“The Three Colors” Trilogy Is Among Film’s Greatest Trilogies, And As Radical As The Flag It Is Based Off Of
The Criterion Collection is a distribution company that specializes in “important” classic and contemporary films. Through Hulu, many of these films are made available to stream. Once a week, I like to bring a Criterion movie to deepen one’s understanding of filmmaking and film history. This week’s movie: “The Three Colors” trilogy (1993–1994).
When ranking the all time great film trilogies, I know what your mind goes to: the original Star Wars trilogy, Indiana Jones (what is this Crystal Skull you speak of?), The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, The Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy.
Is it safe to assume that it does not go to a couple French films and a Polish film named after colors?
The Three Colors trilogy should be considered amongst the giants in film trilogy history. The three films showcase some of the most powerful imagery and knowledge about humanity ever to exist on film.
The Three Colors trilogy are two French films and one Polish film (in French, the trilogy is known as Trois couleurs, but I will stick to English names for consistency) from the mind of influential Polish director and co-writer Krzysztof Kieślowski, along with co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz. The three films are powerful symbols, as each of the three films represent a color of the French national flag: blue (liberty), white (equality) and red (fraternity). Each of the films — appropriately named Blue, White and Red — deal with the issue represented by its color on the French flag.
These films are wildly ambitious and, like the flag they represent, revolutionary. Each theme runs deep in their correlating film, showcased beautifully by each film’s visuals, characters and its soundtrack. But, to be properly analyzed, the films must be looked at separately. So, without further ado…
Three Colors: Blue
The first movie in this trilogy, as blue is the first color on the French flag, is the signature film of this series. In relation to the flag and the original definition of liberty, the film stretches the word from a political context to a personal one. (Which you will see with the other films. Each theme’s definition is smartly stretched.) Right from the start of this trilogy, Kieślowski and company pull off one of the most personal and fascinating films to date.
Blue is set in Paris. Julie de Courcy, played by Juliette Binoche, is suddenly alone in the world after her husband and child are killed in a car accident. Freed from her bonds to her family, she attempts to cut her self off from the rest of the world. She no longer wants human connections. She realizes, however, that idea of personal liberty is much harder to attain than originally thought.
The radical idea of Julie’s wish would make the French revolutionaries stop in their tracks. It sure made me stop.
For a viewer, watching Julie go through the motions of trying to cut everyone off and be by herself is infectious. In a world, the early 1990s, where people are learning and developing ways to stay more connected with each other, Julie wants to go in the opposite direction. Throughout the movie, certain people and concepts desperately try to keep Julie from entering total isolation. These battles between herself and others is tremendously written and paced throughout the film. Seeing the concept of liberty being presented as a uncommon personal battle is a fresh way of showcasing this theme in a story.
Blue tremendously presents a deeply rich idea that goes deeper than the images being filmed. Music plays an important role to this movie. Julie was married to a famous composer. With his death, his magnum opus, entitled “Unity of Europe”, is left to be finished. Her husband’s music partner, Olivier, wants to finish the piece. Because of her wanting to disconnect of the world, Julie does not want to let that happen. As she fights for Olivier to stay away, her past becomes much more prominent, stalling her wish of being alone forever.
Music becomes the main symbol of this personal struggle. Music is a physical example of how humanity works. Music cannot be played by one person or consist of one note. There must be multiple notes, played by multiple people, to create music. Music illuminates the fact that humans must communicate and work together to successfully live, an idea Julie wants to ignore.
Blue, like all three films, is beautifully scored by Zbigniew Preisner. However, it is Blue’s soundtrack — and rightfully so — that stands out.
Color is important to the visual aspect of these films. Blue is filled with blue imagery and features a blue-ish tint to the film, utilizing blue filters and lighting. Blue objects — like blue lamp beads — are important to the color scheme of the film. Sometimes the blue is so subtle, but so often repeated, that your brain just combines all these visual queues, making the color blue that much more noticeable.
Blue is downright beautiful, intensely thought-provoking and, at times, heartbreaking. I could not name 5 other films that left me with questions, yet satisfied my mind was enriched with message about personal liberty. Blue is a rock solid film and a fantastic start to a trilogy.
Three Colors: White
In a drastic change from Blue, the second film, White, is much more active and light than the film’s predecessor. Going into this movie, the thought process was simple, OK, equality is more easily defined than liberty. Yet again, the definition Kieślowski and company choses to use is interesting.
Karol Karol, played by Zbigniew Zamachowski, is left by his wife, played by Julie Delpy, in a humiliating fashion. With no money, no place to live and no friends, Karol ends up being a beggar in Warsaw, Poland. He befriends a man he meets in the Metro and soon begins his quest of equality through revenge.
White is much more a comedy than Blue, perhaps the light, airy quality associated with the color white has something to do with the tone of the movie. The plot is, again, a depressing tale. Being left with nothing after your wife leaves you is a horrible situation for Karol — or for anyone. However, this film packs a weaker punch than Blue. Perhaps the shifting from comedic to depressing tones is to blame, but White does not reach the same emotional heights as Blue.
As a contrast to Blue, there is a lot more action in White, from the initial breakup to meeting a friend at the Metro to Karol’s grasp for equality through violent means. However, the characterization and thoughtfulness that made Blue so impactful is not as consistent in White.
Not surprisingly, the symbology between the two films are similar. Like Blue, only this time with the color white, the film’s lighting and tint are mainly white. Objects that are white, like the snow that dominates the scenery in Poland, are seen throughout the film.
White is a letdown. With some trilogies, each film has to be looked at separately to be fully understood. White features a different story line and different characters as Blue, but the point Kieślowski is trying make — connecting each film with the ideas that connect the French flag and France — makes it hard for me to judge each of the three films totally separately. As you will see with Red, the film White is sort of the odd film out in this trilogy.
Three Colors: Red
Finally, Red.
This was Kieślowski’s final film, he announced that fact prior to its release and sadly died two years after completion. Also, the final film of the series is the one to get the attention of Oscar — as it was nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography) but went 0-for-3.
The film is associated with the theme fraternity. The definition of fraternity is, again, stretched to another level than how fraternity is usually understood. Red deals with characters that have little in common, but gradually become closer emotionally and physically to one another, forming strong bonds.
Red tells the tale of Valentine Dussault, played by Irène Jacob, who is a model who soon realizes her neighbor enjoys invading other people’s personal privacy.
Red is the climax of the series. The aspects that made Blue and White stand out as films, the battle with one’s self in Blue and the action scenes in White, are well balanced in Red. The theme of human fraternity is well paced and shown as the film moves along. What is interesting about Red is the different scenarios where this idea of fraternity exist.
Iréne meets Joseph Kern after hit dog with her car. They soon forge a bond that develops throughout the movie. We see Iréne bond with her boyfriend and photographer she works with. Eventually, we see a bond between Iréne and her neighbor, Auguste, due to Kern’s eavesdropping on her neighbor. Iréne initially wants no part, but her level of interest in Auguste’s life rises, as she sees similarities with herself and Auguste. Also, Valentine and Kern posses a very human trait: curiosity. We can all relate to how infectious curiosity is when trying to learn about someone.
These interactions between the three main characters are immensely human. While strangers in the beginning of the movie, all three possess humanizes qualities, which connects their seemingly separate lives. Auguste and Valentine never meet until the end of the film, when both are aboard a ferry to England. Without spoiling, all three films are connected with the ending of Red.
Forming a bond like how Valentine forms is what makes Red fascinating; the film is surprisingly modern. In a world where people can send anonymous messages and follow people they do not know, the concept of knowing someone anonymously is a main aspect of social media. In a world where eavesdropping is a concern for some, getting to know someone solely from eavesdropping is a frighteningly modern.
As with the other movies, the color red is prominently seen throughout the film. Most notably, the scene of Irene’s photoshoot is dominated by the color red. There are other common symbols that link Red and the other films, most notably the importance of one’s past and how it connects to one’s present and future. Red returns to the same level of thoughtfulness and film-making expertise that Blue displayed.
The Three Colors trilogy is an amazing, radical approach to film. Kieślowski showcases a level of deep, thought-provoking unmatched by most other films. While White dips in enjoyment and consistency with the other two films, White is as important as the other two. They all offer a window to different levels of humanity, which are told and shown brilliantly.
All three films, as well as some of other Kieślowski films, are available to stream on Hulu.
