Five good reasons to rewatch the Three Colors trilogy

The trilogy Three colors: Blue, White, Red was one of the great cinematographic events of the 1990s. Restored versions of the three feature films are now returning to theaters. Here are five good reasons to see them (or see them again).

Marc-Andre Lussier
The Press

Because these are great movies

In 1993, Blue won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Five months later, White won the prize for directing at the Berlinale. Then, in May 1994, Red, mysteriously removed from the prize list, was nevertheless one of the great favorites of festival-goers to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Thanks to restored versions, the last three feature films by Krzysztof Kieślowski are returning to cinemas, through the American distributor Janus Films (hence the presence of English subtitles). Montreal moviegoers have the opportunity to see again – or discover – on the big screen this trilogy inspired by the motto of the French Republic: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. These three remarkable works bear the signature and singular gaze of the Polish filmmaker, to whom we owe the series The decalogue (which included his famous You will not kill). “These are three separate stories, although linked and evolving together,” the director explained at the time of the release. “I leave the spectator free to discover them in order, to see only one, or even none! »

Because there is Blue

The anecdote became famous: Juliette Binoche refused the proposal of Steven Spielberg, who wanted to offer her a role in Jurassic Parkto rather go and turn Blue. She plays Julie, a young woman whose life changes in an instant when her husband, an eminent composer, and her 5-year-old daughter die in a car accident while she herself escapes with minor injuries. The actress, who won an interpretation prize at the Venice Film Festival thanks to this role (and also the César for best actress), thus slips into the skin of a woman seeking to grieve in her own way. , stripping herself of everything she can. “When I started working on freedom, what fascinated me was what is inside the soul, something secret, mysterious, a freedom that is difficult to pin down”, said Krzysztof Kieślowski in an interview with The Press. Blue hits theaters this Friday, August 26.

Because there is White

Although the story of White begins in France, most of the film is set in post-communist Poland. After a divorce for which he misunderstands the reasons, requested by his French wife (Julie Delpy), Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a Polish immigrant, finds himself stripped of everything, penniless, without a passport. An unknown compatriot, met in the metro, will offer him to return to the country to fulfill a specific mandate. Once back in Warsaw, Karol will embark on various enterprises in order to orchestrate a kind of revenge. Krzysztof Kieślowski rediscovers his roots here and offers a grating fable. “By its form, its rhythm, White is in line with the short films of the Decaloguewhich were also very much embodied in the present, but nevertheless parables or modern tales, where one should not look for verisimilitude at all costs”, had commented Julie Delpy at the time for The Press. White hits theaters September 2.

Because there is Red

Delivering three feature films of such high quality in the space of nine months is almost a feat. Red brings the trilogy to a magnificent close by evoking an unexpected meeting, in Geneva, between a young woman working as a model to pay for her studies (Irène Jacob, the heroine of The Double Life of Veronique, one of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s previous films) and a retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant), who spends his time listening and spying on his neighbors by recording their conversations. Even if the three feature films are difficult to compare (the filmmaker wanted to work with a separate director of photography for each of them), a good number of moviegoers show a preference for this third part. Beyond the style, the structure of the story and the actors, Red comes to complete the trilogy in a very beautiful way, more particularly for the spectators having seen Blue and White previously. Red hits theaters September 9.

Because this is Kieślowski’s cinematic testament

As soon as the exit of Blue at the Venice Film Festival in 1993, Krzysztof Kieślowski announced his retirement from the world of cinema, tired of the excessive stress involved in exercising his profession. During a visit to Montreal the following year, the Polish filmmaker told our late colleague Luc Perreault of his desire to “return to life”. “I no longer want to make films. I’ve done a lot. When the time is right, you have to know when to stop and I think the time has come for me to stop. One day, it could have happened that one of my films disappoints. And I wouldn’t want to live such a moment. The Polish master already had a long career behind him in his native country – where he notably shot several feature documentaries – before being consecrated on the international scene thanks to the famous Decalogue. His reintegration “into life” after his retirement was too short-lived. Krzysztof Kieślowski died in 1996, aged 54. The trilogy of Three colours is the last testament of an exceptional filmmaker.

Three colors: Blue, White, Red returns to theaters at the Cinéma du Musée in Montreal, with English subtitles, starting August 26.