amy- Decalogue #1

I have already written extensively analytically on the First Commandment, so now I wish to give my own opinions on it. First of all, I love the man in white who plays an omniscient, god-like figure in The Decalogue. Especially in this first episode, I love the screenplay around him. I love how he seems to convey something to each of the characters. In this first episode, he sits eerily by a fire near the pond. In his eyes he expresses extreme sorrow in spite of the stoic face. I think what stands out most to me is the concept of rationality versus romanticism. The father in this episode seems to be, paradoxically, a romantic rationalist. The viewer sees how the father worships the thought that technology could possibly create a human. He bows to the power of man. I cannot be harsh on his character, because I know many people who rely upon their brain as the chief in their lives. I think humans typically prefer to rely on their own thought processes to get them through life. Life tends to break us down. Here is where Kieslowski comes in. Kieslowski wants to show, by the First Commandment, the uncontrollable and unquantifiable nature of life. I once heard a quote stating that the people who enjoy life the most are the ones who are able to enjoy change. As I grow older, I find this fact to be all too true. I know I cannot rely on my mind to help me cope with all that life brings to the table. Kieslowski wants to show what can happen if humanity starts to try and quantify life as a mathematical problem or science project.

amy- Decalogue #8

Out of all of the episodes, I liked the perspective and message of the eighth episode. The viewer sees this survivor of the Holocaust who obviously still holds the pain of the past in her mind. She confronts a woman, now an ethics professor, who refused to take her in. I like the justification of the Holocaust survivor. Of course she has a reason to be upset. Of course she wants to face her fears with that unwanted and scared child still lingering within herself. The viewer buys into her justification. Then Kieslowski pulls out the twist which relates to the Eighth Commandment: the woman was a frightened underground leader. The ethics professor is by no means absolved, but this fact definitely brings into question the lines of ethical thinking like utilitarian, Kant’s categorical imperative and so on. Kieslowski’s perspective and message then comes into play. I love how the professor said that she should not have lied. She should not have sentenced a little girl to death, despite the consequences. The ethics professor sees how she should have followed her conscience as well as the Eighth Commandment. Another line of thinking this brought me to the concept of never being able to save oneself. The professor had clearly saved the lives of many during World War II, but was still haunted by the thought of that little girl. She had made a mistake which could have caused the death of another. I am shown the perspective of this multi-dimensional life which we make go wrong everyday. For me, this episode shows my own fallibility and inability to be anywhere near perfection.

amy- Decalogue #7

Two unscrupulous people meeting can never be a good thing. This is how I view the “Thou shalt not steal” episode of The Decalogue. Every time I watch a Kieslowski film, I am amazed at the different ways that the characters are able to completely muck up their lives. This is not surprising, because we all manage to make our lives complex and difficult by our faults. I am struck by how Kieslowski foreshadows from the beginning which of the characters ends up being hurt. The little girl in the film is plagued by nightmares of wolves. In the end, the viewer uses her face as a reflection of her heart breaking as her mother is taken away on the train. The fact of the matter is, despite the adults’ best efforts, none were willing to sacrifice for the little girl’s fate. The grandmother was selfish and wanted the little girl for herself, the mother had a confused conflict between desiring revenge and motherhood, the grandfather was apathetically weak and the father was trying to avoid any responsibility. I thought of the concept of agape love during this film. Agape love can show the viewer how this family is so, so far from perfect love. I am also reminded of how Jesus summed up the law in two commandments: Loving the Lord God with all heart, soul and mind, and loving neighbors as oneself. It is sad to see a family, like in this film, act so from loving anyone other than themselves.

amy- Decalogue #5

I think the idea of the death penalty creates extreme reactions in everyone’s minds. It is the same concept as war. There are extremists on both ends and it creates the same situation as two rams going head to head. Kieslowski approaches the question from the perspective of a young man going out and murdering a taxi driver. The storyline presents the young man as a disturbed individual dealing with the fact of his friend killing his younger sister. It also presents those in government as cold, unyielding individuals ready for a fight.
I understand the question Kieslowski attempts to extract. Why must we destroy two lives, when one may be reformed and changed? Kieslowski seems like he wishes to adhere completely to the Seventh Commandment, despite his other ethical dilemmas in the other commandments. The death penalty is a hard topic, which I think care needs to be taking when enacting such a serious punishment. I cannot say that I am completely against the death penalty though. When a man goes out and kills dozens of random strangers and society gives him the “punishment” of three or four life sentences, I think it is absurdity. A man cannot serve three life sentences and most of the time, in the law system, this is a mere attempt to keep such evil in the prison for life.
This topic could be argued forever to no conclusion, but Kieslowski’s film contrasts the different thoughts on such a punishment. Thinking on such topics is important. Even more important for humanity is knowing what it believes in and why.

amy- Decalogue #2

Our film writers seem to be obsessed with the destruction and mess that affairs have on marriage. Strangely enough, when Kieslowski approaches the topic of infidelity, he does not use the commandment “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” This shows something of Kieslowski’s character. He is unwilling to give the viewers a carbon-copied viewpoint of the Ten Commandments. Instead, he uses the insane complexity and ruin that goes along with adultery to further the concept of not taking the Lord’s name in vain. The meaning behind the plot-line of Decalogue Two, for me, is one of the most difficult to wrap my head around. I can understand how the ethicality of the doctor swearing an oath applies to the second commandment, but I have a hard time understanding what exactly Kieslowski is trying to say. Most of the time, it seems he is trying to question how such clear-cut rules can apply to the complex situations of the modern-day man. I wonder at the effectiveness of such ponderings. As a whole, the Ten Commandments are the way to show what is right and what is wrong. There is no doubt in my mind that the God of the Bible, if He is who He says He is, is a just God. This means that He will judge each moral decision according to the circumstance. If God knows the heart, then He will know what the true intentions behind each man.
I enjoy really do enjoy seeing the struggle within Kieslowski’s own mind through his films, because it allows me to draw out what I believe concerning his topics. The Second Commandment was one of the most impacting in the films concerning the question of “doing the right thing” while also obeying the Ten Commandments.

amy- Luther, The Movie

We did not watch the movie Luther for class, but IBTS showed it one night during the semester. I love this movie’s message and, though I have watched it before, still wanted to watch it again. Tricia and Jenna’s presentation gave more information on the “hairy-er” side of Luther’s life, i.e. his Anti Semitism, but it also showed me how well the movie is made. Much of the information that was given within the presentation was shown in the film. Even as I was reading Here I Stand I was surprised at how much of the film was taken exactly from the book. I do not want to exaggerate by saying it was nearly word-for-word, but in some scenes it came very close. The scene where Luther is tried in front of the German emperor adds the perfect image along with great writing. I believe Doctor Redick read aloud that section of the book, and the whole time I could only imagine the movie scene. The tension was heavy in the air during the movie and the acting superb. It’s interesting to see how such movies can be such an integral part of learning; one is able to use a visual aid to help keep key components of history in his mind. I think both Garrett and the team of Tricia-Jenna used quotes which were put in the movie. Every time one of these was used I had a flashback of sorts. I could picture Luther’s wife meeting him as a nun in a shaved head. I could picture Luther struggling to find the right word to put into his translation of the Bible. All the information came together into a coherent idea of his life. This is the beauty of finding different mediums in learning.

amy- More Than Just, Pan's Labyrinth (Part II)

Ophelia’s fascination with magic is not the only spiritual theme within the storyline. In fact, the entire film is riddled with thoughts towards the afterlife. I cannot accept that the story “logically” ended sadly. The point is that Ophelia was a more than just a tragic figure murdered by her father. Her life was worth more than mere appearance. Ultimately, each person’s life means much more than it seems. We as a society tend to rank people according to what we believe they have or have not done.
Putting the social implications, I think Ophelia’s sacrifice within the “fairy-tale” aspect is just another example of the greatest love on earth. The Bible says “Greater love than this hath no man, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”Ophelia was able to risk everything for the sake of her brother. I think in the fairy-tale setting it is hard to immerse ourselves into Ophelia’s position. As young adults, we have lost the nobility of youth. It is not that youths are perfect, but they have their own innocent convictions which can be most unmoving. Some adults do not have even a gram of the strength some of these children possess. This is what del Toro is teasing out in Pan’s Labyrinth. In our psychology courses with Doctor Kabat, he spoke of the intuition of children being a strong force in development. Though they cannot put into words why they feel the way they do, some children just get a sense from certain elders. I love how Ophelia kept this intuition and trusted it completely without passively depending on those whom she trusted. Watching Ophelia’s face during her death reveals much about her character. She does not scream or hysterically move about. She seems to almost have a peaceful calm cover her falling body. Her death signifies the rejection of a magical life. The logical world was chaotic, while over it all in Ophelia’s mind, there was perfect order even in death. I love this movie.