THREE COLORS (BLUE / WHITE / RED)
While I dont put too much stake in coincidences, I try not to just write them off, especially when it involves a core philosophy and the theme of a great movie. The idea is that we're all interconnected in sometimes surprising ways. Is that not why were here on My Space. While it may only be some good friends reading these words, its possible that someone whose life story I could not imagine may come across them as well.
As frustrating as the internet can be, as more of us get connected, we as humans become more interconnected. I joined My Space because I received an E-mail from my friend, Paul, informing me that he had a page. Id been thinking of blogging for some time, and here the opportunity presented itself. That same evening I re-watched a film called Red, which is about these very ideas.
I did not watch it because this idea was on my mind. Its the 3rd part of The Three Colors Trilogy and I had already watched Blue and White not long before. I had planned to see the film before I knew that would be the day that I would join My Space, thereby establishing the exact kind of connections alluded to in the film.
The late Polish director, Krzysztof Kieslowski, released his trilogy in 1994, shortly before the internet changed all our lives. The Three Colors are based on those of the French flag. Blue representing liberty, white representing equality and red representing fraternity. Each film is visually dominated by its title color, but that only the most basic level of these extraordinary films. Roger Ebert has observed that each overturns the conventions of a different film genre. Blue being an anti-tragedy, White being an anti-comedy and Red being an anti-romance.
Blue is about a French woman (Juliette Binoche) who has just lost her family in a car accident, yet refuses to allow herself to grieve, instead withdrawing from the world. Has she liberated herself from grief through isolation or would coming to terms with her loss offer liberty? White is about a Polish man whose wife (Julie Delpy) has left him. Dejected and humiliated, he's determined to either win her back or take revenge, either way reestablishing equality.
In Red, a Swiss model (Irene Jacob) forms an unlikely bond with an older former judge who is eavesdropping on his neighbors. Their age difference prevents them from falling in love, but what of the younger judge who's life seems to parallel the older? Does this seemingly endless possibility of interaction represent fraternity or is more needed? Also fascinating is how the three films manage to subtly and not so subtly interact with each other.
While Blue is my favorite of the three because of Binoche's heartbreaking performance and a powerful score, its Red's message that most resonates (White, a fine film in its own right, does not equal the brilliance of the other two.) Kieslowski pursues his themes with such precision that the films improve with repeated viewings. They work as human dramas, but also, on a much higher level, they embrace the larger human story.
While I dont put too much stake in coincidences, I try not to just write them off, especially when it involves a core philosophy and the theme of a great movie. The idea is that we're all interconnected in sometimes surprising ways. Is that not why were here on My Space. While it may only be some good friends reading these words, its possible that someone whose life story I could not imagine may come across them as well.
As frustrating as the internet can be, as more of us get connected, we as humans become more interconnected. I joined My Space because I received an E-mail from my friend, Paul, informing me that he had a page. Id been thinking of blogging for some time, and here the opportunity presented itself. That same evening I re-watched a film called Red, which is about these very ideas.
I did not watch it because this idea was on my mind. Its the 3rd part of The Three Colors Trilogy and I had already watched Blue and White not long before. I had planned to see the film before I knew that would be the day that I would join My Space, thereby establishing the exact kind of connections alluded to in the film.
The late Polish director, Krzysztof Kieslowski, released his trilogy in 1994, shortly before the internet changed all our lives. The Three Colors are based on those of the French flag. Blue representing liberty, white representing equality and red representing fraternity. Each film is visually dominated by its title color, but that only the most basic level of these extraordinary films. Roger Ebert has observed that each overturns the conventions of a different film genre. Blue being an anti-tragedy, White being an anti-comedy and Red being an anti-romance.
Blue is about a French woman (Juliette Binoche) who has just lost her family in a car accident, yet refuses to allow herself to grieve, instead withdrawing from the world. Has she liberated herself from grief through isolation or would coming to terms with her loss offer liberty? White is about a Polish man whose wife (Julie Delpy) has left him. Dejected and humiliated, he's determined to either win her back or take revenge, either way reestablishing equality.
In Red, a Swiss model (Irene Jacob) forms an unlikely bond with an older former judge who is eavesdropping on his neighbors. Their age difference prevents them from falling in love, but what of the younger judge who's life seems to parallel the older? Does this seemingly endless possibility of interaction represent fraternity or is more needed? Also fascinating is how the three films manage to subtly and not so subtly interact with each other.
While Blue is my favorite of the three because of Binoche's heartbreaking performance and a powerful score, its Red's message that most resonates (White, a fine film in its own right, does not equal the brilliance of the other two.) Kieslowski pursues his themes with such precision that the films improve with repeated viewings. They work as human dramas, but also, on a much higher level, they embrace the larger human story.
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