The “Decalogue” is a ten part series directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski. It is loosely inspired by the Ten Commandmends. “Decalogue 1” is based on the first commandment “You shall have no other Gods before me”. From the beginning, we can see how big impact the Catholicism has in here.
Our main character’s father, is not religious. More important for him, is science. But our main character Paweł, is very interested in religion. He’s curious about what’s happening after we die, what’s soul. He asks many questions such as “what’s the purpose of living” and “who’s God”.
Life of our characters, seems to be very dark and sad. Colours emphasize it. They are very cold, mainly blue and green. As Haltof says “ the ugliness and grayness of the dehumanized urban setting dominate the filming landscape, together with close-ups of the people who endure these harsh conditions”. It is very visible, in the scene, when Paweł’s father is sitting in his apartment after Paweł’s death. The room is filled with green light and we can see a close-up at his face without any emotion. (0:12 – 0:26)
On the other hand every time, we see something God-connected, colours are changing. They become warm (lights in the church, bright orange folder with pictures of Pope). I believe it is shown this way, because Catholicism was always very important in Polish culture. It gave people hope, especially, during hard times, such as occupation.
The Decalogue, was filmed after Martial law was lifted in Poland. And that was also the time, when Catholicism became more than just a religion. Church was also a place, where Polish people, could support each other. More than just this. It was a place, where they could support each other, in feeling Polish. As Agnieszka Holland said in one of the interviews “ And the Church in Poland was much more the place where the kind of national political identity prevailed than the place of deep intellectual, metaphysical discussion or training.” And “ Catholicism became then the kind of the place where the national feelings and the need of independence was something very strong”.
In The Decalogue 1, we can see a battle between rationalism and religion. Paweł’s aunt is very religious and his father believes only in science. After Paweł’s tragic death, his father destroys an altar. (also shown in very bright, warm colours) with the painting of Madonna. After he destroys it, Madonna starts to weep. (2:10 – 2:40)
It may be a connotation to the first commandment. He stood up to God, and that was his punishment.
Bibliography:
Haltoff M. , The A-Z of Polish cinema, 2007, The Scarecrow Press, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
Interview with Agnieszka Holland
Retrieved from: http://www.facets.org/decalogue/holland.html
European Cinema 