaying. Kieślowski made several notable documentaries during the 1970s, mostly for television, including Szpital (1976; Hospital), in which he employed a hidden camera to reveal problems within the Polish health care system.

      Blizna (1976; The Scar) was Kieślowski's first theatrical release and focused on management-labour relations within Polish industry. He came to worldwide attention with Amator (1979; Camera Buff), a satire on Polish bureaucracy and censorship. In 1984 he began a longtime writing collaboration with Krzysztof Piesiewicz on the film Bez konca (No End), the story of a dead lawyer who watches over his family as they continue with their lives.

      Kieślowski's mammoth Dekalog (1989; Decalogue), cowritten with Piesiewicz, is a series made for Polish television based on the Ten Commandments. One commandment is explored in each of the 10 hour-long episodes; the commandments are not identified so that the audience is invited to identify the moral or ethical conflict in the plot. The series was shown in its entirety as the centrepiece of the 1989 Venice Film Festival and is considered a modern masterpiece of cinema. With La double vie de Véronique (1991; The Double Life of Veronique) came commercial as well as critical success. This moody, atmospheric film is the study of two doppelgängers, one French, one Polish, who, in addition to sharing the same name, share the same birthday, heart condition, and a vague sense of the existence of the other. Cowritten with Piesiewicz, the film stars Irene Jacob in the dual roles. Kieślowski's next efforts, the “Three Colours” trilogy, represented the colours of the French flag: Bleu (1993; Blue), Rouge (1994; Red) and Blanc (1994; White); respectively, they explored the themes of liberty, fraternity, and equality. The films were released three months apart and, although each can stand on its own, they were designed to be seen as a single entity.

      Kieślowski periodically announced his retirement from filmmaking. However, at the time of his death, cowriter Piesiewicz claimed they were at work on a new trilogy of films to be titled Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory.

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