Decalogue X
Encyclopedia
The Decalogue - X is a tenth part of the television series The Decalogue
by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski
, connected to the tenth imperative of the Ten Commandments
: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods, nor anything that is your neighbor's.. Two brothers (Jerzy Stuhr
and Zbigniew Zamachowski
) inherit a stamp collection
but give a most valuable series away before realizing its extremely high worth. When they realize this they try to get it back...
). A guy wading through the crowd of punkers, Jerzy (Jerzy Stuhr
), waves frantically to the group and it becomes clear that he knows the frontman. It is his older brother. Jerzy informs Artur that their father Czesław "Root" Janicki has died. It is not a great emotional loss, since they were not close and have not seen each other for a long time.
They arrive at their father's flat which is very dirty and does not have much furniture inside, however it is steel-doored, multi-locked and heavily alarmed. They find out that there is a big collection of stamps inside the flat. They are also approached by a shady character that says that their father owed him a lot of money and even offers to take "something from the flat" just to see if he could take it as payment.
None of them is an expert on stamps (and even at some level they resent the collection, since it represents lots of hardship and it separated their father from them) but they try to find out how much they can get for them. Jerzy gives a series of Weimar Republic
Flugpost Polarfahrt 1931 Zeppelin stamps to his son. Artur goes to a stamp collectors' show and there he meets the president of their association who recognizes the son of "Root" Janicki; he meets both brothers at their father's apartment and there he tells them that the entire collection is worth millions. Jerzy is appalled to learn that his son traded the Zeppelin stamps for hundreds of worthless stamps. He tracks the stamps down to a shady store owner that has covered his tracks all too well to call the police.
Artur and Jerzy spend a lot of money in new alarms for the apartment and even a dog. Artur comes up with a scheme to force the store owner to give him the Zeppelin stamps back, after succeeding, this man tells them about the Austrian rose Mercury
, an incomplete series of which they own two of the three, if they complete the series, the value of the whole might be extremely high, but to acquire the stamp Jerzy has to donate his kidney
, since the man in possession of the stamp is in need of a kidney for his daughter and as the store owner sets it, these kinds of valuable items are not bought but exchanged.
Returning from the hospital, Jerzy and Artur find that they have been robbed... The entire stamp collection is gone except for the dog and the missing stamp. They report each other to the police but are later reconciled after they come across the other characters in the film with a sudden look of newly acquired wealth.
In other roles:
Daniel Kozakiewicz, Henryk Majcherek,
Elzbieta Panas, Jerzy Turek, Grzegorz Warchol
The Decalogue
The Decalogue is a 1989 Polish television drama series directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and co-written by Kieślowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz, with music by Zbigniew Preisner...
by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Krzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
, connected to the tenth imperative of the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods, nor anything that is your neighbor's.. Two brothers (Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr is one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors. He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor...
and Zbigniew Zamachowski
Zbigniew Zamachowski
Zbigniew Zamachowski is a Polish actor.Zamachowski graduated the actor's faculty in "PWSFTViT" in Łódź. He began his acting career in 1981 and in 1989 had a co-starring role in Part Ten of director Krzysztof Kieślowski's film series, The Decalogue...
) inherit a stamp collection
Stamp collecting
Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is one of the world's most popular hobbies, with the number of collectors in the United States alone estimated to be over 20 million.- Collecting :...
but give a most valuable series away before realizing its extremely high worth. When they realize this they try to get it back...
Plot
The story begins on a concert of punk group "City Death". There is a crowd of young people listening to the loud music and the group frontman/singer, Artur (Zbigniew ZamachowskiZbigniew Zamachowski
Zbigniew Zamachowski is a Polish actor.Zamachowski graduated the actor's faculty in "PWSFTViT" in Łódź. He began his acting career in 1981 and in 1989 had a co-starring role in Part Ten of director Krzysztof Kieślowski's film series, The Decalogue...
). A guy wading through the crowd of punkers, Jerzy (Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr is one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors. He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor...
), waves frantically to the group and it becomes clear that he knows the frontman. It is his older brother. Jerzy informs Artur that their father Czesław "Root" Janicki has died. It is not a great emotional loss, since they were not close and have not seen each other for a long time.
They arrive at their father's flat which is very dirty and does not have much furniture inside, however it is steel-doored, multi-locked and heavily alarmed. They find out that there is a big collection of stamps inside the flat. They are also approached by a shady character that says that their father owed him a lot of money and even offers to take "something from the flat" just to see if he could take it as payment.
None of them is an expert on stamps (and even at some level they resent the collection, since it represents lots of hardship and it separated their father from them) but they try to find out how much they can get for them. Jerzy gives a series of Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
Flugpost Polarfahrt 1931 Zeppelin stamps to his son. Artur goes to a stamp collectors' show and there he meets the president of their association who recognizes the son of "Root" Janicki; he meets both brothers at their father's apartment and there he tells them that the entire collection is worth millions. Jerzy is appalled to learn that his son traded the Zeppelin stamps for hundreds of worthless stamps. He tracks the stamps down to a shady store owner that has covered his tracks all too well to call the police.
Artur and Jerzy spend a lot of money in new alarms for the apartment and even a dog. Artur comes up with a scheme to force the store owner to give him the Zeppelin stamps back, after succeeding, this man tells them about the Austrian rose Mercury
Red Mercury
The Red Mercury is the rarest of Austrian newspaper stamps .Austria's newspaper stamps first appeared in 1851; they depicted a profile of Mercury, the Roman messenger god, and were not denominated, the color of the stamp indicating the value...
, an incomplete series of which they own two of the three, if they complete the series, the value of the whole might be extremely high, but to acquire the stamp Jerzy has to donate his kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
, since the man in possession of the stamp is in need of a kidney for his daughter and as the store owner sets it, these kinds of valuable items are not bought but exchanged.
Returning from the hospital, Jerzy and Artur find that they have been robbed... The entire stamp collection is gone except for the dog and the missing stamp. They report each other to the police but are later reconciled after they come across the other characters in the film with a sudden look of newly acquired wealth.
Cast
- Zbigniew ZamachowskiZbigniew ZamachowskiZbigniew Zamachowski is a Polish actor.Zamachowski graduated the actor's faculty in "PWSFTViT" in Łódź. He began his acting career in 1981 and in 1989 had a co-starring role in Part Ten of director Krzysztof Kieślowski's film series, The Decalogue...
- Artur - Jerzy StuhrJerzy StuhrJerzy Stuhr is one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors. He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor...
- Jerzy - Henryk BistaHenryk BistaHenryk Bista was a Polish actor. He appeared in over 110 films between 1961 and 1997. He starred in the 1977 film Death of a President, which was entered into the 28th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution...
- shopkeeper - Olaf LubaszenkoOlaf LubaszenkoOlaf Lubaszenko is a Polish actor and movie director.- Dubbing :* Cziłała z Beverly Hills 2 as Delgado* Cziłała z Beverly Hills as Delgado...
- Tomek - Maciej StuhrMaciej StuhrMaciej Stuhr is a Polish actor, comedian and impressionist, also a psychologist. He established the cabaret Po Żarcie.He is the son of Jerzy Stuhr....
- Piotrek
In other roles:
- Anna Gornostaj, Cezary Harasimowicz,
Daniel Kozakiewicz, Henryk Majcherek,
Elzbieta Panas, Jerzy Turek, Grzegorz Warchol