The Story of a Certain Illusion: Theories of Kitsch and “The Double Life of Veronique” by Krzysztof Kieślowski

Agnieszka Morstin

Abstract

In the first part of the article the author presents three theories of kitsch: Hermann Broch’s, Abraham Moles’ and Milan Kundera’s. These form the theoretical basis for the analysis of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s The Double Life of Veronique, which forms the body of the second part of the article. In the analysis Morstin focuses on exaltation, the primacy of the aesthetics, on the so-called religion of beauty and aesthetical lie. In the conclusion the author argues that the analysis of the film allowed her to identify terms that belong to the dictionary of kitsch of the highest order. At the same time, she maintains that the kitsch one is dealing with is not dangerous, as we are able to easily identify and formulate an insightful critique of the phenomenon. This means that our awareness of kitsch is higher than it was in the first half of the 20th century. Nowadays kitsch is no longer lived through. Rather it is used in different styles and art forms that offer both cheap thrills or exalted aesthetic experience such as in the case of Kieślowski’s film. [originally published in Polish in Kwartalnik Filmowy 2009, no. 66, pp. 139-154]