Double Lives, Second Chances [Paperback]

Annette Insdorf (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786884746 | ISBN-13: 978-0786884742 | Publication Date: May 15, 2002

Krzysztof Kieslowski, who died in 1996, perfected his art in movies lled with mesmerizing images of beauty and danger. His best-known lms, Blue; White; Red; The Double Life of Veronique; and The Decalogue, remain watershed events in lmmaking history. Author Annette Insdorf, Kieslowskis close friend and translator, offers a revealing portrait of his life and monumental body of work. From the gold-bathed images of The Double Life of Veronique to the emotionally dark, visually haunting Blue, Kieslowskis lms explore personal and social issues with inimitable brilliance. This paperback edition includes an updated introduction with information on the much anticipated release of Heaven (March 2002)which Kieslowski wrote and planned to lm, before he died unexpectedly in March 1996.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

With the exception of Kieslowski on Kieslowski (Faber & Faber, 1993), no English-language books about this celebrated Polish director have been published. Insdorf (film studies, Columbia Univ.), who translated for Kieslowski in the United States on many occasions prior to his 1996 death, is just the person to fill this gap. Her study charts Kieslowski's life as a documentarist, television director, and political activist. She begins by introducing readers to his early projects after graduating from the Lodz Film School and then analyzes such landmark works as The Decalog telefilms, The Double Life of Veronique, and the "Three Colors" trilogy. Kieslowski is revealed to be a cinematic poet who crafted light, shadow, and movement into a vision of human fallibility and transcendence. Sympathetic yet critical, intelligent yet accessible, this volume belongs in every research library supporting film studies.ANeal Baker, Earlham Coll., Richmond, IN
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Miramax (May 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786884746
• ISBN-13: 978-0786884742
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Double Lives, Second Chances., February 1, 2005

By 

David Oberlander "Kieslowski fan" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzystzof Kieslowski (Hardcover)

Kieslowski changed my life. I watched RED first, then WHITE and Finally BLUE. I've never watched anything that moved me so. So much better than anything that comes out of Hollywood( except for the occasional Shawshank). Ann Insdorf does a great job narrating the DVD--in the 'extras' section of the trilogy. Based on her performance, I bought 'Double Lives'. I enjoyed her personal observations of the master at work. I loved her book. My only complaint is I wanted more analysis of the Trilogy(and the Decalogue). But she gives a fantastic job on the Trilogy DVD set. She's a true scholar of the sage.

15 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blue White Red, November 29, 1999

By 

Walt C. Shaw (California, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzystzof Kieslowski (Hardcover)

I have been an enormous follower and keeper of Kieslowki's work since a fateful afternoon when I stumbled upon a showing of "Blue" several years ago. This of course came to a bittersweet juncture when K died in 1997. Regardless, this book accurately captures the the development of this extraordinary director... and writer. Insdorff presented some interesting insights in her writing amidst some oversights: the car in Blue was a Puegeott, not BMW, and no mentioning of "Blue's" Julie's accident interruption in court in "White". Although Kieslowki's beginnings and earlier works like his string of documentaries and "Decalogue" are crutcial to his foundation as an outstandingly brilliant director as showcased in the Three Colors trilogy, I wished more expoundment was made on the his final three works which is truly poetry in images.