Polish

The Decalogue (Special Edition Complete Set)

Superlatives abound when describing Krzysztof Kieslowski's The Decalogue, a series of 10 one-hour dramas originally made for Polish TV between 1988 and 1989 and seen throughout the world in film festivals and cinematheque and museum programs. Though each episode is inspired by one of the Ten Commandments of the Bible, these are not Sunday school fables illustrating some simplistic moral lesson--the connections to the individual commandments are not always obvious and are often downright curious--but powerful, profound stories of love and loss, faith and fear. Kieslowski explores ordinary people flailing through inner torments, hard decisions, and shattering revelations, grounding his stories in the faces of their deeply human characters.

Each episode is self-contained, from "Decalogue I" ("I Am the Lord Thy God"), the touching story of a boy who starts asking the hard questions of life from his rationalist father and religious aunt, to "Decalogue X" ("Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods"), a comic tale of estranged brothers who bond through a winding ordeal involving their father's priceless stamp collection. There are stories of tragedy and triumph, both expansive and intimate, some profoundly moving and others delicately shaded--but all are warmed by Kieslowski's sympathetic direction and his eye for resonant, fragile imagery. Initially drawn together by location--the series is set in a dreary Warsaw apartment complex--a web of associations forms as characters pass through other stories, sometimes only briefly, and themes reverberate through the series. The Decalogue is ultimately a personal spiritual investigation into the soul of man, a work of quiet attention and deep emotion marked by astounding images and vivid characters. Each volume is also available individually on VHS. --Sean Axmaker

The Decalogue Special Edition is a three-disc set with exclusive special features. Disc 1 begins with "Roger Ebert on The Decalogue," a special appreciation by America's best-known film critic. Episodes 1, 2, and 3 of The Decaloguefollow. Disc 2 Includes Episodes 4, 5, 6, and 7. Disc 3 completes the series with Episodes 8, 9, and 10, and rounds out the experience with three documentaries about director Krzysztof Kieslowski. "On the Set of The Decalogue" us a brief interview with the director; "Kieslowski Meets the Press" is an extensive Q&A between Kieslowski and the European press; and in "Kieslowski Known and Unknown," friends and colleagues offer tributes and insights on the famed director. A printed booklet included with The Decalogue Special Edition DVDcontains an introduction to The Decalogueby Kieslowski, an interview with the script writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz, and complete casts and credits.

Knife in the Water - Criterion Collection

This simple but taut psychological thriller was the first full-length film from the great director Roman Polanski. A bickering couple pick up a hitchhiker, a good-looking young man whom they invite to go for a sail. But on the water the two men, separated by age, class, and experience, subtly and not-so-subtly jockey for status and fight for the attentions of the woman--a struggle that threatens to turn fatal. In Polanski's hands, this lean, spare movie, without any special effects or spectacular scenery, manages to lay bare the driving forces of machismo, envy, and marital spite. It's the beginning of a truly remarkable career that's ranged from the heights of Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown to the more dubious realms of Bitter Moon and The Ninth Gate. Knife in the Water is particularly significant to Polanski fans, but also a striking movie in its own right. --Bret Fetzer

Faustina

DVD includes optional Spanish-language subtitles - In 2000, Sister Faustina was canonized as the first saint of the new millennium. This stirring and evocative film depicts her life, from her girlhood through miraculous healings and her evolution within the Catholic church - based on Sister Faustina's own recordings in her spiritual diary. This is a film about a religious character facing the complexities of human life and the impenetrable mysteries of faith.

The Double Life of Veronique - Criterion Collection

Krzysztof Kieslowski's international breakthrough remains one of his most beloved films a ravishing mysterious rumination on identity love and human intuition. Irene Jacob is incandescent as both Weronika a Polish choir soprano and her double Veronique a French music teacher. Though unknown to each other the two women share an enigmatic purely emotional bond which Kieslowski details in gorgeous reflections colors and movements. Aided by Slawomir Idziak's shimmering cinematography and Zbigniew Preisner's haunting operatic score Kieslowski creates one of cinema's most purely metaphysical works; The Double Life of Veronique is an unforgettable symphony of feeling.Special Features:New restored high-definition digital transferAudio commentary by film scholar Annette InsdorfThree short documentary films by Kieslowski"Kieslowski - Dialogue" documentary with behind-the-scenes footage2005 documentary "1966 -- 1988: Kieslowski Polish Filmmaker"A 2005 interview with actress Irene JacobNew video interview with cinematographer Slawomir IdziakNew video interview with composer Zbigniew Preisner"The Musicians" (1958) a short film by Kieslowski's teacher Kazimierz KarabaszNew and improved English subtitle translationNew essays by Jonathan Romney Slavoj Zizek and Peter CowieSystem Requirements:Running Time: 97 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 715515020725 Manufacturer No: CC1657DDVD

Stealth

An Emotional and Joyous Journey of Self Discovery

Directed by Lionel Baier (Garçon Stupide) this sweet, oddball story shuffles between sex, family love and adventure with comedic grace.
From all outward appearances, Lionel is a happy gay man with a great career and a modern, open minded, family who accepts his devoted lover Serge as one of their own.
Then Lionel discovers he has Polish ancestors. Suddenly he's immersing himself in all things Polish: food, language, etc. Things really heat up when he meets a pretty Polish immigrant facing deportation and decides to marry her.
Taking charge, Lucy (Lionel's sister) "borrows" Lionel's company car for a road trip to Poland to discover the family roots. Once there, Lionel rediscovers his homosexuality with the handsome Polish boy, Stan, and along the way he finds the true meaning of family.

Pornografia

Two Warsaw intellectuals wait out World War II on a remote farm philosophizing about the need to corrupt youth. The middle-aged anti-heroes explore their twisted dreams and scheme to control the lives of a farmhand and a farmer's beautiful young daughter as German soldiers fight the Polish resistance just steps away. Beautiful cinematography and strong engaging performances make this film a mysterious and dark Polish classic. Co-written by long-time Roman Polanski collaborator Gerard Brach from a novel by Witold Gombrowicz. In Polish with English subtitles.System Requirements:Running Time 152 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 670541002049 Manufacturer No: DV88505

Man of Marble

Not only is Andrzej Wajda's award-winning Man of Marble one of the most important films in the history of Polis cinema, it is also one of the most compelling attacks on government corruption ever made. It is a Citizen Kane-styled story where Wajda introduces us to a young woman in Krakow, Agnieszka, who is making her thesis film. She is looking behind the scenes at the life of a 1950s bricklayer, Birkut, who was briefly elevated to the status of a communist hero. She wants to know how his heroism was created and what became of him. She gets a hold of censored footage and interviews with the man's friends and ex-wife, and the filmmaker who made him a hero. A portrait of Birkut emerges as a man who believed in the socialist ideals, the workers revolution, and in building housing for all. However, the young filmmaker's hard-driving style and the content of her film unnerve her supervisor, who thinks it's getting too close to a political nerve. The film project is killed with the excuse she is over budget, but the young filmmaker pushes forward against all odds to finish her film.

The Krzysztof Kieslowski Collection (A Short Film About Love/Blind Chance/Camera Buff/No End/The Scar/A Short Film About Killing)

Pan Tadeusz

A grand and patriotic tale of Poland's struggle for freedom just before Napoleon's war with Russia. Written in poetic style by Adam Mickiewicz, this story follows two feuding Polish families as they overcome their old conflicts and petty lives. However, they are able unite as one with the patriotic and rebelious efforts to free the country they deeply love from Russian control.

Knife in the Water: Essential Art House

A husband, a wife, a stranger, a knife: Roman Polanski sets them all adrift on a weekend filled with simmering resentments and gut-churning suspense in his seminal psychological thriller, still one of the greatest feature debuts in film history. With Knife in the Water, Polanski revealed his delight in exploring sexual and class boundaries with ruthless precision.