INTRODUCTION BY RICHARD PENA, CURATOR
It’s hard to
believe that 10 years have passed since we all first learned that
Krzysztof Kieslowski had died during bypass surgery in
Poland,
at the age of 54. The moment is perhaps etched even more deeply
for those of us at the Film Society: Kieslowski passed away while
we were in the midst of screening The Decalogue. A frequent guest
at the New York Film Festival, he was an extraordinarily warm
person, with a wonderfully sly wit — not to mention one of the
major filmmakers of our time. To celebrate Kieslowski’s remarkable
artistry, we present this almost-complete (three short works were
unavailable) retrospective of his work, including everything from
his impressive student shorts to his final, luminous Three Colors
trilogy. The tradition of auteurism — the approach that encouraged
critics to consider an artist’s entire body of work, rather than
the few well-known or acclaimed films — seems especially fruitful
in the case of Krzysztof Kieslowski. Looking at his early
documentaries or fiction shorts, it’s astounding to see how often
ideas, images, themes or motifs that would be prominent in
masterworks such as The Double Life of Veronique or Blind Chance appear in embryonic form in films such as Refrain or X-Ray.
This series offers a unique opportunity to follow an artist moving
from what might be considered “studies,” then to sketches, and
then finally to fully realized portraits. Beyond their importance
for Kieslowski’s development, however, many of the early films
included here are themselves wonderful films. Taken as a whole,
the body of Kieslowski’s work also provides a revealing chronicle
of 30 turbulent years in the history of Poland. Ten years after
his tragic death, Kieslowski’s films look better than ever, and
his films continue to inspire young filmmakers the world over.
Join us for this unique opportunity to commemorate, to
celebrate — and to enjoy — the great achievement of Krzysztof
Kieslowski.
– Richard Peńa, Program Director, Film Society of Lincoln Center
