Krzysztof Kieslowski

Few directors are as capable as Kieslowski in the art of visual narrative and hence, in many of today's films, dialogue is employed to explain plot details in often unnecessary and intrusive ways. For Kieslowski, however, the camera and its movements communicate story. Subtle shifts in focus, tones, colors, lighting, angles and so on become Kieslowski's narrative devices. And, the most astonishing aspect of Kieslowski's gifts in visual narrative is that they have been developed in films with monumental themes, most notably his exploration of the Ten Commandments in the Dekalog. One would assume that dialogue becomes indispensable in such thematically significant films and while it is, Kieslowski does not allow it to control his films. Instead, his films are driven by the camera. They can only be expressed within this medium. Five of Kieslowski's films are included in my one hundred list. more...