Kieslowski's Three Colors Trilogy - any early reviews? (1 Viewer)

[andrew markworthy]

For someone who hasn't seen any of them, what do I need to know about them? Heard good things, but know nothing about the movies.

The movies (by the late Krzysztof Kieslowski) can be seen individiually, but make way more sense if seen as a trilogy *in the right order*.

The movies deal with the three central concepts of the French Revolution - liberty, equality, and fraternity, symbolised by the three colours of the French flag - blue, white and red. You should see the movies in this order.

Blue, set in and around Paris, examines a thirty-something widow in the months after her husband and young daughter are killed in a car crash. She comes to terms with her loss, discovers that her husband wasn't all he seemed, and comes to understand what she needs to become free.

White begins in Paris, with a Polish man being divorced by his French wife. With no money and out of luck, he meets another Pole, who arranges to smuggle him back to Poland. There he begins to plot revenge on his wife (and to tell you any more would spoil the plot).

Red, set in Switzerland, concerns an unlikely friendship between a young woman and a curmudgeonly retired judge who spends his days illegally evesdropping on his neighbour's phone conversations. At the end there is a scene that brings together the central characters of all three films, and retrospectively explains why the characters have been followed through the three movies.

The movies are complex and repay watching several times (e.g. there are references to the other movies within each other that inevitably you don't see the first time round). A bare bones description of the plots makes them sound rather gloomy, but they are not. The ultimate message is the paramount importance of love and kindness and you are left with a feeling of compassion for the characters rather than an artificial 'feel good' emotion so frequently generated in Hollywood products.

One final thing - the trilogy is generally regarded by critics as one of the jewels in the crown of European cinema.

 

[ChrisMatson]

Excellent overview, Andrew! I saw these on VHS years ago, and I am looking forward to seeing them on DVD. At roughly $10/movie, this is a no-brainer.

 

[Dwayne]

I've only seen Blue, and I enjoyed it very much. The use of music in the film is interesting.

 

[Peter Kim]

Where is everyone buying/ordering this set? The lowest price (for US delivery) is from Amazon & Buy.com at $29.99 (free shipping). Pretty damn good at $10 per film.

But I'll be surprised if Amazon/Buy.com ends up listing the lowest price. Best Buy & Circuit City currently list this set for $34.99.

Nonetheless, one of my few must purchases of this year. Helps that Gary Tooze's outstanding analysis/comparsions casts a very favorable light on this new release.

 

[Matt Stone]

I ordered mine from Amazon with Share the Love. I added Road To Perdition DTS to the order to bump me up so I could use a 5 off of 35 coupon. Total was ~37 for both. Pretty good for 4 movies.

 

[Ike]

I ordered mine from Deep Discount DVD.

Can't wait for my set to get here! Never seen any of them, but I loved the Decalogue.

 

[andrew markworthy]

There's a very good review of 'Red' in particular and the trilogy in general by Roger Ebert here.

Warning: Ebert gives away a bit more of the plot than anyone has on this thread.

 

[Craig S]

I ordered mine from Deep Discount DVD.

As did I. $28.99 shipped, which is the best price I found (not counting coupons, StL, etc.).

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I have just received these from Miramax and sort
of thinking of reviewing these titles. However, if
it is street date already, I might pass.

 

[Marc Colella]

I'll post my thoughts when mine arrives mid-week.

Here's another review for those still on the fence:

http://www.classicsondvd.com/threecolors.htm

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

I haven't had the chance to watch everything, but I've glanced at the extras. I think most should be very pleased, although I can already here the wailing that the trailers aren't there (at least on the Red disc).

 

[ChrisMatson]

I would love for Ron to review the complete trilogy.

For better or for worse, Ron's reviews hold some sway over some member's money and viewing habits. I feel that if Ron reviews these, more people may be inclined to watch the trilogy. Given that some may be put off by foreign movies with subtitles, I am all for spreading the word that these are movies that every cinema fan should watch.

 

[Carlo_M]

Ron, I too would hope that you review these films even if street date comes and goes. Most loss-leader prices are in effect for a full week and yes, your opinion is valued by quite a few of the members. If you end up liking them, we might just be able to persuade some other people to give them a chance - heck I know your time table is packed, if you only reviewed just one film I think you could give this trilogy some much-needed publicity.

Best regards!

 

[Deepak Shenoy]

My set hasn't shipped from DVDPlanet yet, but I will hopefully get it later this week. I wonder which studio owns the rights to Double Life of Veronique. That is another movie I would love to see on DVD.

 

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Check out these graphic comparison reviews (courtesy of DVD Beaver):

Blue

White

Red

 

[Angelo.M]

Can't wait to pick these up today. White is my favorite, and I'll watch it first (yeah, I know), probably a couple of times. I'll post a full review soon. These are on my Top 10 All-Time List, and my Holy Grail of DVD (along with Miller's Crossing). For some folks it's the original Star Wars; for me, it's these three exquisite films.

 

[Carlo_M]

Holy smoke! If they weren't stills of the same film you probably wouldn't think they were! How can the two releases look so different? I hope someone steps in and can comment on which DVD more accurately represents the films (it's hard to tell on screen caps). Oh well, I've preordered mine already so it should be here by week's end. I'll judge for myself when I see it on my set (ISF'd by the wonderful Michael Chen). But wow, looking at those reviews, someone's been monkeying with the contrast, brightness, color and tint knobs at one of the mastering facilities!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Guys,

I have decided not to review these films.

There are a couple reasons for my decision, the
most prominant being that I know nothing of the
material in this film. For me to look at it and
even try to write a halfway intelligent review on
this foreign film would make me look like a complete
jackass. This is just not my sort of film to watch,
and although I am often most surprised when I
approach films in this manner, I don't want to
venture into a genre of film I know nothing about.

You also have to realize that I would have to
sit through 3 discs of material and spend an entire
day (if not more) reviewing this trilogy. Meanwhile,
the studios are hammering me with other new release
material that also deserves equal effort.

Miramax also sent me these DVD titles 1 day before
street date. At this point, members will be posting
far better reviews on this forum than I could ever
write.

Sorry, guys, while I am going to have to pass on
these titles, I will be reviewing other Miramax
titles instead.

 

[Carlo_M]

Understood, Ron. But in the future, if you find yourself with a spare moment, try popping in one of these fine films! I'm sure that other sites (like the one listed above) will review these discs so no worries. But knowing how you like to discover new movies (whether it's discovering classics for the first time, or foreign films) I think you'd like these films. Thanks for considering them, and I totally understand your decision not to officially review them.

 

[JayDerek]

I picked this set up at lunch @ Best Buy. It looked like I bought the only one in the store...they did have plenty of the single movie versions though.

I cannot wait to watch these!! I think i'll wait for a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon and watch all of them in a row.

I am very happy these are finally out!

My question for the other fans out there...how do you explain these movies to your family/friends? I love these films to death but always have a had time describing them...

~J