Three Colors: Red

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Not R The best one which is saying a lot Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/24 Full Review Matthew B Throughout the Three Colours Trilogy, Krzysztof Kieślowski has been exploring the interconnected nature of human relationships. In the final movie (and, as it turned out, the last movie that Kieślowski made before his death), this is the central theme of the story. The film explores all the many ties that form between individuals. The opening image of any film in the Three Colours Trilogy is important in establishing the mood of the story that follows. In the case of Red the story opens with a telephone call. The camera seemingly follows the wires across the English Channel, and other calls are heard too. Just as we are all connected to one another by our common humanity, our interests and our personalities, so our homes are connected to one another by telephone wires. However sometimes those connections do not get through. This one ends in an engaged line. We see a man pick up the phone. However he is answering a different call. This deliberate misdirection on Kieślowski's part hints that perhaps the two people might have been united together if pure chance had not separated them. As is appropriate in a movie that uses the colour red as a backdrop, the heroine is called Valentine, a name associated with that colour. The name is also associated with love, and this is a film about the many loving relationships that form, or fail to form. Valentine is played by Irène Jacob, and I must again commend Kieślowski for his ability to find a leading actress whose face is so expressive. Intelligence and warmth radiate out from Valentine in every scene. Characteristically, Valentine's profession is appropriate to the movie's themes. She is a model. After posing for a chewing gum advertisement, her face is seen by thousands of people who have an association with her, even though they have never met her. The image goes up on poster boards, where it waves in the wind, anticipating the closing shot of the movie. After accidentally running down a dog, Valentine tries to return the injured animal to her owner. He proves surly and ungrateful. On a second visit, she returns the dog, now much recovered, but is shocked to discover that the man is spying on his neighbours. This man is Joseph Kern (Jean-Louis Trintignant), and he is a retired judge. Perhaps there is something of the judge in his snooping – he is again assuming a god-like role where he gets to learn about the foibles and weaknesses of others. In the world of Red, judgement gets in the way of developing a fellow-feeling for others. More understanding and less judgement is needed. Valentine initially judges the judge for his illegal and unethical behaviour. Despite this inauspicious beginning, an understanding develops between these two seemingly different people. Indeed it becomes so strong that they seem able to understand aspects of one another before they are even disclosed. The imagery in the film reflects the inter-relationships between the characters. Often people speak to each other whilst on different physical levels. Auguste climbs up to the apartment of his girlfriend to catch her sleeping with another man. Later he hides from her by walking down a stairway that takes him away from street level. When Valentine meets Kern after she has spent the day modelling on a catwalk, she speaks to him while she is stood on the stage and he is sat below in the auditorium. They reach forward and hold hands. Then she descends to his level to talk to him as an equal. Glass is also used as a metaphor. Glass is an object that allows you to see another person whilst remaining separate from them. Sometimes the glass is shattered, as happens when an angry resident breaks Kern's window. Valentine and Kern put their hands to one another through a car window. Later Kern sees her on a television screen that he watches through the broken pane. A range of coincidences and parallels are notable in the plot. In other films, these would seem contrived, but here they are the point of the story. Life is a series of accidents, collisions and near-misses. (It was a collision that brought Valentine and Kern together, for example.) The final scene of Three Colours: Red brings all the characters together. An event happens where a handful of people are seen emerging. They include Julie and Olivier from Blue, Karol and Dominique from White, and Auguste and Valentine from Red. This ending offers one final image of unification and ties the trilogy neatly together. I wrote a longer appreciation of Red on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2021/01/21/three-colours-red-1994/ I also wrote an overview of the entire Three Colours Trilogy, which discusses Red: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2021/01/09/krzysztof-kieslowskis-three-colours-trilogy-an-overview/ Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/22/23 Full Review favio c Para los vulnerables amantes del rojo y las emociones graficas. Un romance en el que seguro de identificas. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/04/23 Full Review Robert J Wow first of all she is exquisite the story makes you want to stay in the moment never boring or lazy just honest emotions when he talks of having control of peoples lives being judge make you really think how here sweet beauty brings him out of his shell like an elixir of life an she so honest great writing great acting I wish more movies now would let the story just be there not drive it down are throats with narration Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review dave s Focusing on themes surrounding fraternity, based on the color red on the French flag, Krzysztof Kieslowski concludes his Three Colors trilogy with the outstanding Three Colors: Red. Set in Geneva, Valentine (Irene Jacob), immersed in both her studies and her modeling career, develops a unique friendship with a retired judge after she accidently runs over his dog. Beautifully shot in an array of red hues by Piotr Sobocinski and intelligently scripted by Kieslowski and long-time colleague Krzysztof Piesiewicz, Three Colors: Red is the stunning final piece to one of cinema's great trilogies, concluding with the reintroduction of characters from the first two films. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review isla s This is a somewhat poignant watch. Its more thoughtful than the previous 'Three colours: White' film was. There are some surprising themes, including surveillance, confession, rescue and redemption. I would recommend this film, yes. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Three Colors: Red

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