Three Colours trilogy
Three Colours | |
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French | Trois Couleurs |
Directed by | Krzysztof Kieślowski |
Written by |
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Produced by | Marin Karmitz |
Starring | |
Cinematography |
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Edited by | |
Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time |
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Countries |
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Languages |
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Box office | $6.1 million |
The Three Colours trilogy (
All three installments were co-written by Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz (with story consultants Agnieszka Holland and Sławomir Idziak), produced by Marin Karmitz and composed by Zbigniew Preisner. All three films garnered widespread acclaim from reviews, with Red receiving nominations for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography at the 67th Academy Awards.
Themes
Blue, white, and red are the colours of the
The trilogy has also been interpreted by film critic
Connections and patterns
A symbol common to the three films is that of an underlying link or thing that keeps the protagonist linked to their past. In the case of Blue, it is the lamp of blue beads, and a symbol seen throughout the film in the TV of people falling (doing either
Another recurring image related to the spirit of the film is that of elderly people recycling bottles: In Blue, an old woman in Paris is recycling bottles and Julie does not notice her (in the spirit of freedom); in White, an old man also in Paris is trying to recycle a bottle but cannot reach the container and Karol looks at him with a sinister grin on his face (in the spirit of equality); and in Red, an old woman cannot reach the hole of the container and Valentine helps her (in the spirit of fraternity).
In Blue, while Julie is searching for her husband's mistress in the central courthouse, she accidentally steps into an active court trial and is immediately turned around by security. While Julie is peeking into the courtroom, Karol from White can be heard pleading to the judge in a scene that begins his chapter of the trilogy.
Each film's ending shot is of a character crying. In Blue, Julie de Courcy cries looking into space. In White, Karol cries as he looks at his wife. In Red, the judge Kern cries as he looks through his broken window out at the camera.
Many main characters from Blue and White, including Julie and Karol, appear at the ending of Red as survivors of a ferry accident.
Principal cast
- Juliette Binoche - Julie
- Benoît Régent - Olivier
- Florence Pernel - Sandrine
- Zbigniew Zamachowski - Karol
- Julie Delpy - Dominique
- Janusz Gajos - Mikolaj
- Irène Jacob - Valentine
- Jean-Louis Trintignant - Joseph
- Jean-Pierre Lorit - Auguste
Soundtrack
Three Colors (soundtracks) | |
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Soundtrack album by | |
Released | 1993 - 1994 |
Genre | Soundtrack, Classical |
Length | 40:35 35:46 41:57 |
Label | Virgin Capitol Records |
Music for all three parts of the trilogy was composed by Zbigniew Preisner and performed by Silesian Philharmonic choir along with Sinfonia Varsovia.
Reception
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
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Blue | 98% (56 reviews)[5] | 87 (11 reviews)[6] |
White | 89% (55 reviews)[7] | 91 (11 reviews)[8] |
Red | 100% (63 reviews)[9] | 100 (11 reviews)[10] |
The trilogy as a whole topped
Ranked #11 in Empire magazine's "The 33 Greatest Movie Trilogies" in 2010.[18]
Ranked #14 in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.[19]
References
- ^ Abrahamson, Patrick (2 June 1995). "Kieslowski's Many Colours". Oxford University Student newspaper. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (9 March 2003). "Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- S2CID 145608963.
- ^ Leong, Anthony. "Demystifying Three Colors: Blue". Media Circus. Archived from the original on 26 October 2002. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Three Colours: Blue". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Three Colours: Blue (1993): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
- ^ "Three Colours: White (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Three Colours: White (1994): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Three Colours: Red (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Three Colours: Red (1994): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ Elliott, David (25 December 1994). "On the big screen, color it a satisfying time". The San Diego Union-Tribune (1, 2 ed.). p. E=8.
- San Jose Mercury News(Morning Final ed.). p. 3.
- ^ Mills, Michael (30 December 1994). "It's a Fact: 'Pulp Fiction' Year's Best". The Palm Beach Post (Final ed.). p. 7.
- ^ King, Dennis (25 December 1994). "SCREEN SAVERS in a Year of Faulty Epics, The Oddest Little Movies Made The Biggest Impact". Tulsa World (Final Home ed.). p. E1.
- ^ "The Year's Best". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 25 December 1994. p. K/1.
- ^ "Ebert's 10 Best Lists: 1967–present". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2006.
- ^ "Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red (1993-1994)". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "The 33 Greatest Movie Trilogies". Empire. 5 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema". Empire. 2019. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2023.