The Decalogue (1989) TV Mini-Series

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Ten television drama films, each one based on one of the Ten Commandments. (imdb)

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Cast and Information

Seasons: 1, Episodes: 10 - Episode List

Directed By: Krzysztof Kieslowski

Written By: Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz

Starring: Jerzy Stuhr, Daniel Olbrychski, Krystyna Janda, Artur Barcis, Miroslaw Baka, Aleksander Bardini, Piotr Machalica, Ewa Blaszczyk, Anna Polony, Adrianna Biedrzynska, Maja Barelkowska, Henryk Baranowski

Genre: Drama

AKA: Dekalog

Country: Poland

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The Decalogue belongs to 64 collections

1. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (collaborative: moderated by kozan26 - 234 stars)

2. Criterion Collection (collaborative: moderated by caffe - 167 stars)

3. Favorite Film of Every Criticker Member (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 95 stars)

4. Roger Ebert: Great Movies (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 80 stars)

5. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)

6. Jonathan Rosenbaum's Top 1000 Movies (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 38 stars)

7. New York Times' The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 32 stars)

8. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)

9. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)

10. Best of criticker: Top 250 (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 26 stars)

11. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)

12. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2017 revision) (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 22 stars)

13. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)

14. Miniseries (collaborative - 18 stars)

15. List: Empire's 100 Best Films of World Cinema (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 17 stars)

16. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2013 revision) (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 16 stars)

17. FIPRESCI Prize (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 14 stars)

18. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)

19. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2020 revision) (public: djross - 14 stars)

20. Harvard University's Suggested Film Viewing List: Narrative Films (collaborative: moderated by dardan - 12 stars)

21. films101.com's 5 star films (collaborative: moderated by ppinocchio - 11 stars)

22. International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 11 stars)

23. Criticker top 250 (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 11 stars)

24. TV - 1001 TV Series You Must Watch (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 11 stars)

25. Top 100 Spiritually Significant Films (collaborative - 10 stars)

26. IMDb Top Miniseries (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 10 stars)

27. Cinema Discusso Yearly Consensus (2008) (public: PeaceAnarchy - 10 stars)

28. Sight and Sound 2002 (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 9 stars)

29. The Village Voice: 150 Groundbreaking Films (public: kevinjoseph - 9 stars)

30. Religion (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 8 stars)

31. TSPDT Top 200 Directors: Best Film (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 6 stars)

32. Best of criticker: TV (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 6 stars)

33. Ekşi Sinema "Alternatif" Top 250 (collaborative - 6 stars)

34. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)

35. The Vatican Film List (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 5 stars)

36. Cinemag's Best 200 films Ever Created! (collaborative: moderated by hristos - 4 stars)

37. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)

38. Really Really Long: 5+ Hours (collaborative: moderated by Dorkovsky - 4 stars)

39. Christianity (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 4 stars)

40. TV - IMDB Top 250 (fiction) (public: KasperL - 4 stars)

41. TIME All-Time 100 (collaborative: moderated by iceblox - 3 stars)

42. Edward Copeland's Ray Memorial 100 (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 3 stars)

43. Slant Magazine's 100 Best Movies of the 1990s (collaborative: moderated by edsu - 3 stars)

44. Stanley Kubrick's Favorite Films (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 3 stars)

45. Roger Ebert's 4-Star Movies (collaborative: moderated by KirkJiggler - 3 stars)

46. Criterion Collection (Blu-ray and 4K) (public: PepeCamello - 3 stars)

47. filosofici (collaborative: moderated by Rubens - 2 stars)

48. My Top 100 Films (public: AutumnLily - 2 stars)

49. Essential Cinema (Jonathan Rosenbaum) (public: snallygaster - 2 stars)

50. Series (public: cankutozturk - 2 stars)

51. Top 100 movies according to Greek filmmakers (collaborative: moderated by hristos - 1 star)

52. Pickpocket inaccurate PSI (public: Pickpocket - 1 star)

53. Favorite Films from Around the World (public: Dorkovsky - 1 star)

54. toucé (public: rnest - 1 star)

55. Best polish movies (collaborative: moderated by hellbike)

56. simon (collaborative: moderated by f_ranzen)

57. Movies I want to see again (public: cute_axolotl)

58. Films to get (public: Scelsi)

59. To Watch (public: normalchaos)

60. to watch [TG] (public: teckgecko)

61. My DVD Collection (public: balseiros)

62. TV-serier (public: f_ranzen)

63. C-1980 (public: cantahta)

64. February (public: davidysteph)

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All Ratings | With Reviews

Order by:

TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
6	febraro	100 _99th
Even the "worst" segments here have enough substance to stand out, a masterpiece that has all the qualities that made Kieslowski one of the best filmmakers of his generation. It kinda made me never want to go to Poland, though.
4	MartinTeller	92 _96th
I was impressed that each and every episode managed to be really really interesting and ring true. The only one that fell short, in my opinion, was the 5th -- "thou shalt not kill". It was oddly heavy-handed, especially in contrast to the others. But from a cinematic standpoint, it might be the best one. I liked the idea of the apartment complex and the slightly overlapping tidbits.
4	Pickpocket	5 _44th
Definitely has its moments but it also isn't this grand sweeping masterpiece that people claim it to be. Some episodes are so heavy handed and ridiculous that it teeters on absurdity. Others are so well done and interesting that you wonder how the hell the same guy made the other ones. How do you have a moment of brilliance and then lose it almost instantly? PS, this is not one of the "most incredible achievements in film." You have to be either stupid or a liar to believe that.
4	oaic	0 _3rd
I'm a Kieslowki fan, but I found this dreary, and too unsubtle and heavy-handed for the kind of drama he was doing. If Christians are wondering why church attendance is declining, maybe it's because they treat ethics as a soap opera and treat humans as cartoonish stock characters. The flat and conceptual characters here are a disappointing contrast to the rich characters in his other films. Decalogue is a testament to the misanthropic, dehumanizing arrogance of perceived moral superiority.
2	Dorkovsky	10 _99th
I watched all ten films in two sittings. It's amazing how Kieslowski was able to make TEN thought-provoking films with pitch perfect acting and pacing, using something as simple as the Ten Commandments.
2	Stain	50 _33rd
People jump up and down about these movies. I just don't care
2	JooJoo	4 _55th
Everyone is under the enchantment of this guy. I just can't seem to find anything impressive. At all.
2	Icarus	100 _99th
My favorite film(s). It never gets old and always leaves me wanting more. Kieslowski's poetic sensibility adds a palpable sense of mystery to simple tales of sins committed, punishments rendered, grace offered, and redemption found. More than that, these tales reflect and comment upon social, political, familial, and theological problems in a way that invites engagement, highlights beauty, and offers hope. This is simply a masterful series of films that remain enriching long after seeing them.
2	KlausGlenski	90 _95th
A movie thats is obviously related to the ten commandments of the bible and takes place in a suburban housing project in Warsaw. At first sight this sounds fairly unusual but since the stories just deal with social and ethic aspects of the commandments this works out excellent. Kieslowski does what he is best at, storytelling. Supported by great polish professional and amateur actors, Kieslowski did auteur filmmaking at its best with most interesting characters. 20/12/08
2	Teorema	100 _98th
The first and fifth segments of this are required viewing. Kieslowski is a master of pacing, and makes the most simple plots seem operatic.
2	elmakebabi	75 _77th
First Dekalog: 9, Second Dekalog: 8, Third Dekalog: 6, Fourth Dekalog: 7, Fifth Dekalog: 6, Sixth Dekalog: 10, Seventh Dekalog: 8, Eight Dekalog: 6, Ninth Dekalog: 7, Tenth Dekalog: 8... So, my point is 75. I'm not in love with these series, except for sixth part.
2	sellis	90 _87th
Dekalog 1: 10, Dekalog 2: 9.25, Dekalog 3: 8.25, Dekalog 4: 9.5, Dekalog 5: 7.75, Dekalog 6: 9.25, Dekalog 7: 8, Dekalog 8: 8.75, Dekalog 9: 8.5, Dekalog 10: 10
1	Derekstar	60 _36th
This will be the minority opinion here. I liked the Decalogue, but it could have been much better. Honestly, I was quite bored at times. In all fairness some episodes were quite strong in their own right, but they were the exception. Generally, they seemed to drag on and on. I feel as though ten 20 or 30 minute short films in succession would have been a better format. An hour each is a little much. I never once felt as moved or as awe-struck as I did when I watched Blue, White, and Red.
1	Alex Watkins	4 _70th
I didn't care much for the fifth episode but the rest of the series is excellent. My personal favorites were the 3rd and 6th episodes. I can't think of anything unique to say about this; it's just very well done human drama with an interesting thematic foundation (the Ten Commandments), well-acted and very strong overall.
1	PeaceAnarchy	93 _98th
I had hoped that every episode would be a fantastic masterpiece, and it's not quite that, but that's also an unfair expectation. The episodes range from very good to magnificent with most of them being solidly great examinations of morality through a slice of life, and viewing it as a whole adds layers of reflection and meaning. The series flourishes when it focuses on the humanity of the characters, which is why the 6th, 7th and 9th episodes are the strongest. Kieslowski's masterwork.
1	KasperL	85 _93rd
Art cinema of the highest quality. My favorite ep is, I think, the first one but they all fall somewhere between good and great. My favorite of Kieslowski's films remains 'Three Colors: Red', though.
1	cinema_hell	100 _99th
I just can't imagine someone getting home, in the evening, turning on his tv, and watching this. Such a masterpiece. Right after some soap opera, or other everyday tv program.
1	purgatos	97 _98th
Tough to sum this up. With 10 basically unrelated short films it's difficult to find things I can say about all of them. The acting was always great and the cinematography was constantly interesting, the different styles for every segment was a fantastic idea since it makes things feel even more mixed up. They're also all really brave, in that there's basically no subject that Kieslowski feels like he needs to shy away from, which lends a power to the entire series that little can compare with.
1	tinysausage	91 _98th
An astonishing achievement: these ten masterpieces were shot in just over a year! Each story has a distinct atmosphere, helped by having a different cinematographer for each one; but all are infused with Kieslowski's compassionate view of humanity, and how we react to tragedy and loneliness. Wonderful.
1	Rufam	60 _29th
I: 70 Powerful, but questionable moral. II: 65 Interesting, not especially memorable. III: 50 The dullest of the lot. IV: 70 Morally blurry and all the better for it. V: 50 Masterfully shot yet awfully manipulative. VI: 75 Sweet and moving, but the ending dissapoints (the film corrects that). VII: 60 Solid overall, but obnoxious charcters. VIII: 65 Interesting moral debates, but too much religious stuff. IX: 55 Heavy-handed and not entirely realistic. X: 60 Has its moments thanks to the

Average Percentile 85.93% from 1240 Ratings