User reviews

A bit of color for once, all the better to see the red flags with, not to mention the obvious aerial file footage of Warsaw. The story concerns Jozef Malesa, the mason or bricklayer of the title. He was once the darling of the party, the son of two old party activists, a worker of heroic reputation, his own commitment to The Movement unquestioned. He was chosen to be destined for great things, specially educated and pushed forward to positions of responsibility in the Party. Eventually he decides, because of the ethical pressures which he feels from the obstructionism of the bureaucracy from above, he asks to return to be a simple bricklayer. He is disturbed with the way the Party deals with people, especially their lack of direct contact. He thinks workers know better than the leadership many times but that's not the way power flows. He is uncomfortable with the compromises to his idealism. He remains committed to social justice and joins his friends for the May Day rally where his comfort and confidence in his place in society cause him to defer to no man, certainly no rat faced men in overcoats with red armbands. His great pleasure in life moreover is laying brick. He finds the work satisfying and fulfilling which is why he was such an obviously superior worker in the first place.

'Murarz' or 'Mason' is one of Kieslowski's short documentaries- not a profile of Jackie Mason the US comic as the image suggests. Unfortunately it is not available on VHS as this confusion appears to indicate. Kieslowski's documentaries are a revelation if you can get to see them. They indicate the sources of his style in the later dramatic films and should be studied by all aspiring filmmakers who wish to reflect some true aspects of human existence in their films. You have only to compare the documentaries with the Decalogue to see what I mean. Kieslowski's retirement from films and his early death left a terrible vacuum for all lovers of serious European cinema.