Blind Chance (1987)
"Przypadek" (original title)

Witek runs after a train. Three variations follow on how such a seemingly banal incident could influence the rest of Witek's life.

Director:

Krzysztof Kieslowski

Writer:

Krzysztof Kieslowski

Stars:

Boguslaw Linda, Tadeusz Lomnicki, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz

2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Boguslaw Linda	...	Witek
Tadeusz Lomnicki	...	1. Werner
Zbigniew Zapasiewicz	...	1. Adam
Boguslawa Pawelec	...	1. Czuszka
Marzena Trybala	...	2. Werka
Jacek Borkowski	...	2. Marek
Jacek Sas-Uhrynowski	...	2. Daniel
Adam Ferency	...	2. priest
Monika Gozdzik	...	3. Olga
Zygmunt Hubner	...	3. dean
Irena Byrska	...	3. Ciotka

Storyline

Witek runs after a train. Three variations follow on how such a seemingly banal incident could influence the rest of Witek's life.

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Plot Keywords:

train | station | student | blood | parallel time | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Release Date:

10 January 1987 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Blind Chance

Filming Locations:

Lódz Fabryczna Station, Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland

Company Credits

Production Co:

P.P. Film Polski

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the movie was made in 1981, it had its premiere in 1987. The delay was because of state-imposed censorship due to the film's political content.

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Quotes

1. Werner: Every generation craves for light. It needs reassurance and faith... in a better, more just path.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Polish Cinema (1995)

User Reviews

Swinging Doors

The recent romantic comedy 'Sliding Doors' postulated what might happen if a character caught, or did not catch, a particular train. But master Polish film maker Krzysztof Kieslowski had had this idea twenty years earlier, and in his film 'Blind Chance', he used it to much more serious purpose: to explore the interplay of chance and character in the fate of a man. At the same time, he painted a picture of Poland in a state of flux (the film was made during the period of martial law, and duly suppressed for five years); and of the way the same moral choices confront everyone, albeit in different forms. The film lacks the high artistry of his subsequent works, but his ability to distill the essence of life into minimalist drama is already much in evidence. The stark awfulness of the communist regime may have aided him in this, as evidenced by the looser, more mystical nature of his final, French-set work. But his greatest achievements, the openly political 'No End' and the perfect morality plays of the 'Dekalog', can each be seen as natural extensions of the themes of 'Blind Chance'.

In the film's final scene, an aircraft takes off, but to us, it appears as if it is sinking into the earth. The world of cinema is poorer without its director and his bleak, poetic visions.