Blind Chance

Best known for his critically acclaimed three colors trilogy (Blue, White, and Red) and The Decalogue, the late, great Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski once considered an American remake of his Blind Chance (made in 1981 but not shown until 1987), tacitly acknowledging that the film's Polish political context was largely lost on non-Polish audiences--thereby lessening the effectiveness of its ambitious triangular structure. Kieslowski never remade the film, and while the three-part concept of Blind Chance was poorly copied and simplified for the 1998 Gwyneth Paltrow film Sliding Doors, serious film buffs would do much better to study the complexities of Blind Chance now that it has debuted on DVD after many years of being suppressed in Poland and long unavailable to international filmgoers. The scenario was daringly original in 1981 and remains challenging, provocative, and influential over two decades later: On leave from medical school, a young student named Witek (Boguslaw Linda) is making crucial life decisions that play out in three separate scenarios, each determined by whether he catches or misses a train to Warsaw. These three destinies thrust Witek toward three distinct futures--as Communist Party member, ambivalent dissident, or devoted doctor and husband--and Kieslowski's narrative conceit fits well into the director's ongoing fascination with themes of destiny, chance, fate, coincidence, and free will. Blind Chance, consistently ranked among Kieslowski's finest films, will reward the attentive viewer. DVD extras include a trio of interviews, the 12-minute short "Workshop Exercises" by Marcel Lozinski, and a director filmography. [Note: also newly available from Kino are Kieslowski's Camera Buff, No End, and The Scar.] (J. Shannon)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Sept. 22, 2015—Criterion, 123 min., not rated, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1981's Blind Chance sports a great transfer and an uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition. Extras include a new interview with Polish film critic Tadeusz Sobolewski (19 min.), nine segments from the film originally censored in Poland (10 min.), an interview with filmmaker Agnieszka Holland from 2003 (6 min.), and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Dennis Lim and a 1993 interview with Kieslowski. Bottom line: a fine film from master director Kieslowski makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]