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Discussion Continues About the Decalogue

October 14, 2014

Most people have seen or heard of Charlton Heston’s entertaining film The Ten Commandments. Fewer are familiar with the 1989 Polish television drama series The Decalogue. But it’s a series worth watching and discussing.

Inspired by the biblical Ten Commandments, The Decalogue consists of ten one-hour films that explore moral or ethical issues faced by characters living in modern Poland.

“Krzysztof Kieślowski's Decalogue is one of the most lauded cinematic artworks of all time and one of the most spiritually rich,” says Elijah Davidson, co-director of the film website Reel Spirituality, who is partnering with Think Christian to explore the impact of the films’ messages.

Though the series was not widely released outside Europe until the late 1990s, The Decalogue has been said to be the best dramatic work ever done specifically for television and has won numerous international awards.

In his Great Movies essay on The Decalogue, film critic Roger Ebert wrote, “At the end you see that the Commandments work not like science but like art; they are instructions for how to paint a worthy portrait with our lives.”

To mark the 25th anniversary of The Decalogue, Think Christian and Reel Spirituality have embarked on a joint viewing and discussion series open to reader participation.

Davidson and Josh Larsen, editor of Think Christian, are watching each film and then initiating discussions on both ThinkChristian.net and at the Reel Spirituality site.

“This should be a rewarding conversation about the landmark series of films related to the Ten Commandments, and one in which all are encouraged to join,” notes Rev. Steven Koster, director of ReFrame Media, the English outreach of Back to God Ministries International, and producer of Think Christian.

“Originally premiered as a series of one-hour dramas, the films focus on different characters set largely in a high-rise Warsaw apartment complex,” explains Larsen.

 “Although the stories don’t always directly match one of the Mosaic laws, each film explores through drama what a moral framework looks like in ‘real’ life.”

It’s not too late to follow along and join in the discussion.

“There are a handful of ways you can get your hands on the series,” says Larsen. “It’s available via Netflix and at many local libraries. If you’re interested in purchasing the set, you can find it at Facets and Amazon.”

The films and discussions have already drawn a significant following. Commenter Daniel Melvill Jones said, “As I watched this film I was personally convicted in the ways that I have disobeyed certain commandments in my haste to obey others.”

And “dgermer” wrote, “I resonate especially with Elijah's point about the way that the Commandments work not so much about a checklist, but to give us a vision of life as it is meant to be lived, a vision that we are called to live into.”

The schedule for each installment, including which site is hosting the discussion, is as follows:

Aug. 18: Decalogue I, at Think Christian*
Sept. 1: Decalogue II, at Reel Spirituality*
Sept. 15: Decalogue III, at Think Christian*
Sept. 29: Decalogue IV, at Reel Spirituality*
Oct. 13: Decalogue V, at Think Christian*
Oct. 27: Decalogue VI, at Reel Spirituality
Nov. 10: Decalogue VII, at Think Christian
Nov. 24: Decalogue VIII, at Reel Spirituality
Dec. 8: Decalogue IX, at Think Christian
Dec. 22: Decalogue X, at Reel Spirituality

*Indicates live links to the discussion.