 | No happy endings
rating: 4
"No End" (1985), probably the best of Krzysztof Kieslowski's early feature films, was assailed by the church because of its dark, numbing ending. The film was set in 1981, during martial law. With a setup out of "Six Feet Under," this was Kieslowski's most personal film, his friend and fellow director Agnieszka Holland says in the extras. "Audiences didn't know what to make of it." Grazyna Szapolowska plays a young widow who fights to find a reason to go on; a second story concerns the trial of an uncompromising political prisoner. Critics of the time complained it was really two movies. Perhaps. They're both well worth seeing. This is one of four recent additions to Kino's Kieslowski collection -- along with "The Scar," "Camera Buff" and "Blind Chance" -- all of which show that the Polish master's writing and directing skills arrived almost fully formed when he turned to feature films. Each of the films benefits from a powerful central performance. They are products of the 1970s and '80s, a time of vast sociopolitical changes in Poland, but are not timepieces or simplistic attacks on the communists. Highly recommended. The color images (full frame, enhanced) and sound are adequate. Subtitles are clear. The DVD includes a short film.
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A great movie, a great director
rating: 4
I was happy to find another great movie to buy. I bought this one taking the chance, because I never have heard anything of it. But once again Kieslowski take over deep fellings and a complex speech, opening a door of sensations. Great movie.
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