Three Colors: White

R

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1h 31m

Drama

List

89%

54 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Polish immigrant Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) finds himself out of a marriage, a job and a country when his French wife, Dominique (Julie Delpy), divorces him after six months due to his impotence. Forced to leave the France after losing the business they jointly owned, Karol enlists fellow Polish expatriate Mikolah (Janusz Gajos) to smuggle him back to their homeland. After successfully returning, Karol begins to build his new life, while never forgetting his old one.

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Critics Consensus

Taking a lighter tone than the other films of the Three Colors trilogy, White is a witty, bittersweet comedy with heavier themes on its mind than one might at first realize.

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STEPHEN P

Wow I was so hopeful this would be a really good show based on its reviews - maybe it is a 90's thing but this was basically a story of very unlikely and unbalanced revenge with no real reward for watching till the end. Well-made and different but such an unlikely revenge plot. I will not be watching the rest of the Three colors series I was so hopeful for.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

Full Review

Matthew B

While the films in Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colours Trilogy all operate well as stand-alone movies, White is the film that is better appreciated when viewed in context. The viewer who watches White on its own might form a misleading impression of Kieślowski's attitude towards women. On the surface, White might seem like a film designed to appeal to incels and other embittered males. A wife mistreats the husband that she is divorcing, but he picks himself up, makes a new life for himself, and then takes revenge on his wife in a manner that could be seen as mean-spirited. This is where context comes in. White is sandwiched between Blue and Red, two movies that centre on a strong-minded woman who is presented with love and admiration. If we see a strong woman punishing a weaker man and then getting her comeuppance in a Kieślowski movie, we need to look deeper. In the Three Colours Trilogy, Kieślowski loves all his leading characters, and that extends to the wife. Kieślowski does seek to steer the viewer away from this negative reading of the movie in a number of ways. He even softened the film's closing scene because he wanted to make Dominique Vidal (Julie Delpy) seem less like a monster. There are other ways in which such an interpretation is played down. Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) is not a tough masculine figure. His name seems to doubly affirm an identity that is female (Karol is a male name, but one that is more often used as a girl's name in other countries). Karol has a strong feminine side. He is small and not physically strong. He is a qualified hairdresser who won competitions. If this man triumphs over his wife and the local criminals, it is a victory that is not achieved on macho terms, but through intelligence. Karol Karol is sympathetic in other ways. He is not at an unfair advantage to Dominique because she is a woman. Admittedly he suffers from the problem that he is in love with her, and she is (seemingly) not in love with him. However the imbalance between them is not the result of gender, and certainly not because women get a better deal than men. It is rather that Karol is disadvantaged because he is a Polish immigrant living in France. Attending the divorce court, Karol cannot speak French and needs the help of a translator. Both the civil and criminal laws are against him. He cannot prevent himself from losing his home and his bank card, which is cut up before his eyes. I imagine that Kieślowski has a good deal of empathy for Karol's predicament. As a Polish director working out of France, Kieślowski may well have experienced the difficulties of being an outsider in another country, or at least the fear of never being fully accepted. Is it too fanciful to wonder if it is not a coincidence that Karol Karol shares the same initials as the great film-maker? Rebirth might be said to be a theme in the movie. Two characters return from apparent death, and Karol is able to reinvent himself when he returns home. The ending promises another rebirth too. Perhaps the best way to view the relationship between Karol and Dominique is not as that of a hurt male seeking revenge, but rather as a peculiar sado-masochistic game of one-upmanship between the two lovers. It is uncertain if Dominique ever stops loving Karol, no matter what she says. She divorces him because he does not consummate the marriage. His failure to do so is never explained, and they appear to have had sex before they married. At the end of the movie when Karol has won out, Dominique uses sign language to suggest that she would like a reconciliation with him when she is free, perhaps even a remarriage. When they briefly appear at the end of Red, the last movie in the Three Colours Trilogy, they are together again. Whatever the dynamic between these two obsessed lovers, they are not finished with each other yet. I wrote a longer appreciation of White on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2021/01/19/three-colours-white-1994/ I wrote an overview of the Three Colours Trilogy also: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2021/01/09/krzysztof-kieslowskis-three-colours-trilogy-an-overview/

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/22/23

Full Review

Dave S

Three Colors: White may be the weakest in Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy, but it's still a fairly interesting movie. When Dominique (Julie Delpy) divorces her husband Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowsky) for his failure to consummate their marriage, he initially slides into a life of misfortune and depression. However, fate being in his favor, he is ultimately able to turn the tables on his estranged wife in unimaginable ways. Compared to the other two films in the trilogy, the characters in White lack the same depth as those in its counterparts and it is not nearly as visually striking or stylish as Blue and Red, but the devious story is gripping throughout and the theme of equality (white being the representation of equality on the French flag, the theme of the trilogy) is presented from an interesting angle.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

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isla s

This is a film about longing, determination and belief I suppose. The plot was a bit bizarre at times and it didn't appeal to me as much as the previous film in this trilogy did (Three Colours: Blue) but its reasonably interesting. Its a bit too sad for my tastes I suppose. I quite liked the instrumental music played at times. Its not a memorable film but its ok - a fairly arty type of a film.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

I'll be honest, I didn't realise this was meant to be dark comedy. That being said I enjoyed this one far better than the other two colour films. Stuff actually happens in this one and it has a neat plot.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

kyle e

While 'Three Colours: White' may be the weakest of Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colours Trilogy", that is in no way saying that it is a bad film (to me it was actually still an extremely good one) and that it's testament to the trilogy's consistently high overall quality. 'Three Colours: White' could have been a little longer to give more development to the two leads' relationship and to Julie Delpy's character perhaps, and there are a couple of parts that do strain credibility. On the whole though, it is an entertaining, sad and thought-provoking examination of equality and revenge with a story detailing love on the rocks and the aftermath of Poland's Communist Regime. Again it is very symbolic, especially in the linking to the protagonist's past (this time with a coin and a Marianna plaster bust) and again the recycling of bottles that ties in with the film's main theme of equality. This symbolism is this said intriguing and visually arresting, instead of being incoherent, one may not get the significance of it at first but reading up about the film and analyses of it has proved to be tremendously insightful. Visually, 'Three Colours: White' is every bit as visually stunning as the previous film 'Three Colours: Blue'. The scenery is intentionally not flattering but at the same time it is also affectionate, and the film is exquisitely shot with the use of colour bold and striking. The music is not quite as symbolic as in 'Blue', but is still very much inspired and cleverly used, with a dark jauntiness to match the blackly comedic nature of the film and also a little pathos to mirror the emotions of the protagonist. Writing is of the true black comedy/dry humour kind, enough to make one laugh heartily and cry unashamedly, with plenty of funny and poignant moments as well as blunt and thought-provoking ones. Kieslowski's direction is never intrusive. Zbigniew Zamachowski excels par excellence in his tragicomic role, a very funny and nuanced turn. Julie Delpy's role is not as interesting, but she does bring a formidable edge and sensuality to it. On the whole, the weakest of the trilogy but still extremely good. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Krzysztof Kieslowski

Director

Zbigniew Zamachowski

Karol Karol

Julie Delpy

Dominique Vidal

Janusz Gajos

Mikolaj

Jerzy Stuhr

Jurek

Juliette Binoche

Julie Vignon (de Courcy)

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

What a strange confection White is – an opera of male agony and outrageously implausible picaresque adventure. Yet it succeeds amazingly on its own melodramatic terms.

Rated: 5/5

Apr 5, 2023

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

A bleak but ultimately hopeful comedy which, if it hadn't got to be called White, might very well be dubbed Black.

Aug 9, 2012

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Steve Beard

Empire Magazine

The least favourite of the trilogy, this is also arguably the most accessible.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 9, 2012

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

[T]his is the comedy of the trilogy, not so much a black comedy as a wicked satire in the cold white light of Polish winter, which (as you would expect) informs the color palette of this film.

Oct 28, 2023

Full Review

Imran Khan

PopMatters

Its remastering of these three films is stunning, given that these films are rich in their coloring and textures. Images are sharp, crisp, and vibrant, bringing to life the lush color tones that saturate these films.

May 11, 2023

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Patrick Gamble

CineVue

Often overlooked due to its more jovial and subtle approach, Three Colours: White is a surprisingly affecting story that whilst not delivering as strong an emotional hammer blow as Three Colours: Blue is just as an important study of French society.

Rated: 5/5

Mar 30, 2023

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Synopsis

Polish immigrant Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) finds himself out of a marriage, a job and a country when his French wife, Dominique (Julie Delpy), divorces him after six months due to his impotence. Forced to leave the France after losing the business they jointly owned, Karol enlists fellow Polish expatriate Mikolah (Janusz Gajos) to smuggle him back to their homeland. After successfully returning, Karol begins to build his new life, while never forgetting his old one.

Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Producer: Yvon Crenn
Screenwriter: Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Distributor: Artificial Eye, Miramax Films
Production Co: CAB Productions, MK2 Films, Tor Film Production, France 3 Cinéma
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 18, 1994, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $468.0K
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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