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Three Colors Trilogy (Blue / White / Red)

Three Colors Trilogy (Blue / White / Red)

List Price: $39.99
Your Price: $31.99
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Three of the greatest films ever made finally on US DVD
Review: It is absolutely shocking that it has taken so long for this trilogy of masterpieces to reach DVD. These are, without a doubt, my favorite films of the 1990s. The late Kieslowski was working at the top of his game and his presence in filmmaking is sorely missed. Blue and Red are my favorites out of the three, with Juliette Binoche illuminating every scene. Red (which is set in Geneva and not Paris as the amazon review incorrectly states)is a brilliant way to wrap the trilogy. Irene Jacob sparring with the great Jean Louis Tritignant in their lovely and heartbreaking scenes. There are so many wonderful moments, including the final moment when Jacob's face on the giant billboard becomes a haunting coda that will reduce you to tears...simply because it is shear genius on Kieslowski's part. Like his contemporary Wim Wenders, Kieslowski marched to the beat of his own drum and gave the world beautiful, if not always easy, films to cherish.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An all time great trilogy
Review: Alow me to put it this way my spelling and writen gramer are so atrocious that i rarely write in a forum where so many can see it first hand. THAT'S HOW MUCH I LOVE THESE MOVIES. I've not viewed the dvd's (because i've been waiting a since 1995 for them to come out) but the movies are some of the best to come out of france. The writeing, character developement, plot development, acting, cinematography, & directing are all just top notch. I have considered this series for some time now to be my favorite non-english european movie/s of all time (untill brotherhood of the wolf. that is a 6 year run.). Ok here it is #1 blue- a sorrowfull tail staring mmmmmmmm juliette binoche (pictured on cover) as a woman who sees her husband & child die before her eyes and is then forced to continue her life w/o them. #2 white a vengeful tail where a wife (pictured on cover) screws over her husband and he gets some awsome revenge but only after haveing to rebuild his life. last but not least #3 red a tail of lonlyness with a nice twist of fate. Staring the beautiful Irene Jacob (ahem ... pictured on cover) this is for some odd reason my favorite of the three despite amazon.com's review saying it is the worst. These moveis are just a great study in psychology. I hope this is helpfull.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Just buy it
Review: There is not much to say... Makes you feel good. I thought about them for hours and days after I had seen them. Then I saw them again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I've waited years for this.
Review: One of the sad things about owning a DVD player and having eclectic tastes is that more often than not, the films you want to see have not been released, and may never be.

This is a wait that was well worth it.

The films are incredible, and I am sure the DVD will do them justice, if the production value is anything on par with the original VHS trilogy. If your love of the noir/foreign/abstract/beauty/politico whirlwind is something you keep close to your chest, I wouldn't hesitate on this one, and especially for this price.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A work of art
Review: to correct a correction in the review from the lady in texas, Juliette Binoche loses her daughter in Blue, not Red.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Anything by Kieslowski is worth seeing, but...
Review: All three of the films in this series are fascinating in their own way, and I would most definitely recommend them, since they are far and away superior to most of what you'll find either on disc or the screen these days. I do have to say this, however: the trilogy was not the masterpiece I'd hoped and been led to expect it would be.

First, the positive elements: rare is the time you will ever find a trilogy where so much work and attention have gone into *all three* films. None of these films is a "sequel" (and though there is a "wrap up" of sorts at the end of *Red*, you really could watch them in any order, which in itself is quite neat). Also, Kieslowski has to be one of the most *awake* directors in the history of cinema--every single scene in each of his films is a carefully prepared canvas, with every detail well worth examining and all the backgrounds worth paying attention to (so be sure to see these films on DVD and with a nice-quality screen in front of you). You'll almost feel as if you're breathing the very air of Paris, Geneva, and Warsaw, so vivid and compelling are the settings. Finally, the acting in all three of the films is uniformly expert and fantastic.

Nonetheless, I have finished my first viewing of the trilogy (and I saw it in this order: BRW) with a somewhat empty and even slightly cheated feeling. For one thing, I can't help but think that the "color concept" becomes over-determining and distracting. I wish Kieslowski had spent more time exploring the characters and (particularly in the case of *White*) making the storylines less contrived rather than trying to "create so many cool color connections" (that's the only way I can put it) on the mere surface of the screen. Colors in their most primary form are simplistic symbols rather than meaningful expressions, and they are used far too often throughout these films merely as eye-candy. One has to admit, however, that without the color gimmickry, this trilogy would not have become so well known.

Of the three, *White* is the one I watched most recently and am most disappointed by. Zamachowski's performance is perfectly executed, but his character (Karol Karol) is one that we've seen performed by Dustin Hoffman countless times before (Zamachowski in fact looks so much like Hoffman that I almost want to call his character in this film "Kramer Kramer"). Actually, the entire storyline of *White* is built on shockingly unoriginal cliches and over-used plot devices (the hapless fool who turns out to be capable of building a corporate empire overnight; the world weary acquaintance who first seeks his own death then learns to love and embrace life; the faked funeral where the "dead" can witness the reaction of the grieving; the whole "turning of the tables," etc.). The weakest element of the film turns out to be the role of Dominique (played by Julie Delpy, who deserved a much better part than this), whose shallow and simplistic character belongs on the pages of a comic book rather than in a Kieslowski film. In general, there's a decided lack of psychological verity to *White*.

*Blue*, by great contrast, spends most of its time trying to penetrate the mind and soul of Juliette Binoche's character. The story of this film is also quite contrived--but its atmosphere, mood and ambience more than compensate. For what it's worth, Kieslowski also does "cooler" things with blue than he does with the other two colors.

As for *Red*, while it may be the most perfectly executed of the three films, it has also proved for me to be the least memorable. This is where I found the use of color most distracting and annoying. Or perhaps I'm just allergic to red...

In spite of all the flaws I've mentioned here, there's something undeniably unique about this trilogy--and regardless of where you start, once you've seen one of the films, you'll most certainly want to see the other two as well.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The most memorable trilogy of the decade!
Review: After more than a decade, I still consider Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colours: Blue, White, and Red to be the most remarkable trilogy I've ever seen. When I saw these 3 films, I was still an adolescent, and I was so moved and mesmerized. Now that I get a repete viewing, I still enjoy them tremendously!
BLUE: "Juliette Binoche rises from the "deep-blue" ocean of trama and depression."
Before Juliette Binoche made her Oscar-winning The English Patient and Oscar nominated Chocolat, she gave a "deep-blue" performance in Blue that won her the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival. When I saw Blue, I instantly became her fan, depite the fact that she played a nasty role in Damage(Jeremy Iron) that same year.
Blue will always be her signature movie, because it's the most challenging role she's ever played, and it's definitely more powerful than the performances from Julie Delpy(White) and Iron Jacob(Red).
She plays Julie, a young French woman who had survived a car accident that took the lives of her famous composer husband and daughter. She was so tramatized that she isolated herself from the world, and gradually leans toward her musician friend(Benoit Regent) for sexual pleasure as she slowly revive herself. I couldn't forget the scene when she rubbed her hand against the wall and it started to bleed. It was so disturbing and emotionally impacting. Eventually, she found out that her dead husband had been unfaithful to her......
I noticed that there was a scene in this movie that was weaved into White. When Julie was looking for someone in the courtroom building, she "accidently" walked into the room where White was being shot. I guessed K.K. wanted to somehow connect Blue to White while he was making both films at the same time, even though the stories are not connected.
Other than the stunning performance from Binoche, the score, cinematography, and art direction were impeccable! Blue is the most depressing of the trilogy, but it's my favorite, because Binoche moved me to tears.
WHITE: "Zbigniew Zamachowski gets even with Julie Delpy."
White is the least complex and it's a revenge comedy. Julie Delpy divorced her husband(Zbigniew Zamachowski) after a 6 month marriage, because she's not fulfilled sexually as result of his impotence. Z.Z. was broken hearted and leaved France and headed home(Poland) to rebuild his life. Eventually, he returned to France after planning a scheme of vengeance against his ex-wife.....
Julie Delpy does a fine job at portraying a bad gir, but her character is underwritten and it's supporting role to the more touching and wonderful Zamachowski. Oh well, if you hate her here, than you'll love her in Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. It was good to see White after seeing the heavy-duty Blue.
RED: "The mystery between Irene Jacob and a stranger old man."
Red may be the most critically acclaimed of the trilogy, but I didn't enjoyed it as much as I did for Blue and White. I found it to be a bit intricate and the story didn't really touch me. Though I was mesmerized by the cinematograph, especially when Irene Jaocob does her runway fashion show and the "bubble gum" photo shoot. I think she was more memorable in The Double Life of Veronica which was also directed by K.K. Red is about the encounter between Jacob and a retired judge whom has a mystery to share with her. Red is K.K.'s final film.


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The meaning of the colors
Review: We know that Kieslowski titled this triology after the colors in the French flag. But the intention is rather more subtle than that.

The colors of the French flag stand for the three pillars of the Revolution -- Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

And thus the films each take as their theme one of those principles. "Red," symbolizing Liberty on the flag, is about a woman who must set herself free from a set of emotional entanglements.

"White," Equality, is about a man seeking in a strange, compelling way, to equalize a relationship.

"Blue," for many the most cinematically beautiful of the three, is about Fraternity, or connection. It is the culmination of the trilogy, and of Kieslowski's life. In it he shows that it is only through connection with others that our own lives can take on meaning.

In the end and taken as a whole, the trilogy was Kieslowski's way of telling us that valuing personal freedom (Liberty) too highly can lead to a sterile and lonely life. Entering into relationships carrying a ledger, trying to maintain an even balance on both sides (Equality) is meaningless and painful. It is only through connection to others that the self has value, that life is given meaning and richness. Indeed, it saves us from ourselves.

These films are beautiful and moving in their own right. Taken as a message from Kieslowski at the end of his life about the values he had discovered, they are extraordinarily powerful, rising beyond cinema to art.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Three Colours - Five Stars!
Review: .
In the Three Colours Trilogy, the late director Krzysztof Kieslowski poses subtle questions about the nature of our individual identities.

Like Shakespeare, he draws a map of the human soul.

In Blue we meet Julie who has just lost her husband and daughter in a road accident. She seeks liberty from her sadness by attempting reinvent herself and isolate herself from her previous life. But, she is ceaselessly drawn back into the past by the people of her life. No, for Julie there is no escape from who she is or who she was.

In White, oddly enough, a black humour pervades. It is a tale of marital revenge and the strange odysseys that love can often send us on. Our hero Karol Karol must discover the hard way that one does not achieve true equality in revenge, even perfect revenge.

Red deals with the nature of coincidence, parallel lives and unlikely friendships. In this regard it is not unlike La Double Vie De Veronique. It shares the same lead actress (the highly talented Irene Jacob) and the same levels of innuendo and suggestion. One gets the feeling that there are mysteries within mysteries here as the story of our heroine's friendship with a retired judge unfolds.

At the very end of Red, the lead characters from the Trilogy come together for one brief moment. To say more would spoil it - but it's highly satisfying.

If you enjoy good film-making and like stories that put the human condition centre stage don't miss this trilogy. See them in order and see them all!

FIVE STARS for the Three Colours!



Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Three Masterpieces
Review: I would like to thank all the previous reviewers for their insight about these movies. I bought them and have truly enjoyed them. They were truly three masterpieces. Lots of extras on each DVD. You must buy this DVD trilogy. They are the finest movies I have ever seen. He truly is one of the finest directors to have made motion pictures. Movies like this don't come along very often. Ad these three to your collection today.They have content,not just a bunch of effects like other movies.


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