Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #90250 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-05-11
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: Polish, Portuguese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 83 minutes

Customer Reviews

A Short Film About Love
An expanded episode from Kieslowski's made-for-TV "Decalogue" cycle, "Love" is an idiosyncratic meditation on the sixth commandment that inquires into the nature of love and desire. With superb lead actors, naturalistic lighting, and a sparse, rueful score, Kieslowski digs into the heart of the matter to defend an almost Platonic vision of l'amour. The relationship that develops between Magda and Tomek may be unconventional and even disturbing--Tomek's voyeurism has more than a hint of psychological obsession--but Kieslowski eventually grounds his story in Magda's emotional epiphany. See this lyrical and affecting tale "About Love," and you'll be moved to reconsider your own views on the subject.

Not the usual love story, but a love story nonetheless
Krzysztof Kieslowski's "A Short Film About Love" is a story of a young man that likes to watch a pretty, older woman. He watches her through a telescope as she lives in the building across from his high-rise apartment. We see her as he does, from a window in her apartment as she does her evening unwinding. Just to see her, he does all sorts of things to interact with her and see her close up, because he loves her. Their interactions are not the usual love story, but a love story nonetheless.

"A Short Film About Love" is an expanded version of one of the "Decalogue" episodes. This movie is about 20 minutes longer and has a different ending. Both are exceptional, and if you enjoyed the "Decalogue" episode, this one is worth watching too. This is a truly amazing and captivating story. The art and genius of Kieslowski is all here.

Essential cinema: Kieslowski's 'Krótki film o milosci.'
Roger Ebert calls Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941-1996) "one of the greatest of all filmmakers." Best known for his film cycles Three Colors and The Decalogue, Kieslowski explores similar themes (the hardships of Polish society, love and loss, faith and fear) in his first-rate,lesser-known film, A Short Film About Love ("Krótki film o milosci") (1988). This feature-length film is actually an expanded version of the sixth episode of The Decalogue, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," with a different ending than the original. A young man (Olaf Lubaszenko), obssessed with an "unknowable woman" (Grazyna Szapolowska), spies on her through her window and eventually falls in love with her. This film is also included in the recent release of The Krzysztof Kieslowski Collection (A Short Film About Love/Blind Chance/Camera Buff/No End/The Scar/A Short Film About Killing), ASIN: B0009UZGQY. Highly recommended.

G. Merritt