The Japanese/Chinese script kept on mentioning a word around DEKALOGUE- was it DEKOLOGU...I will have to go back and have a look but anyway - the reference was to this THE DECALOGUE and TODDY tells me that this was MCDONALD's programming.

yes, I can remember now - MCDONALD had found out that he had been programmed as this character:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Decalogue_1-barcis.png



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decalogue

The Decalogue
Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski
Produced by Ryszard Chutkowski
Written by Krzysztof Kieślowski
Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Starring Henryk Baranowski
Krystyna Janda
Aleksander Bardini
Daniel Olbrychski
Janusz Gajos
Miroslaw Baka
Grazyna Szapolowska
Olaf Lubaszenko
Maja Barelkowska
Maria Koscialkowska
Teresa Marczewska
Ewa Blasczyk
Piotr Machalica
Jerzy Stuhr
Zbigniew Zamachowski
Artur Barcis
Release date(s) December 10, 1988
Running time approx. 55 min each of 10 episodes
Language Polish
Budget approx. $ 100.000 (all parts)

The Decalogue (Polish: Dekalog) is a 1988 Polish television drama series directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski[1] and co-written by Kieślowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz, with music by Zbigniew Preisner.[2] It consists of ten one-hour films, each of which represents one of the Ten Commandments[3] and explores possible meanings of the commandment—often ambiguous or contradictory—within a fictional story set in modern Poland. The series is Kieślowski's most acclaimed work and has won numerous international awards, though it was not widely released outside Europe until the late 1990s.[4] Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick wrote an admiring foreword to the published screenplay in 1991.[5]

Contents [hide]
1 Production
2 Themes
3 Episodes
4 Reception
5 Longer feature films
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Production
Artur Barcis in one of his nameless cameo roles, observing the characters of the first episode of The Decalogue series.Though each film is independent, most of them share the same setting (a large housing project in Warsaw) and some of the characters are acquainted with each other. The large cast includes both famous actors and unknowns, many of whom Kieślowski also used in his other films. Typically for Kieślowski, the tone of most of the films is melancholic, except for the final one, which, like Three Colors: White, is a black comedy, and features two of the same actors, Jerzy Stuhr and Zbigniew Zamachowski.

The series was conceived when Piesiewicz, who had seen a 15th-century artwork illustrating the commandments in scenes from that time period, suggested the idea of a modern equivalent. Kieślowski was interested in the philosophical challenge and also wanted to use the series as a portrait of the hardships of Polish society, while deliberately avoiding the political issues he had depicted in earlier films. He originally meant to hire ten different directors, but decided to direct the films himself, though using a different cinematographer for each with exception of episodes III and IX, both cinematographed by Piotr Sobociński. [6]

There is also a nameless character, played by Artur Barciś, possibly supernatural, who observes the main characters at key moments but never intervenes (this character also appears in all episodes except 10).

Episode Character played by Artur Barciś
Decalogue I A homeless man sitting by a fire near the lake
Decalogue II An orderly in the hospital
Decalogue III A tram driver
Decalogue IV A man rowing a boat and later seen carrying the boat
Decalogue V A construction worker holding a measuring pole and then as a different construction worker carrying a ladder
Decalogue VI A man carrying bags of groceries
Decalogue VII A man on the railway station (However Kieślowski experienced technical difficulties including him in this episode)[7]
Decalogue VIII A student at the University (He appears suddenly)
Decalogue IX A man riding a bicycle
Decalogue X Does not appear

Milk also plays as a symbol in some of the films:

Episode Role of milk
Decalogue I The milk is sour
Decalogue II The doctor carries milk almost all the time
Decalogue IV Michal is going to buy milk at the end.
Decalogue VI Tomek delivers milk and Magda spills it

[edit] ThemesThe ten films are titled simply by number (e.g. Decalogue: One). In English, they are sometimes referred to by the commonly used short forms of the commandments based on the King James Bible text (see below), however the themes are fashioned after the commandments after the catholic ritual, considering the Polish religious background. According to Roger Ebert's introduction to the DVD set [8], Kieślowski said that the films did not correspond exactly to the commandments, and never used their names himself. However, they appear to follow the order of the commandments found in Deuteronomy chapter 5.

[edit] EpisodesEpisode Commandment Cast Cinematography
Decalogue I I am the Lord thy God; thou
shalt have no other gods before me Henryk Baranowski
Wojciech Klata
Maja Komorowska Wieslaw Zdort
Decalogue II Thou shalt not take the name
of the Lord thy God in vain Krystyna Janda
Aleksander Bardini
Olgierd Łukaszewicz Edward Klosinski
Decalogue III Remember the sabbath day,
to keep it holy Daniel Olbrychski
Maria Pakulnis
Joanna Szczepowska Piotr Sobociński
Decalogue IV Honour thy father
and thy mother Adrianna Biedrynska
Janusz Gajos
Adam Hanuszkiewicz Krzysztof Pakulski
Decalogue V Thou shalt not kill Miroslaw Baka
Jan Tesarz
Krzysztof Globisz Sławomir Idziak
Decalogue VI Thou shalt not
commit adultery Olaf Lubaszenko
Grażyna Szapołowska Witold Adamek
Decalogue VII Thou shalt not steal Anna Polony
Maja Barelkowska
Katarzyna Piwowarczyk Dariusz Kuc
Decalogue VIII Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbor Teresa Marczewska
Maria Koscialkowska Andrzej Jaroszewicz
Decalogue IX Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbor's wife Ewa Blasczyk
Piotr Machalica
Jan Jankowski Piotr Sobociński
Decalogue X Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house,
nor his manservant,nor his maid, nor his
goods,nor anything that is your neighbor's. Jerzy Stuhr
Zbigniew Zamachowski Jacek Blawut


(This list follows Catholic and Lutheran tradition; most other Christian denominations and Judaism follow the original division of the commandments as they are written in the Book of Exodus. Poland is predominantly Catholic.)

[edit] ReceptionThe Decalogue was admired by critics as well as by important figures from the movie industry such as Stanley Kubrick. [9] The DVD box issue holds 100 % rating on www.rottentomatoes.com based on 28 reviews. [10] The series was also praised by some of the renowned film critics, including Roger Ebert [11] and Robert Fulford.[12]

[edit] Longer feature films
German DVD coverKieślowski expanded Five and Six into longer feature films (A Short Film About Killing and A Short Film About Love), using the same cast and changing the stories slightly. This was part of a contractual obligation with the producers, since feature films were easier to distribute outside Poland. In 2000, the series was released on DVD's, divided into 5 DVD discs, each containing two parts of about 2 hours.

Ranked #36 in Empire magazines "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.[13]

[edit] References1.^ Bio of Krysztof Kieślowski on www.facets.org
2.^ http://www.offoffoff.com/film/2001/decalogue.php Series overview
3.^ Ten Commandmentw on http://catholic-resources.org
4.^ Critical response on www.facets.org
5.^ Stanley Kubrick review of the film on www.visual-memory.co.uk
6.^ The Decalogue cinematographers on www.facets.org
7.^ [Stok, Danusia, ed. (1993). Kieślowski on Kieślowski. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-17328-4]
8.^ Film critic Robert Ebert's introduction info/review of the series on http://rogerebert.suntimes.com
9.^ Critical response to the film on www.facets.org
10.^ Film review on www.rottentomatoes.com
11.^ Fim review by Roger Ebert on http://rogerebert.suntimes.com
12.^ Film review by Robert Fulford on www.robertfulford.com
13.^ "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema". Empire. http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=36.
[edit] External linksThe Decalogue at the Internet Movie Database
Facets Multi-Media: The Decalogue (synopsis, images, interview)
The Decalogue at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list
Roger Ebert on The Decalogue
Krzysztof Kieslowski filmografy
Interview with Agnieszka Holland and Milos Stehlik on www.facets.org
Images from the series on www.facets.org
Short overview of The Decalogue and some other Kieslowski films on www.filmref.com
Voted #2 on The Arts and Faith Top 100 Films (2010)
[show]v · d · eFilms directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski

1970s Pedestrian Subway (1973) • Personnel (1975) • The Scar (1976) • The Calm (1976) • Camera Buff (1979)


1980s Short Working Day (1981) • Blind Chance (1981) • No End (1985) • The Decalogue (1989) • A Short Film About Killing (1988) • A Short Film About Love (1989)

1990s The Double Life of Véronique (1991) • Three Colors: Blue (1993) • Three Colors: White (1994) • Three Colors: Red (1994)

[show]v · d · eThe Decalogue

Decalogue I • Decalogue II • Decalogue III • Decalogue IV • Decalogue V • Decalogue VI • Decalogue VII • Decalogue VIII • Decalogue IX • Decalogue X


Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decalogue"
Categories: Polish-language films | 1989 television films | Films based on the Bible | Films about religion | Catholic films | Christian films | Films directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski | Polish television films | Ten Commandments