A Critical Review and Comparison of the Decalogue and the First Two Commandments
The Ten Commandments, found in the Old Testament book of Exodus, have often attracted intellectuals from different parts of the world, especially in a situation of moral and spiritual crisis. Krzysztof Kieślowski, a respected Polish film-maker, in 1988, made a series of ten, one hour films for Polish television titled Dekalog / The Decalogue 1-10, which are exploring in a predominately secular way, the validity of these Ten Commandments and how they could relate to contemporary times, not only in Poland, but also to the rest of the world. Using William Barclay’s critical commentaries from the book titled The Ten Commandments and Kieślowski’s own interpretations from the handout Kieślowski on Kieślowski I will examine specific issues addressed in the cited material.
The Decalogue by Kieślowski was produced in 1989, and is set in Warsaw, Poland. ... The film takes place over a two or three day period and focuses on the family’s microcosm and specifically its relationship to the computer and their individual belief systems. ... In the Decalogue, Kieślowski shows how the first two Commandments are being broken; he uses a modern computer as a replacement of a traditional pagan idol, and the father’s belief in pure logic as the primary sources of conflict with the classical teachings of the Commandments.
What exactly are the Ten Commandments and why did God give Moses the Commandments on Mount Sinai? ... The Commandments were given to Moses and he returns to the Jewish people camped at the base of the mountain and tells them God has spoken to him and has given him specific instructions. The Commandments, are a “charter for democracy” they are often criticized as being negatives or “thou shall nots”, but at this stage of the social evolution that is all that they can be (Barclay 3-4). Barclay goes on to state, the Commandments are not the end-all of ethics but the very beginning upon which morality and full social ethics can evolve. ...
The Commandments are a link to nationhood in both stories because they offer the foundation upon which a society can evolve. ... In the first part of the Decalogue Pavel asks the Aunt if she believes in God, and she answers yes for, God is very simple if you have faith. ... One of the ways the film maker emphasizes the downward trend in Polish society’s alignment to the Commandments is by people’s individual and society’s apathy towards one another. ... The father sets up his computer as a revered piece of hardware for Pavel, by implicitly trusting Pavel’s life to it; he believes concretely that everything is measurable and through critical and exact scientific measurements, everything can be accurately predicted. ... But, because of his wavering views in the church and his reluctant acceptance of the holy water, I am forced to conclude that the father must commit a significant amount of time and energy to introspection and a total review of his belief and reliance on computers. ...
In the Decalogue the father’s smug belief system based on logic, machines, and measurements comes catastrophically apart as his closest companion and most beloved person in life seemingly, needlessly dies. The father has created a system which can not fail him, but it does, and he is forced to review his values and the depth of his beliefs and convictions. Barclay introduces the Commandments to us in a primarily religious way, and Kieślowski interpreters them and creates a story in a very secular and modern way. ... Kieślowski attempts to stir the pot with this series of films; he hopes to bring to light how far we as a society stray from the path offered to us through the Commandments. As Barclay mentions, the Commandments are but a foundation upon which a real society can be formed, and are but stepping stones or the bare minimum required of us by God to live in a way he has laid out before us. Kieślowski’s film and Barclay’s Ten Commandments both interpret the Commandments in a way that explains their modern relevance. God commanded Moses to instruct his followers, and as modern society strays from the path laid out by the Commandments Kieślowski offers us an opportunity of introspection to realign ourselves and society.
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