Three Colors: Blue
1993 ‘Trois couleurs: Bleu’ Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski
Synopsis
Three Colors: Blue is the first part of Kieslowski's trilogy on France's national motto: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Blue is the story of Julie who loses her husband, an acclaimed European composer and her young daughter in a car accident. The film's theme of liberty is manifested in Julie's attempt to start life anew free of personal commitments, belongings grief and love. She intends to spiritually commit suicide by withdrawing from the world and live completely independently, anonymously and in solitude in the Parisian metropolis. Despite her intentions, people from her former and present life intrude with their own needs. However, the reality created by the people who need and care about her, a surprising discovery and the music around which the film revolves heals Julie and irresistably draws her back to the land of the living.
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So after spending a week out innawoods getting in touch with the transcendant beauty of nature and God, I finally return to watch a movie almost as transcendental as that. *This* was what I was hoping for when I watched The Double Life of Veronique -- something that can meander and mingle fluidly with its myriad musings without feeling empty or stagnant. Juliette Binoche gives a sublime performance that is understated and deeply expressive in equal measure, deftly playing a character with a superb arc as she traverses the various stages and tribulations of grief.
The film is bathed both in blue and a deep melancholy, and yet there seems to be this odd undercurrent of hope that I find…
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There is so much that can be read into so many of the films of Krzysztof Kieślowski that, to the outsider or uninitiated, they must seem overly complex and quite possibly completely impenetrable.
Of course, the reality is that is not the case at all. Kieślowski's real genius, for me, was his ability to infuse his films with so many different allegories and visions that he invited the viewer to watch his films in so very many different ways. That is why, when you read reviews of so many of his films, they so often differ in what they have taken away from that viewing.
There is one constant with them, though, and that is that they are really rather…
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The first time I saw Bleu i didn't connect, on some level, to what i knew was there. I knew i had watched an enigmatic film and that i had not took what i could take, i knew that i had to re-visit it. Years later. I still don't feel up to the job of putting it into words. I believe this is Kieslowski at his most reserved, tender, but told, and shot, through his least humanistic approach. Observation over provocation. Antonioni's discontent trilogy as an influence?, but an inane connection as they were just astute comments on the human condition, what powerful tale of debilitated emotion could not be linked. Bleu/L'avventura, lost loves, lost souls, society unsympathetic yet malevolent. Numbed despair, silence, inner torment. Spiraling drains, indifference bathed in blue. I still do not know.
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There are so many things about the film that I loved. The acting by Binoche, the music, the camerwork, the use of colour, the emotional journey and the themes of loss.
The best thing about "Bleu" is how it is punctuated with fades in order to give the music more space and highlight emotions with a fade to black. Traditionally, the fade to black is not used for this. Traditionally, it is used to show time. An editor use a cross fade to show a short time between two moments. And for a longer time, he uses the fade to black. Here, the fade doesn't show time at all! Here it is used in the middle of a scene, to…
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13 Minutes into the film and I was starting to reconsider my all time favorite movie list.
There is so much going on in this film. Visually, symbolically, metaphorically, and psychologically. I think I could watch this film 30 or 40 more times and not only find something new it, but find new ways of interpreting things. Each viewing could give me a new and deeper appreciation of the film.
Juliette Binoche plays a woman that looses her husband and daughter in a car wreck that she was also in, but survived. The film then follows her as she attempts to cope with the loss (which mainly consists of attempting to forget her entire past) and develop / define a…
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Outstandingly gorgeous. The use of color (blue most prominently, but not exclusively) and symbols is complex and perfect. The music usage throughout is as ingenious as any you're likely to see.
I've also not seen many films that portray so well the complete soul dead numbness of grief and depression. It's not sadness always, it's the lack/covering up of emotion. We see Julie's gradual rejoining of the world and regaining of feeling. But all I'm doing is describing some small aspects of a deeply rich and mysterious film.
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A very thoughtful and observant film, with beautiful cinematography and a moving central performance by Juliette Binoche. The central themes of love, grief and free will are captured wonderfully, all swirling around in a story told in a very human way. I was very impressed, I'll be sure to seek out the remaining two films in this trilogy straight away.
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a study on music
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So after spending a week out innawoods getting in touch with the transcendant beauty of nature and God, I finally return to watch a movie almost as transcendental as that. *This* was what I was hoping for when I watched The Double Life of Veronique -- something that can meander and mingle fluidly with its myriad musings without feeling empty or stagnant. Juliette Binoche gives a sublime performance that is understated and deeply expressive in equal measure, deftly playing a character with a superb arc as she traverses the various stages and tribulations of grief.
The film is bathed both in blue and a deep melancholy, and yet there seems to be this odd undercurrent of hope that I find…
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This movie is a perfect execution behind the philosophy: "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men."
It offers a constant stream of tension and 'every' scene made an impact on me, very breathtaking and highly recommendable.
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Film 10 of Kyle's Travel through 30 Countries in 30 Days
Country: France
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My first exposure to Kieslowski and I absolutely loved it. His use of cinematic form here is bold and uncompromising. I'm told the entire Three Colors trilogy is more affecting taken as a whole, but whether viewed as the first installment in a series or as a single piece of work, this is astounding, devastatingly good stuff.
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Filmaço! a trilha sonora é mostrada de forma orgânica, não é apenas um pano de fundo. Uma aula de edição e composição de trilha.
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Kieslowski means to stun you with sound in the first chapter of his "Three Colors" trilogy, each entry dedicated to a feature on the French flag. And with "Blue", he succeeds on all fronts -- plagued with tragic blackouts, grief, and finally love. I use the word "dreamy" a lot in describing difficult pieces of art, but the emphasis put on the empty and beautiful stares of the incredible Juliette Binoche encompasses that term more completely than few other movies I've probably ever seen.
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My first foray into French film. The cinematography, use of color, and music are simply amazing. The story's exploration of a woman refusing to be caught up in the tragedy that has befallen her life after the death of her husband and daughter is refreshing and captivating. It took me awhile to realize that the purpose of the sudden fades to black, but when I realized that they were for dramatic pause leading to a wholly undramatic response the whole film came together for me.