The films of Krzysztof Kieslowski

The first movie by Krzysztof Kieslowski that I saw was Blue. I loved the movie and therefore had to complete the rest of the Three Colors Trilogy: White and Red. The Trilogy is undoubtedly one of the great masterworks of modern cinema and should be considered one of the greatest works of all cinema. It is often hailed as director Kieslowski's greatest achievement. This is likely true but I am always put off by such statements because I think this often encourages the average viewer to see this and then disregard the rest (I am pretty sure that this happens based on first-hand evidence). There is somehow the impression that if you have seen (heard) the best work of an artist then it's enough and one can move on to the next artist. I guess this happens in part due to the fact that people are usually stretched for time and in part because a lot of people are simply not interested in delving deeper or knowing more about a particular artist. It is left for college students, academics and lovers of art to do this. To obsessively follow the arc of an artist's work through his/her lifetime. Although it is understandable that most people would not want to go into all this. However, it is true that between seeing the best work and obsessing about an entire career there is also a middle path (or several) which is to see a more representative set of the artist's work. For example to see Fellini, it is not enough to watch 8 1/2 and move on, but to at least see La Strada and Amarcord as well (and even that isn't enough, one must also see La Dolce Vita and more - his works before like I Vitelloni - you see where this is going). Apart from the fact that a great artist doesn't become a great artist in a day and so a lot of work done by the artist is likely to be very good, there is also the fact that seeing these other works often gives us a heightened perception when watching the said greatest work (if you don't believe me, watch 8 1/2 first, then La Strada and the 8 1/2 again and you'll know what I mean). It tells one a little about where the artist is coming from. It is arguable that this may not necessarily be the best approach, which is why I am not saying that you need to start with an artist's lesser works but just that you need to be aware that all this other work exists and get to them eventually after seeing the best.

Returning to Kieslowski, it is needless to say that since then I have seen a number of his films and liked each and every one of them. The next film (or set of films) that I saw was The Decalogue and this work in general benefits from being at least a little aware of the Kielowski psyche. Not that one will be disappointed if they are unacquainted with Kieslowski's work but that they may feel a little left in the dark (although every person's reaction is no doubt different). In any case, this is another masterwork of cinema and therefore is not to be missed. It is also a wonderful conversation aid because almost everybody's take on it is different. However, it is recommended that conversation be carried out soon after watching the films because it tends to blur in one's memory: stories seemingly intertwine and characters appear in other stories in one's memory. All of the stories happening in the same apartment complex with people actually appearing in more than one story alongwith the consistent look and feel (although managed by 10 different cinematographers) heightens this effect: I think Kieslowski wanted a little of this while making it.

Since then, I have seen The Double Life of Veronique, Camera Buff and No End. Each of those movies is worth watching for different reasons. The Kieslowski sensibility and general-outlook-on-life permeates through each of those works but they also have a great story to tell as and in of themselves. I imagine Camera Buff is the most autobiographical of the lot in more ways than one, in essence the ending of the film seems to mirror what happens (or is about to happen) in his own life. In the late 70's and early 80's is when Kieslowski went through a process of gradually giving up the making of documentaries. This is in some way the director starting to look inward rather than the outside world. This does not mean that the director actually began filming himself from here on in but rather that from here on in he worked exclusively in the realm of fiction. He had a worthy ally through most of this in his co-screen-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz, who collaborated with him beginning with No End and together they helped shape a lot of the remainder of Kieslowski's movies. Piesiewicz was a lawyer and is it a co-incidence that the first film that the two wrote together, No End has a trial in the center of the story? One of the great things about the writing and the film-making is that although Kieslowski almost always has a lot to say, the film's are rarely didactic or otherwise painted with obvious plot points to indicate exactly what the author is thinking. Some things are easy to see of course, such as the high level political inklings as perceived in No End. But even then it is less than clear what the political message of the film is. There are the knee-jerk-reactionists who say that the film is about this and so on but that is much too simplistic a viewing of it. The same reactionists who would label Kieslowski a pessimist no doubt. Again that is much too simplistic a viewing of his work. To me Kieslowski is in the realm of realism but is rarely pessimistic. He does differ from the likes of Ray in that he does not necessarily see a lot of good in the way a lot of people live but that does not make him a pessimist. He is less in love with romantic ideals and more interested in how real people actually lead their lives. Read some more of my thoughts on this here.

It is true that my overall opinion of Kieslowski and his psyche is coloured by the fact that I saw his later works first. It is true that those later works are definitely more hopeful than the rest. But then again as I have said here a film like Blind Chance is wonderful because it offers us a view of these different outcomes. Which one of these is the one that happens, which is one is the best outcome are all things for us to contemplate. However, it is important to see that although we exist in the ideal that we shall always find the best for us in life, this rarely happens and a Kieslowski in showing us what an effect chance plays on our lives is in fact suggesting at least two things: that the outcome is not always (if ever) in our hands therefore we need to make the most of it and how we are affected by each freak of chance is largely upto us. In effect characters in great drama are always more courageous and emotional than we are and it is incumbent upon us to try and become a bit like them. The quality of one's life is determined largely by the person himself/herself.