Beginning his film career working on documentaries in his native Poland, director Krzysztof Kieslowski made his first non-documentary feature film debut in 1975 with the TV feature Personnel. However, he came onto the international radar with The Decalogue (Dekalog) (1988), a film cycle of 10 short films nominally based on the Ten Commandments and achieved greater international success with The Double Life of Veronique (1991). It was the commercial success of the latter that allowed Kieslowski to fund and make the crowning achievement of his cinematic career: a trilogy of films exploring the virtues symbolized by the colors of the flag of France. Previously released by Criterion in 2011 on both Blu-ray and DVD, the label has revisited the landmark trilogy for its UHD Blu-ray debut.
The Production: 5/5
Three Colors: Blue (1993; 5 out of 5)
Julie (Juliette Binoche) is racked with survivor’s guilt following the death of her famous composer husband and their daughter in a tragic car accident. When she cannot go through with a suicide attempt, she decides to not just free herself from the past, but also detach herself from the rest of the world emotionally. However, fate intervenes in the form of Olivier (Benoit Regent) – an admirer of her late husband’s work – as well as an unfinished manuscript of a piece of music that Julie’s husband was working on at the time of his death. This begins a journey of self-realization for Julie that she can’t truly detach herself from the world all while confronting some hard truths regarding her late husband.
Three Colors: White (1994; 4.5 out of 5)
Hairdresser Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) has hit rock bottom following a humiliating divorce from his wife Dominique (Julie Delpy) in Paris: he’s not just lost his marriage, but his business, money, passports and is reduced to begging on the streets. But his fortunes change when he manages to find his way back to his native Poland, where he not only regains his money, but also sets in motion an elaborate plot of revenge against Dominique when the image that Karol had of her is shattered completely. During this process, Karol experiences a resurrection of sorts all while trying to settle an old score in his own way.
Three Colors: Red (1994; 5 out of 5)
In Geneva, the lives of three individuals intersect in ways that both seem unrelated yet have a profound effect on each other. Valentine (Irène Jacob) is a fashion model with a sweet soul who comes across retired judge Joseph Kern (Jean-Louis Trintignant) when she accidentally runs over his dog one night and ends up caring for her. As they start making a connection – which includes her learning about his “hobby” of eavesdropping on others phone conversations – the story of aspiring law student Auguste (Jean-Pierre Lorit) unfolds, one of jealously and betrayal which eventually crosses paths with Judge Kern when the latter ends up in court over his eavesdropping. But these parallel lives will ultimately be rocked by a fateful ferry journey across the English Channel, one that not only underscores the uncanny yet fateful connections the characters here have forged, but also bring some finality to the stories of Julie and Karol in the previous entries in the trilogy.
The coda to his cinematic career, Krzysztof Kieslowski imbues all three films in the Three Colors Trilogy with a sense of the philosophical. For each of the virtues represented in the French flag’s colors – blue for liberty, white for equality and red for fraternity – Kieslowski (along with co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz) utilizes different genres to show both the virtuosic and the ironic qualities that mark each in the different stories. Going beyond just the philosophic, Kieslowski also endows each film with a simple yet striking visual motif for each story – each color in the flag is the dominant palette in their respective film – that complements the strong foundations for the films; composer Zbigniew Preisner and cinematographers Slawomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski and Piotr Sobocinski should also be highly commended for their work in establishing the trilogy’s singular style and tone. However, the major high point in the trilogy is the high-quality performances of the leads in each film; Juliette Binoche in Blue, Zbigniew Zamachowski and Julie Delpy in White and Irene Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant in Red stand out as among the best in the art cinema circuit of the decade. The Three Colors Trilogy ranks as not only one of the best cinematic trilogies of all time but one where each film can stand on its own merits.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
For this release, all three films in the trilogy are presented in their original 1:85:1 aspect ratios, taken from brand new 4K restorations done by MK2 from the original 35mm camera negatives; on the UHD Blu-ray discs, the films are presented in Dolby Vision HDR while the Blu-ray discs presents them in SDR. Film grain, color palettes and fine details for all three films are faithfully represented with only minimal to no cases of damage present, such as scratches, tears and dirt. Criterion’s initial Blu-ray release of the trilogy was already solid, but this UHD Blu-ray release builds upon that visually and is likely to be the best the film trilogy will ever look on home video.
Audio: 5/5
For this UHD Blu-ray release, all three films’ soundtracks are presented on 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio tracks on the UHD Blu-ray discs while the Blu-ray discs presents the soundtracks on 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks. Dialogue, sound mixes and music scores by Zbigniew Preisner for all three films are all presented faithfully with clarity and minimal cases of distortion, crackling, hissing, popping and clicking present. This release is likely the best the movies in the trilogy will ever sound on home video.
Special Features: 5/5
Note: all the special features accompanying this release are found on the Blu-ray discs for each film in the trilogy.
Three Colors: Blue
Selected scene commentary with actress Juliette Binoche (24:27) – Recorded in 2004, Binoche shares her memories of Kieslowski as well as how one crucial scene’s music had an eerie impact on her when she attended Kieslowski’s funeral.
Cinema lesson from 1994 with director Krzysztof Kieslowski (7:35) – Kieslowski shows us the symbolism and the techniques behind a scene from the movie.
On Blue (20:46) – This video essay by film scholar Annette Insdorf dissects the theme of liberty and its rather ironic interpretation in the movie.
2011 interview with composer Zbigniew Preisner (21:33) – Preisner reflects on his collaboration with Kieslowski from No End (1985) to the Three Colors trilogy and personal recollections of their time together in this archival interview.
Reflections on Blue (17:27) – Carried over from the Miramax DVD, a retrospective look at the making of the movie and the themes covered; featuring interviews with Binoche, Insdorf, film critic Geoff Andrew, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Slawomir Idziak and film editor Jacques Witta.
Kieslowski: The Early Years (14:59) – Also carried over from the Miramax DVD, the early life and career of Kieslowski is looked at in this featurette; featuring interviews with, Insdorf, Andrew, Holland, Idziak and actress Irène Jacob.
The Tram (5:33) – A silent student film by Kieslowski from 1966 about the love between a boy and a girl.
The Face (6:05) – A short student film by Piotr Studzinski from 1966, featuring Kieslowski playing a manic artist.
Theatrical Trailer (1:53)
Three Colors: White
Cinema lesson from 1994 with Kieslowski (10:49) – Kieslowski talks about how the opening scene to the movie came together during the editing process.
On White (21:48) – Film critic Tony Rayns looks at how the circumstances of Karol’s predicament parallels that of Poland’s status at the end of the Cold War as well as how this middle entry in the trilogy uses comedy in a lyrical yet sad way in this visual essay.
2011 interviews with actor Zbigniew Zamachowski and actress Julie Delpy (18:17) – The two leading stars of the movie shares their fond memories of the director in this archival featurette.
The Two Krzysztofs: Piesiewicz on Kieslowski (21:23) – Screenwriter – and lawyer and politician – Krzysztof Piesiewicz shares his fondest memories of working with Kieslowski, who was also one of his closest friends in this 2011 interview.
The Making of White (16:11) – A behind-the-scenes featurette where Kieslowski shares the joys and challenges of shooting a movie in his native Poland.
Seven Women of Different Ages (16:16) – The 1978 short documentary by Kieslowski examines the routines of various ballet dancers of different age over the course of one week.
Talking Heads (14:51) – This 1980 short documentary by Kieslowski features several interviewees in Poland of various ages sharing hopes, fear and wishes through three simple questions.
Theatrical Trailer (1:39)
Three Colors: Red
Cinema lesson from 1994 with Kieslowski (8:41) – Kieslowski shows us the process of bringing the scene where Rita the dog runs away together in the editing room in this archival featurette.
On Red (22:01) – Film critic and programmer Dennis Lim’s visual essay on how the final installment of the Three Colors trilogy – and Kieslowski’s last film overall – weaves together the story threads from the past two installments as well as how Kieslowski’s visual style progressed since Dekalog.
2011 interview with actress Irène Jacob (16:26) – Carried over from Criterion’s previous Blu-ray release, Jacob reflects on working with Kieslowski and her performance as well as that of Jean-Louis Trintignant.
2001 interview with producer Marin Karmitz (10:50) – The producer of the trilogy reflects on the making of the movie and his insistence that Red be considered for the Oscars in this archival interview.
2001 interview with film editor Jacques Witta (12:46) – The film editor recalls Kieslowski’s process of bringing the movie together in the editing room and why certain scenes and shots ended up being removed in this archival interview.
Behind-the-Scenes Footage (23:30)
Kieslowski Cannes ’94 (15:11) – This short documentary from the film’s world premiere at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival features interviews with Kieslowski, Jacob, composer Zbigniew Preisner and Trintignant as well as Kieslowski making his announcement of his retirement from filmmaking.
Krzysztof Kieslowski: I’m So-So… (55:36) – The 1995 feature length documentary – originally broadcast on Danish television – features Kieslowski (from his home in Poland) chronicling his life and career from his childhood to his early work in documentaries right up to the Three Colors trilogy.
Theatrical Trailer (1:38)
78-page booklet feat. essays by film critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans and Georgina Evans, reprinted interviews with cinematographers Slawomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski and Piotr Sobocinski and an excerpt from the book Kieslowski on Kieslowski
Overall: 5/5
A hit internationally, Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colors Trilogy was a defining series of films on the arthouse and world cinema stage in the 1990’s and a fitting sendoff for the director, who passed away less than two years after the release of Red in 1996. Criterion has likely delivered the definitive release of the trilogy with solid HDR transfers of each of the three films, while carrying over all the special features from Criterion’s previous release. Very highly recommended.
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Mychal has been on the Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2018, with reviews numbering close to 300. During this time, he has also been working as an assistant manager at The Cotton Patch – his family’s fabric and quilting supplies business in Keizer, Oregon. When not working at reviewing movies or working at the family business, he enjoys exploring the Oregon Coast, playing video games and watching baseball in addition to his expansive collection of movies on DVD, Blu-ray and UHD, totalling over 3,000 movies.
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