I've been taking a break from going to the movies after the double dose of "The Simpsons Movie" last week and I've been going through some of my lost collection of films. These are the films that have been waiting patiently for me to view them once again. One such collection that has been collecting dust has been Krzysztof Kieslowski's masterpiece trilogy of films simply known as "Three Colors". The films "Blue", "White", and "Red" represent the three colors of the french flag and the meaning behind them. Blue means liberty, "White" is equality and "Red" is fraternity.
I suppose it's taken me so long to re-visit these films because I was a bit put off by the all out artistry of them. Let me try to explain, I was not used to films like this before, perhaps I turned my brain off and I didn't want to think too much as I was viewing them. After I watched them I thought the films were good, but they didn't leave me with any permanent impression.
Of course it wasn't the first time I had to see a movie twice in order to discover just how special it really is. It happened when I first saw "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "Tokyo Story" or "Do the Right Thing", I needed to see them a second time to reach a better understanding. I can now say after viewing "Blue", "White" and "Red " again I think they are wonderful pieces as a whole. As separate films they can stand on their own but together they become a testament to a true master's vision.
"Blue" is the story of a woman lives through a car accident only to find that her husband and daughter were killed. The film follows her reluctance to grieve and her determination to wipe the memories of them away but the harder she tries the more difficult it becomes. Juliette Binoche gives a terrific, amazing, remarkable performance as the woman. Why didn't she get an oscar?
"White" is probably the most humorous and ironic of the three as it follows a polish hairdresser who's wife divorces him after he cannot perform in bed. After having to escape to Poland in a suitcase, the man plots to win his wife's love but also gain his revenge. The film is a twisted tale that only a non-Hollywood film can do, you don't know what will happen next. There is also a tender friendship between the hairdresser and a lonely man who wants to die.
"Red" Probably my favorite of the three, this is the story of a young woman who forms an unlikely friendship with a bitter old judge who likes to spy on his neighbours by wiring in on their telephones. The film's philosophy about the truth about people is told in open honesty in a conversation between the judge and the woman, and the way she gets him to come out of his bitter shell was really touching.
I just finished watching "Red" about 30 minutes ago and I had to think about it long and hard, the film moved me in a way few films do. After the film I went outside in the night and walked across my vacant street to get the mail. I breathed in the night air and as I walked back I thought for a moment about the most important things in my life. Films have the power to do that to me every so often, I'm just glad I decided to take a second look at these three films.
No comments:
Post a Comment