ReBecca Richardson Blog 10- Film

Kieslowski’s Decalogue speaks from the nature of human imperfection. Midrash as we discussed in class explains the inner meanings. The first piece we watched pointed to the imperfection of man, as man misinterprets what he perceives as truth. The father relied not on faith but on fact, and due to this he lost his son. He typed statistics into his computer and got back data, this data is where the father’s faith resided. The calculations said yes it is ok to skate on the ice. After his son’s death, the father tries to find meaning in life, and he tries to comprehend where his device (his computer) went wrong. All the while the computer consistently displays the message “I am ready.” It’s almost as if the computer is saying rely on me once more so that I may let you down. Imperfect man creates an imperfect contraption that relays statistical information, instead of true knowledge.
Toward the beginning of the film, the boy does math equations that are beyond his years. Next he finds a dead dog and questions his father where has the dog gone. Here we get our first glimpse at the father’s perspective. He says the dog goes nowhere and instead just vanishes. The Aunt in contrast explains souls and she believes in something bigger than statistics and quantitative research. With these opposing points of view the boy is torn between faith and facts. Before he can even decide, death takes him. The audience is moved by this abrupt happening. We like the boy’s character, and then feel sorrow when we find out he is dead. Even as the signs begin to point toward the boy’s death we panic with the father and fight with him in his denial that the boy can’t be dead. We feel with the father, not just for him. We feel the loss of the boy, we don’t just see it. The film transcends beyond the screen and touches us internally, on a deeper intangible level.
In the second Decalogue we see three primary characters; an attorney, a cab driver, and a teen. The cab driver and the teen seem corrupt, when you look at their initial actions. This is until we see the cab driver begging for his life, and the teen reminiscing about his dead sister. We see their previous actions and feel they need repercussions, yet when the cabbie is killed we feel horror and sorrow. We the audience feel that, that kind of punishment was undeserved. When the teen is sentenced to death and we seem that little piece of humanity in him, we can understand better as to how he got to that low point. His death seems unnecessary or harsh. His actions cannot be recanted, yet a life for a life seems unfair. The attorney devoted his life to justice, and to making sure crime is cut down. However when he gets to know the boys story, he does not feel justice is on the teens side. The attorney goes against the justice system he had devoted his life to, and declares he will never be ready to let the boy go. The government has a set of laws to define how justice is meant to be played out, yet how are those laws determined? Is a life for a life truly just? I believe this depends on perspective. If you were the family member of a lost loved one then you may say yes it is just. If you were like the attorney and discovered the humanistic side of the animal, would you have sympathy? I felt differently through the film. When the cab driver was hitting on the lady, and when he left that couple behind I thought it was bad characteristic’s however when he was being maimed and murdered I felt bad for him. The teen even, he was obnoxious to many people, and we saw soft sides of him when he interacted with little girls. When he committed murder I felt baffled; I wondered where did that come from? More was revealed about the teen when he asked about his mom, and told of his sister. It was then that sympathy and a touch of sorrow kicked in. Midrash allows feelings to come when none are expected and allows them to linger even after intangible events have passed.

Megan Wood- Blog #4 (assignment-Decalogues)

The first short film from the Decalogue series that we watched was based upon the 1st commandment: "Thou shall have no other Gods before me." Essentially the clip followed a period in the life of a boy and his dad, who's life was inundated with new computer technology that enabled him to calculate probability and statistics pertaining to events. The father was outwardly nonreligious, putting his faith in only what he could see- to a point where this reliance on this "programmed computer which has its own aesthetics, personality" became a blind worship of the technology that would cost him his son's life. The film used visual symbolism to foreshadow the event, such as the ink bottle cracking like the ice. The computer's unknowing response to questions like, "Do you know his dreams?" should have been a warning that some things cannot be calculated.
When his son died, the father's interaction with the religious shrine in the church held a lot of symbolism in representing the nature of his faith: By crossing himself with the ice, it was like he was accepting that what killed his son was connected to a holy other; the ice melting as he did so represented his still distance from that holy. The whole film was a great example of Midrash, or punishment for worshiping false gods.


The second clip from the Decalogue series featuring the commandment: "Thou shall not kill" was the story of a troubled boy named Jacek, who acted out in anger as a result of the death of his younger sister (and best friend). The story chronicled his planning and committing of the murder of a taxi cab driver, and then the planning and committing of his death sentence as a result. Most interestingly, there were many parallels between these two "deaths."
1. A last meal was had by the "killers" right before each death
2. Both "murders" were committed with a rope
3. both deaths were planned and calculated
Here Midrash is used to show the complexity of death and how it intertwines with love, as Kieslowski argues are both things that unite us all emotionally. The audience is given short glimpses of Jacek's true emotional character (a loney, troubled boy who just needs help) only a few times, but most fervently while he discussed his sister with his lawyer before he is killed. As for Midrash, this clip shows how in many ways, revenge and justice are on in the same.

Louisa Andrusko-Blog #5-Decalogue

The commandment thou shall honor no god before me is the commandment for the first Decalogue as well as the father’s tragic flaw. His love, or worship, of technology has become the priority in his life as well as the connection to his young son. While the father is also very blunt about his lack of faith, he does allow his son to attend religious classes to make up his own mind about God. I found this part particularly interesting in that it was not the son who was honoring another god, yet his life was ultimately claimed. The reliance on technology leads to the father’s downfall. Because he is a man of logic, he cannot rely on something so transcendent or unknown, such as religion. Even when he is realizing that it was most likely his own son that drowned in the pool, he attempts to make sense of things in a rational way. He does not act like most parents would have in that situation. Instead, he refuses to give into his emotions, focusing solely on the logistics of the situation. While the father does not have faith in God, he does in fact have faith in the computer. Interestingly though, he does not destroy his computer, but instead destroys the religious shrine. You would think he would have blamed the thing that he had put all of his faith in, rather than something he had no relationship with before. The homeless man near the pond serves as a symbol of an omniscient presence. He knows what’s going to happen and is obviously upset when the young boys die. The pain both the homeless man and the father feel is shown through Midrash, punishment for worshiping false gods. This punishment of the father by God shows the wrathful God, echoing times in the Bible in which people were punished for straying from God.
The cinematography of the film further demonstrates Midrash. The scene in which the father discovers his dead son’s body evokes both remorse and anger from the audience. We finally realize that this obsession with technology ultimately resulted in the gambling of his son’s life. Further, the kneeling of the surrounding community (a religious notion) shows the return to God when something so tragic and overwhelming takes place. While this film was made a long time ago, we can see how it is relevant today, especially with our culture’s heavy reliance on technology and media.

Kieslowski argues that pain and love are something that unites us all, an idea common in both Decalogue I and V. In Decalogue V, the commandment shown through Midrash is “Thou shall not kill.” While the young Jacek is sentenced to death for murder, he still appeals to the audience through his ability to feel, to know pain both physically and emotionally. The pictures of his young sister who died and the words he speaks about her shows Jacek in a new light—a boy who suffers. Jacek changes throughout the film, depending on the situation he is in. At times, he seems so malicious and cruel, yet when confronted by children or death, he reverts back to childhood antics. While Decalogue V is about killing, it is also blatantly about revenge. Punishing murder with more killing has remained a controversial subject throughout our own society as well as around the world. However, it is only until we learn more about Jacek that we second-guess his sentence. Both killings in the film are extremely premeditated and executed with rope. While Jacek dies in a much more “humane” way, the audience still feels torn on whether or not it was justified. Referring back to Kieslowski, it is the fear of death that Jacek feels that makes him so relatable to the judging audience, enforcing the code. Even though the Commandments do not govern our every day lives, they are still determining factors in what happens to us during and after life. Once again, Midrash is used to show the complexity of death. While both the taxi driver and Jacek seem to leave mundane, unfulfilling lives, death does not serve as liberation in any way.

Louisa Andrusko-Blog #4 Field of Dreams

There are many religious themes throughout the film “Field of Dreams.” The intermingling of life and death provides an environment in which people are forced to acknowledge and question death. Ray, the main character, and his wife can be interpreted as searching for the promise land, or some sort of redemption through the building of this field. Consequently, this field provides them insight into what happens after life. The reactions to this field varies based upon the amount of belief, or faith, the characters have. Ray and James Ear Jones accept the field of dreams/miracles with a sense of wonderment and awe. Ray’s brother-in-law, on the other hand, is skeptical and impatient with the unwavering faith Ray has. This disbelief is manifested through the fight he has with Ray during one of the climaxes of the scene. The argument over what happens after death is something so familiar to audiences, yet unfamiliar at the same time because it is often considered taboo to talk about. The “call” Ray hears throughout the film is interpreted by many as the voice of God. This calling Ray has is similar to many prophets in religion that heed the call of their God. Like the actor in “The Seventh Seal,” the call Ray hears not only offers him evidence and reason, it also offers him comfort. It is this lack of evidence that frustrates and confuses his brother-in-law. When James Earl Jones enters the corn field, he does not greet death with a sense of tremendum, but instead joy. This scene was also similar to the scene from “The Seventh Seal” when the characters respond to the presence of death differently. One question I have about the film is what role does his wife play? Why does she seem to be able to keep one foot in both worlds? Further, what role does the innocent child play? What does this innocence say about our faith?

Deanna Yurovich - Blog #5 - Reading (iPrayer?)

It is amazing to see how far we have gotten via technology. We are now able to talk face to face with people who are thousands of miles away, we can send a quick text to someone and not have to fully call, and Catholics can even confess their sins through a new app (of course there is an app for that). Wait a minute…

In looking to see what outside reading I wanted to do for my blog I was looking on MSN at the different news articles and found one from February 10 about the new app for confession (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110210/lf_nm_life/us_vatican_iphone). Thankfully the Catholic Church is not using this as a new way to confess ones sins. According to the Vatican spokesperson, the application is not designed to replace going to confession but to help Catholics through the act, which generally involves admitting sins to a priest in a confessional booth. This can kind of be related to the first episode in the Decalogue series, there should be no other gods besides the one true God. Through reading this article and some others having to do with the topic it seems the app is more for walking one through the actual act of confession while they are in confession. It is also used as a way to keep track of one’s sins for confession. Using it in this case seems alright in that it is not replacing the actual sacrament. As I have said in past blogs, we need to remember that while technology is great, it should not replace any of our truly religious acts. It is a man made thing that has helped us succeed in life, but we should remember where our faith should truly lie. A question I do have is that since the app is approved for use by the Catholic Church, when it is used is one in the sacred world? Does this make the app “sacred?” Or is it still in the profane since it is not the actual religious act?

Deanna Yurovich - Blog #4 - Decalogue

According to our notes, “midrash is said to minimize the literal meaning of the text and force the reader to struggle with the meaning, to make the meaning personal. The readers can project themselves into the search for meaning.” In looking at the two episodes of The Decalogue that we watched we can see how moving the episodes are and how they can affect each of us in a similar but different manner and how it relates to the commandment they are supposed to represent without flat out stating it.
The first episode was the first commandment; Thou shall have no other god besides me. This is show in the fact that the son and father are very intrigued with what the computer can do with its calculations. The computer even tells the son what his mother is “doing” at the time. They use it so much that they determine whether or not the son is able to skate on a frozen over pond. The father knows that this can be dangerous so they do all of the calculations and he tells his son that the next day he may go ice skating, the father even goes to the pond himself to check the thickness. Unfortunately his faith in the computer failed him. The pond was not as frozen as calculated and the son fell in and died. His father had a god of the computer before God and he was punished for it. What makes this episode midrash is that no one ever states that he is placing too much emphasis on the computer, not even the father’s sister who has signed the son up for Church Education classes. She understands her brother has faith, but has turned to something that seems more concrete. This episode makes me realize that all of the great technology that is being made is good until a point; we need to remember that there is something greater than ourselves that created this entire world and not just a computer.
The second episode we watched was the fifth in the series with the fifth commandment; Thou shall not kill. The basic story is that a man kills another man and is now being put on the death row. One thing that I found interesting about this episode is that the killer is not shown like today’s criminal shows, we actually see him as a human because of the very normal and basic things he does to show that he is just like us. He sits and has coffee, he is seen trying to get errands done, but what makes him see slightly inhumane is when he kills the man and then eats the sandwich without caring, but then he seems to come back and realize what he did when he gets mad at the radio. The death penalty is a very hot button issue and this begs the question should we really do an eye for an eye, as Gandhi says “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” The midrash feelings given in this episode are some of remorse and questioning. My biggest question was why did he kill the man, but that may be something we never know.
Using midrash in this Decalogue series was a very interesting way to go about it. From only seeing two episodes I can see that midrash helps get the point of the episode across without having to spell it out, which can be rewarding for the viewer and more enjoyable to watch for one’s own interpretation.

Emily LaBrie The Decalogue

I believe that these films work very well as Midrash in conveying the meaning of the commandments they represent. The first commandment, I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me does much more than portraying a simple command. The viewer gets to see the terribly tragic results when one holds something else other than a belief in god in a higher respect. The item that is held in such high esteem in this episode is a reliance on technology, or a computer system to be more specific. Several times during the episode we see the reliance on the computer in the father and son’s apartment. There is the time when the son asks the computer the answer for a math problem, this grows into the computer being asked to do simple tasks like lock the door and turn on the water. The boy also ironically has questions about religion and God while he also wonders if the computer can know what his distant mother is dreaming. (Something only God could know) Finally the reliance reaches its tragic point when the boy and non-believing father go to the computer to check if it is okay to skate on a frozen pond. The computer said it was fine; this is why it was so hard for the father to believe that his son had fallen through. How could the piece of technology he put so much faith in prove him wrong? The message of holding God above all others is conveyed through Midrash by showing the pain a father feels when he loses his son for trusting in something for knowing a fact only God could control. You should not obey the commandment because God said so; you should do it to possibly preserve those who you love the most.
The Midrash in the other commandment episode does not convey true meaning through the tragic sadness of losing a young life, but the tragic regret that follows in the disregard of the commandment that follows though shall not kill. It seems very simple in the film that the young man who kills the taxi driver is breaking the commandment. However, we see through his actions and those of the driver that they are both not very different. They are both not exemplary human beings to say the least. The taxi driver purposefully makes a women lose her dog, degrades a young woman, and ignores the needs of a young couple. The young man pushes a man in the urinal, ignores a man in need during a mugging, and makes a woman’s bird sly away. However, they are both not completely bad. The taxi driver shares his meal with a stray dog while the young man plays with girls at the window in the café. The young man is not completely immoral either, when he sees the “angel of death figure” while in the cab, he hides in the shadows knowing what he is about to do is wrong. We see the horror of the young man taking a life, not only for the driver’s sake but for his own. The next meaning of Midrash is conveyed through the similarities found in the carrying out of the execution of the young man who killed the taxi driver. There are so many similarities, from the detail in planning of the death to the reluctance and fight put up by the man about to die. The angel of death shows up for both victims, not just the taxi driver. The desperation against such a process is given voice through the lawyer of the young man as he fights against the death penalty sentence. Through his suffering and the regrets expressed by the young man before he dies the audience can feel the true meaning of thou shall not kill; not only through the murder of the taxi driver, but through the state murder of the young man. The director makes you feel the same sorrow for both victims in the process.
When said “It very quickly became clear that these would be films about feelings and passions, because we knew that love, or the fear of death, or the pain caused by a needle-prick, are common to all people, irrespective of their political views, the color of their skin or their standard of living” he meant to convey that though we are different, we all feel the same pain. Though the father refused to believe in powers that were not in his own control, we still felt the pain he felt when he lost his son and turned to God for any type of solace in the end. Though the young man was a murderer, he still had the attitude of the child when he ate the cake, played with the girls. We can all imagine what it would be like, the desperation, the regrets from the past we would feel if we were put in his situation.
Because of the Midrash in these episodes, because of how we can relate to the pain people feel in the films, the film does work to contextualize the code of the Ten Commandments to every person. They were not just come code given to Charlton Heston in some movie we had to watch every Easter. The symbols of the different lives, like I previously pointed out, helped bridge the distance between feeling and meaning because while we may never know what it feels like to we trust in computers above all or know how it feels to lose a loved one to murder, we can relate to the pain of losing a loved one, or maybe imagine how it would feel to fear for your life. One symbol that touched me the most was how the “angel of death figured” appeared to all characters involved. Whether they lived or died. I would like to focus on the second Decalogue shown. The “angel” was there not only in the beginning for the departed taxi driver, but also for the murderer before his execution, even after the murderer had pushed him in the urinal. The director tried to prove from this ethereal figure that all life when interpreted through the commandments is sacred.