Krzysztof Kieslowski

Acclaimed Polish film director Krzysztof Kieslowski, best known for his brightly titled trilogy of award-winning films, "White," "Blue" and "Red," left the international film community sadly dark Wednesday when he died of a heart attack. He was 54. The enigmatic, intellectual Kieslowski had suffered a serious heart attack in 1995, months after he had announced he was retiring. He died in Poland after having bypass surgery.

At the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, fans of Krzysztof Kieslowski found their hearts lifted. And then broken. The Polish master was on the Riviera with the magnificent "Red," the final panel in his "Three Colors" triptych and a film widely expected to receive the Palme d'Or, even by Quentin Tarantino, whose "Pulp Fiction" took the honors instead. But for devotees it wasn't the disappointment of laurels denied that was hard to bear; it was Kieslowski's announcement that he was retiring from filmmaking.

It is a mark of the virtuosity with which director Krzysztof Kieslowski has made "Blue" that it is possible to envision its intensely emotional story of a woman's search for meaning after tragedy unhinges her life becoming, with slight tinkering, the plot for a standard-issue Bette Davis "women's picture" of the 1940s. Yet there is nothing ordinary or banal about the way Kieslowski, a Polish director now working in France, has gone about his business here.

The UCLA Center for Jewish Studies is presenting "The Laws, Loves and Luck of Krzysztof Kieslowski," a conference on the late Polish director that will be composed of screenings of Kieslowski's early short documentaries and features. The conference will be held Saturday at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History's Harry and Yvonne Lenart Auditorium and Sunday at Royce Hall's Humanities Conference Room 314.

It's a coincidence, the kind the director would have relished. For the next month, partly by happenstance, partly by design, Los Angeles will be the world's undisputed Krzysztof Kieslowski capital.

"This is a story about very delicate feelings," says Krzysztof Kieslowski of "The Double Life of Veronique," the first film by the critically acclaimed Polish director to be released in the U.S. "It revolves around the idea that we're all alike, but very different at the same time--and I must say, making this film taught me a lot about communication without words between people."

With the success of Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Red," American moviegoers have been introduced to a filmmaker long acknowledged throughout Europe as one of the late 20th Century's great geniuses of cinema. The third segment in a trilogy examining the principles represented by the colors of the French flag (liberty, equality and fraternity), "Red," which was preceded last year by the release of "Blue" and "White," is quintessential Kieslowski.

For the next six weeks, L.A. will be the world's Krzysztof Kieslowski capital, thanks to a festival honoring the late director's work.

The UCLA Center for Jewish Studies is presenting "The Laws, Loves and Luck of Krzysztof Kieslowski," a conference on the late Polish director that will be composed of screenings of Kieslowski's early short documentaries and features. The conference will be held Saturday at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History's Harry and Yvonne Lenart Auditorium and Sunday at Royce Hall's Humanities Conference Room 314.

This is to express my appreciation for the prompt acknowledgment by The Times of the extraordinary filmic contributions of Krzysztof Kieslowski after his recent death ("Kieslowski Pursued Peace in Times That Challenged His Soul," Calendar, March 14). In my opinion, he had no peers. His exceptional films, including "No Ends," set him in an avant-garde all his own. The tragedy of his early death leaves those of us who appreciate fine filmmaking much bereaved. My only hope is that the example of his art will encourage financial backers to recognize great talent that stretches beyond the popular mediocrity and support filmic work of such talent before it's too late.

It's a coincidence, the kind the director would have relished. For the next month, partly by happenstance, partly by design, Los Angeles will be the world's undisputed Krzysztof Kieslowski capital.

For the next six weeks, L.A. will be the world's Krzysztof Kieslowski capital, thanks to a festival honoring the late director's work.

There must be a God: "Decalogue" is back. Originally made for Polish television in 1988-89 by the masterful Krzysztof Kieslowski and with each of its 53- to 58-minute segments focusing on one of the Ten Commandments, "Decalogue" is as great a treasure as modern cinema has to offer. Adding to its cachet is its scarcity in this country: No films of comparable worth are anywhere near as difficult to see. Because the American rights to the series are controlled by a group whose terms for U.S.

This is to express my appreciation for the prompt acknowledgment by The Times of the extraordinary filmic contributions of Krzysztof Kieslowski after his recent death ("Kieslowski Pursued Peace in Times That Challenged His Soul," Calendar, March 14). In my opinion, he had no peers. His exceptional films, including "No Ends," set him in an avant-garde all his own. The tragedy of his early death leaves those of us who appreciate fine filmmaking much bereaved. My only hope is that the example of his art will encourage financial backers to recognize great talent that stretches beyond the popular mediocrity and support filmic work of such talent before it's too late.

Acclaimed Polish film director Krzysztof Kieslowski, best known for his brightly titled trilogy of award-winning films, "White," "Blue" and "Red," left the international film community sadly dark Wednesday when he died of a heart attack. He was 54. The enigmatic, intellectual Kieslowski had suffered a serious heart attack in 1995, months after he had announced he was retiring. He died in Poland after having bypass surgery.

With the death of Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski, who suffered a fatal heart attack Wednesday at 54, the world lost one of its great poets of film. Best known for his final work, "Red," "White" and "Blue"--a trilogy exploring the principles represented by the colors of the French flag (liberty, equality and fraternity)--Kieslowski positioned his films in the complex realm of human morality.

"The Double Life of Veronique" is a curious choice to launch UC Irvine's "Standing in a Different Light: No Longer Silent and Invisible, a Woman Seizes Her Moments" series, which strives to gaze clearly at femininity. Krzysztof Kieslowski's 1991 movie is an abstraction and a riddle, the kind of film that is pretty but elusive. Images on screen gleam and stick with you; understanding them, though, may be another matter.

With the death of Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski, who suffered a fatal heart attack Wednesday at 54, the world lost one of its great poets of film. Best known for his final work, "Red," "White" and "Blue"--a trilogy exploring the principles represented by the colors of the French flag (liberty, equality and fraternity)--Kieslowski positioned his films in the complex realm of human morality.

"The Double Life of Veronique" is a curious choice to launch UC Irvine's "Standing in a Different Light: No Longer Silent and Invisible, a Woman Seizes Her Moments" series, which strives to gaze clearly at femininity. Krzysztof Kieslowski's 1991 movie is an abstraction and a riddle, the kind of film that is pretty but elusive. Images on screen gleam and stick with you; understanding them, though, may be another matter.

The big Oscar news on the foreign film front was a movie that was ineligible in that category. The French-language "Red," from Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski, was disqualified from contention as best foreign film (it was submitted by Switzerland, but directed by a Pole and in French with several French actors), but popped up in three mainstream Oscar categories--best director, best original screenplay and best cinematography.