"Actor: Jerzy Stuhr"

• Dekalog - The Ten Commandments - Parts 6-10 | DVD | (27/05/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The double-disc set Dekalog, Parts 6-10, contains the last five of Kieslowski's 10 one-hour modern morality tales, each one loosely linked to one of the 10 Commandments. All set in and around the same drab, high-rise Warsaw housing estate, they intriguingly explore moral dilemmas without ever coming to any glib conclusions. As always, Kieslowski is far more interested in posing questions than in supplying answers. The series was originally made for Polish television, and has since been shown on TV stations all round the world, though never in the cinema. While they can easily be watched separately, being individual stories, there's no question that they gain in impact from being taken in conjunction with each other. Kieslowski used a different cinematographer for each film (except Nos. 3 and 9, both photographed by Piotr Sobocinski) to give a distinct feel to each story. While none of them--as you might expect from this director--offer a barrel of laughs, some are decidedly lighter in tone. Indeed the series ends on an almost farcical note: Dekalog 10 tells the tale of two brothers seized with paranoia when their late father leaves them a valuable stamp collection. By contrast, Dekalog 6 is one of the most moving and compassionate in the collection: a woman who finds a young lad is obsessively spying on her inflicts an intolerable humiliation on him. This, like No. 5 in the series, was expanded by 25 minutes or so into a feature film, A Short Film about Love. Here too, it seems a pity that the longer version couldn't have been included in the set. On the DVDs: Dekalog, Parts 1-6 is slightly better served for extras than the first set; this includes a 50-minute interview with Kieslowski, one of the last he gave before his early death. As usual, he stonewalls all the questions with barely concealed impatience. The transfer captures the muted colours of the original, and the Dolby 1.0 sound is crisp and clear. --Philip Kemp

• Ga-Ga: Glory to the Heroes | Blu Ray | (23/09/2024) from £11.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In the darkly comic Ga-Ga: Glory to the Heroes, Scope (Daniel Olbrychski, Dekalog) must be tried and convicted of a heinous crime for him to participate in a bloody, televised gladiator contest... Inspired by Pasolini's La ricotta and American space opera, Szulkin's film mocks hero myths with a dark satirical edge. Featuring a supporting cast of Poland's finest acting talent, including Jerzy Stuhr (Three Colours: White), Katarzyna Figura (No End) and Leon Niemczyk (The Saragossa Manuscript) among others, Szulkin's highly imaginative works of fantasy are bound by a preoccupation with the machinations of power and a distinct visual sensibility.In the darkly comic Ga-Ga: Glory to the Heroes, Scope (Daniel Olbrychski, Dekalog) must be tried and convicted of a heinous crime for him to participate in a bloody, televised gladiator contest... Inspired by Pasolini's La ricotta and American space opera, Szulkin's film mocks hero myths with a dark satirical edge. Featuring a supporting cast of Poland's finest acting talent, including Jerzy Stuhr (Three Colours: White), Katarzyna Figura (No End) and Leon Niemczyk (The Saragossa Manuscript) among others, Szulkin's highly imaginative works of fantasy are bound by a preoccupation with the machinations of power and a distinct visual sensibility.

• Three Colours White | DVD | (29/10/2001) from £2.95   |  Saving you £17.04 (577.63%)   |  RRP £19.99

  White is the second of witty Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowki's "three colours" trilogy Blue, White, and Red--the three colours of the French flag, symbolising liberty, equality and fraternity. White is an ironic comedy brimming over with the hard laughs of despair, ecstasy, ambition and longing played in a minor key. Down-and-out Polish immigrant Karol Karol is desperate to get out of France. He's obsessed with his French soon-to-be ex-wife (Before Sunrise's Julie Delpy), his French bank account is frozen, and he's fed up with the inequality of it all. Penniless, he convinces a fellow Pole to smuggle him home in a suitcase--which then gets stolen from the airport. The unhappy thieves beat him and dump him in a snowy rock pit. Things can only get better, right? The story evolves into a wickedly funny anti-romance, an inverse Romeo and Juliet. Because it's in two foreign languages, the dialogue can be occasionally hard to follow, but some of the most genuinely funny and touching moments need no verbal explanation. --Grant Balfour

• Dekalog and Other TV Works Dual-Format Blu-ray & DVD | Blu Ray | (31/10/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £64.99

  When Krzysztof Kieślowski began production on a ten-part Polish television series whose budget was so low that he could only afford two takes maximum, nobody foresaw that the end result would be acclaimed as one of the greatest cinema achievements of the late twentieth century. But that's what Dekalog is: as much an intricate work of moral philosophy as it is a collection of psychologically riveting narratives. Each standalone story revolves around the consequences arising from a breach of one of the Ten Commandments, but this is no finger-wagging religious tract: Kieślowski was one of film history's keenest observers of human nature, and his troubled, vainglorious, self-deceiving, deeply flawed characters (many played by some of Poland's finest character actors) are all too universally recognisable. But Dekalog is merely the highlight of a box set that compiles virtually all of Kieślowski's television work, starting with his first professional short fiction film and continuing with four feature-length pieces that are in every way as probing and incisive as his better-known cinema films. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS 4K restoration of all ten episodes, presented in their original broadcast aspect ratios Original Polish mono soundtrack (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays), with optional English subtitles Pedestrian Subway (1973, 29 mins), Kieślowski's professional fiction debut, about a man trying to repair a failed marriage First Love (1974, 52 mins), a docudrama about a teenage couple coping with an unwanted pregnancy Personnel (1975, 67 mins), Kieślowski's first feature-length fiction film, a partly autobiographical piece about a Warsaw theatre company The Calm (1976, 82 mins), one of Kieślowski's most powerful early films, about a man rebuilding his life in mid-70s Poland after a short prison sentence Short Working Day (1981, 73 mins), Kieślowski's study of a political strike, controversially told from the viewpoint of a Communist functionary trying to keep order Krzysztof Kieślowski: Still Alive (2007), an affectionate 82-minute portrait of the director by his former student Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz, including interviews with dozens of friends and colleagues Collector's booklet featuring a lengthy essay on Dekalog and Kieślowski by Father Marek Lis, plus Kieślowski's own intensely self-critical discussion of all the films in this set and Stanley Kubrick's famous eulogy to Kieślowski and co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz More extras in development!

• Cinema of Conflict: Four Films by Krzystof Kieslowski Limited Edition | Blu Ray | (20/04/2020) from £54.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Few names are as synonymous with Polish cinema as that of Krzystof Kieślowski, the renowned auteur responsible for the Dekalog and Three Colours trilogy. Prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall and his subsequent creative and critical success in France, Kieślowski plied his trade within the confines of the Eastern Bloc, capturing the realities of everyday life under Soviet rule. This collection gathers his four earliest narrative feature films, encapsulating the years 19761984. In 1976's The Scar, a well-intentioned Party loyalist is charged with overseeing the construction of a new chemical plant in the face of fierce resistance and is forced to confront the conflict between his good intentions and local opposition. In 1979's Camera Buff, a family man and amateur filmmaker experiences a dramatic change in fortunes when his newfound hobby opens up new horizons but also results in deep marital and philosophical conflicts. Blind Chance, completed in 1981 and denied a release in its native Poland until 1987, presents three possible outcomes to a single, seemingly banal event a young medical student running to catch a train and, in the process, explores the relationship between chance and choice. Finally, in 1984's No End, a recently bereaved translator juggles the conflicting demands of her work, caring for her son and her continued visions of her late husband, all against the backdrop of a Poland under the grip of martial law. As socially conscious as Kieślowski's earlier documentary shorts, this quartet of films covers a tumultuous period in Polish and Eastern European history, shot with unflinching realism by a filmmaker of distinction. LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS: Limited Edition collection (2000 copies) High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all four films Original lossless mono audio for all films Optional English subtitles for all films Brand new audio commentary on Camera Buff by critic Annette Insdorf Brand new audio commentary on Blind Chance by film historian Michael Brooke Ghost of a Chance, a brand new visual essay on No End by Adrian Martin and Cristina Alvarez Lopez Moral and Martial Anxieties, a brand new discussion with Michael Brooke, exploring the brief and remarkable Polish film renaissance of the turn of the 1980s Brand new introductions by scholar and critic Michał Oleszczyk to all films Michał Oleszczyk looks through archive materials for each film Archival interviews with filmmakers Agnieska Holland and Krzysztof Zanussi, cinematographers Slawomir Idziak and Jacek Petrycki, actress Grazyna Szapoloska, sound designer Michal Zarnecki, critic Annette Insdorf and Kieślowski collaborator Irena Strazakowska Three short films by Kieślowski: Talking Heads (1980), Concert of Requests (1995) and The Office (1995) Workshop Exercises, a 1987 short film by Marcel Lonzinski Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films by scholars and authors Ewa Mazierska, Marek Hatlof, Dina Iordanova and Joseph G. Kickasola, and original writing by Kieślowski

• Cinema of Conflict: Four Films by Krzysztof Kie?lowski | Blu Ray | (06/09/2021) from £44.89   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Few names are as synonymous with Polish cinema as that of Krzysztof Kieślowski, the renowned auteur responsible for the Dekalog and the Three Colours trilogy. Prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall and his subsequent creative and critical success in France, Kieślowski plied his trade within the confines of the Eastern Bloc, capturing the realities of everyday life under Soviet rule. This collection gathers his four earliest narrative feature films, encapsulating the years 19761984.In 1976's The Scar, a well-intentioned Party loyalist is charged with overseeing the construction of a new chemical plant in the face of fierce resistance and is forced to confront the conflict between his good intentions and local opposition. In 1979's Camera Buff, a family man and amateur filmmaker experiences a dramatic change in fortunes when his newfound hobby opens up new horizons but also results in deep marital and philosophical conflicts. Blind Chance, completed in 1981 and denied a release in its native Poland until 1987, presents three possible outcomes to a single, seemingly banal event a young medical student running to catch a train and, in the process, explores the relationship between chance and choice. Finally, in 1984's No End, a recently bereaved translator juggles the conflicting demands of her work, caring for her son and her continued visions of her late husband, all against the backdrop of a Poland under the grip of martial law.As socially conscious as Kieślowski's earlier documentary shorts, this quartet of films covers a tumultuous period in Polish and Eastern European history, shot with unflinching realism by a filmmaker of distinction.Special Features:High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all four filmsOriginal lossless mono audio for all filmsOptional English subtitles for all filmsAudio commentary on Camera Buff by Annette Insdorf, author of Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzysztof KieślowskiAudio commentary on Blind Chance by film historian Michael BrookeGhost of a Chance, a visual essay on No End by Adrian Martin and Cristina Álvarez LópezMoral and Martial Anxieties, a discussion with Michael Brooke, exploring the brief and remarkable Polish film renaissance of the turn of the 1980sIntroductions by scholar and critic Michał Oleszczyk to all filmsMichał Oleszczyk looks through archive materials for each filmArchival interviews with filmmakers Agnieszka Holland and Krzysztof Zanussi, cinematographers Slawomir Idziak and Jacek Petrycki, actress Grażyna Szapołowska, sound designer Michal Zarnecki, critic Annette Insdorf and Kieślowski collaborator Irena StrzałkowskaThree short films by Kieślowski: The Office (1966), Concert of Requests (1967) and Talking Heads (1980)Workshop Exercises, a 1987 short film by Marcel Łoziński, Kieślowski's colleague at the Warsaw Documentary Film StudioReversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley

• War of the Worlds: Next Century | Blu Ray | (23/09/2024) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In a radical reworking of the H.G. Wells classic, War of the Worlds: Next Century, tells the story of Iron Idem (celebrated Polish actor Roman Wilhelmi), a television host, who finds himself contending with a Martian invasion, whose takeover involves collaborating with the state and manipulating the populace through a media apparatus made up entirely of fake news... Drawing as much on George Orwell and 1984 as on Wells' novel, Pior Szulkin's prescient allegory of state and media control is a dark sci-fi that uses classic noir tropes to tell its sinister story.In a radical reworking of the H.G. Wells classic, War of the Worlds: Next Century, tells the story of Iron Idem (celebrated Polish actor Roman Wilhelmi), a television host, who finds himself contending with a Martian invasion, whose takeover involves collaborating with the state and manipulating the populace through a media apparatus made up entirely of fake news... Drawing as much on George Orwell and 1984 as on Wells' novel, Pior Szulkin's prescient allegory of state and media control is a dark sci-fi that uses classic noir tropes to tell its sinister story.

• O-Bi O-Ba: The End of Civilization | Blu Ray | (23/09/2024) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The survivors of a claustrophobic, subterranean world in ruins are pacified by Soft (Jerzy Stuhr, Camera Buff), who engineers a mass collective dream of escape through means of a mythical vessel, The Ark... A dark vision existing somewhere between Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker and John Carpenter's Escape from New York, Piotr Szulkin's O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization is one of the great dystopian films. Masquerading as both works of science fiction and horror, Szulkin's satirical, surrealistic apocalypse-themed films are Polish cinema's best-kept secret.The survivors of a claustrophobic, subterranean world in ruins are pacified by Soft (Jerzy Stuhr, Camera Buff), who engineers a mass collective dream of escape through means of a mythical vessel, The Ark... A dark vision existing somewhere between Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker and John Carpenter's Escape from New York, Piotr Szulkin's O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization is one of the great dystopian films. Masquerading as both works of science fiction and horror, Szulkin's satirical, surrealistic apocalypse-themed films are Polish cinema's best-kept secret.

• We Have A Pope | DVD | (02/04/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This Italian comedy from director Nanni Moretti opened the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. Disaster strikes the Vatican when Cardinal Melville, the newly elected Pope, suffers a panic attack just before addressing the people of Rome and is unable to face his public. Desperate times call for desperate measures, as a brilliant (but atheist) psychoanalyst is brought in to help the Pope confront his fears. With stunning imagery and an outstanding lead performance from Michel Piccoli, We Have a Pope puts a hilarious spin on the inner workings of this notoriously secretive order.

• Camera Buff | DVD | (08/12/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Filip a clerk in a small Polish town buys an 8mm camera to film the baby his wife is expecting. His bosses take an interest in it and commision him to film the company's 25th anniversary celebrations. When the result wins a prize at an amateur film festival Filip encouraged by his success becomes consumed by his new found passion. But as he develops his creative skills Filip soon discovers that his devotion to making films has unexpected consequences as tensions arise in his ma