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Red (Three Colors Trilogy)

Red (Three Colors Trilogy)

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Great

Rating: 4/5

The final film of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors (Trois Couleurs) trilogy, Red (Rouge), released in 1994, is almost universally acclaimed as the best of the films. For once, the common consensus is correct. Of course, if one is to believe some of the online reviews of this film, and the whole trilogy, there are plenty of people who seriously question whether or not Three Colors is a better trilogy than the two Star Wars trilogies, that of The Matrix, or even The Lord Of The Rings. Let me end that debate, once and for all. It is far better than those comic book level films, and real comparisons need to be made with some of the truly great cinematic trilogies, such as Ingmar Bergman's Spider trilogy, or Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Alienation trilogy (L'Avventura, La Notte, and L'Eclisse).
As with the prior two films, Red was written by Kieslowski and his writing partner Krzysztof Piesiewicz. It is a brilliant film, with the depth of Blue, pathos of White, and character definitions better than either prior entry. The film follows the parallel lives of a small group of people in a town just outside of Geneva, Switzerland. The main character is a beautiful brunet model named Valentine Dussault (Irène Jacob), whose boyfriend Michel is never seen, but ever calling her. The film opens with him calling her, and getting a busy signal, shot in away that recalls the end of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. He is clearly an unstable and jealous man, who harangues Valentine, whose insecurities keep her attached to him, despite knowing, somewhere inside of her, that they are wrong for each other. Jacob is in one of those roles that defines an actor- a career making choice; even more so than her dual role in The Double Life Of Veronique. Her character seems to embody decency and goodness, and radiates love and compassion throughout the film, both visually and personally. It is the sort of role that recalls that given by Setsuko Hara in Tokyo Story, or, more recently, Claire Danes in Shopgirl (although she reminds me of British actress Finola Hughes in looks). Hers is the sort of dream woman that a man never meets; not because she's a model, but because she is almost preternaturally good and filled with a love of life and others- even down to her name. She believes that people are not bad, merely weak.... It is the sort of art that if you ask, `What is it about?', it cannot be answered in a sentence or two. Dozens of small details suffuse it. Valentine lives near a café called Chez Joseph, then meets Joseph Kern; Auguste abandons then retrieves the dog given to him by Karin while Kern's dog is abandoned then embraced by him once Valentine saves it; Auguste has a photo of a dancer in his apartment, and Valentine dances; the veterinarian she takes Rita to is named Marc, like her brother, etc. This is a tale that is not so dumbed down, ala Hollywood films, that even a detailed syllabus could justice it. It is linear in spots, yet intuitive throughout. One could easily see it going off tangentially to follow any of a dozen minor characters, and the thrust of the film would have remained intact, even though it would have been a wholly different film. Still, it would have been a great film, for there is an undeniable immanence to greatness, and this fact is something that few critics can grasp. The greatness of Red, and to an extent, the whole Three Colors trilogy, is that such intellectual grasping is not necessary to feel greatness. Thus, art at its best.

Weakest of the Three Colors trilogy is still better than most movies.

Rating: 4/5

Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994)

Kieslowski wrapped up his Trois Couleurs trilogy with Rouge, and like the others, it's entirely different from its predecessors. I've heard a number of people say this was their least favorite film, and for most of it, I have to say I agreed with them-- but then came the final shot, and as far as I was concerned, all was forgiven. It's hard to forget that Kieslowski was a genius when he keeps doing stuff like the final shot in this movie.

The story centers on Valentine (Irene Jacob), who, like all of Kieslowski's protagonists, is having some major personal problems. She discovers that one of her neighbors, a man known only as The Judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant), is spying on his neighbors with bushels of sophisticated equipment. She is initially outraged, but after accidentally overhearing a conversation, she starts to understand the intrigue of spying, and wonders whether it might be able to help her out. (Not that a Kieslowski protagonist would go to such lengths, but still.) I'd like to say the movie goes on to explore the relationship between Valentine and the Judge, or that Valentine reaches a crisis point about her conflicting opinions of the Judge's hobby, but I can't-- I've just described the end of the film to you, not the beginning. Which means Kieslowski, who was never anything less than exact, meant the viewer to get everything from that which preceded Valentine's meeting with the Judge, and her initial feelings towards him. But that's so... un-Kieslowski.

Still, Kieslowski's genius with dialogue and his perfectionism with camerawork make this a stunning technical achievement, and the script (which was nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar [losing to Pulp Fiction; far less embarrassing than losing Best Director to Robert Zemeckis for the godawful Forrest Gump]) manages to be compelling without anything actually happening. This is very Kieslowski-like, at least.

As a part of the trilogy, it's a must; as a stand-alone film, I'm not so sure, for you'll lose the effect of the final moments. But if you haven't already started watching the trilogy, you should. Kieslowski, during his brief career, was probably the best director on the planet. *** ½

Superb!

Rating: 5/5

Valentine ( Irene Jacob ), a Swiss model, runs over a dog and haps on the owner ( Jean-Louis Trintignant ), who is an old judge. Although the judge begins talking about his past, what he says also depicts Valentine's future. There's the linkage between his past and her destiny! On the other hand, Auguste ( Jean-Pierre Lorit ) is preparing for the exam to be a judge...
Red implies passion, but also means fraternity. This motion picture depicts cyclical destiny and human spirit.
Jacob, the star of "Double life of Veronique," is vivid in Kieslowski's movie. Trintignant expresses the old judge who is revived by Valentine well. Lorit's silent performance is notable.
Director Kieslowski is good at depicting two things at the same time. In Red, he expresses the linkage between the past of the old judge and heroine's destiny. Kieslowski uses unique, artistic, and abstract expression. He effectively uses silence, unique behavior, metaphor, minimum speech, and beautiful music. In addition, he represents the characters of the hero and heroines of The Three Colors Trilogy ( Blue, White, Red )by contrasting the each reaction toward an old lady through three stories. Also, it is interesting that 3 stories are intertwined.
The three colors trilogy consists of 3 films ( Blue, White, Red ) . The colors of French flag means liberty, equality, fraternity. Director Kieslowski expressed these themes through the movies. Compared to "Blue" and "White," "Red" gives us the impression of the hopeful future. Also, this film was nominated for the Academy Award in 1994. Many viewers have praised this film. I recommend watching all three motion pictures.

Exquisite., 23 Sep 2007

Rating: 5/5

Plot:

A young model living in Geneva, a judge become connected through controversial means.

My Review:

Kieslowski's trilogy ends with the colour Red as well as summing up the previous two films. TC: Red deals with various divides in society, and manages to dissolve 'segregation' blurring the lines of the 'fated-universe'.

Focus is given to Valentine (Irene Jacob) an introverted model who seems naive but not at all in the stupid sense, the public eye always domineering and judging eyes that watch her strut the catwalk. In accidentally running over a strangers dog, throws her into a deeper understanding of what it means to judge. She meets the pivotal figure in all this, a retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant). Having seen the recent 'The Lives of Others' it mirrors itself to the socio-political conflict during 1980's Berlin, Germany where the Stasi had keen ears on every suspecting house.

The most intellectual corollary that Kieslowski's three pieces ornate or always will ornate, is the adeptly writing style that envelops them all. Kieslowski doesn't incessantly draw out emotional dialogue and raw edge to cataclysm by overbearing it with needless flamboyant words to stay a finale; like many Hollywood pieces today. He is simple, if you were to ask someone "Do you love me?", and you mean 'yes', in requisite your answer should be a "Yes." As the retired judge spends all his time engaging in espionage on his 'temptation-filled neighbours', the old man and the young woman begin to iron out the creases with the force of a startling revelation.

Verdict:

Kieslowski's knockout piece. 9/10.

Compassion saves the soul

Rating: 5/5

Red was so relaxing to watch! It feels like a poem or watching a painting come to life. I believe it is about how compassion, or opening of the heart, splits all notions of time and space and exposes a different reality that is just outside the one we are living in, as in an alternate reality. The powerful force of a compassionate heart changes the destiny of several lives. It is a story about the breaking through to the divine within the human heart that connects us all; the mysterious dimension of the universe that is not available to the senses and is much bigger then the human seen dimension.

The woman in the movie, Valentine, was sad and went through the motions of her life seemingly disconnected from herself and her happiness. Her boyfriend was jealous and was not sure he loved her, and her brother was on the streets from drug use and Valentine seemed to be void of life, even though she was a successful model and ballerina dancer. As they showed her life they also showed the life of her across the street neighbor. He was studying to become a Judge and he too had a life that was not fulfilling or living up to his potential. Valentine and the young man never met, but their stories intertwined as if they were just out of sync with time. Mysterious and spiritual forces worked in the background weaving their lives together.

One day Valentine was driving around sad and she hit a dog. She jumped out of the car and saw the dog was bleeding. She took it to the owner outside of town. He was a dejected and bitter older retired Judge, who spent his time listening in on telephone conversations of his neighbors through a radio he setup. Once Valentine heard the conversations she became agitated and told him it is wrong. She was a sweet innocent young woman pure in beauty and their lives touched. Her loving heart changed him and he later turned himself into the police and they shut down his radio for good. She saw that in the paper and went to see him. It was his birthday and they shared some peach brandy and talked about their lives. She was to go see her boyfriend and he told her to take the Ferry. She bought a ticket.

Meanwhile the young Judge found out his girlfriend was cheating on him and he got dejected and followed her around. He too got a ticket on the same ferry as Valentine. The older Judge came to see Valentine at her modeling show and he told her similar stories of his life that mirrored the life of the young Judge. He then told her the story of his love cheating on him, just like the young Judge's story but having it end there with him lost never finding love again. Then he said that maybe the woman he never met was Valentine, making the story really feel magical like the alternate reality, just out of sync with time, would happen. And when the Ferryboat capsized and we saw the survivors as Valentine and the young Judge, we knew they would have the life they were both meant to have and somehow the older Judge would have that life too.

Excellent movie that just feels so good. The streets of the small European town, the building and their environments were all so beautiful and magical as well. I like those big coffee cups and the warm cozy feel of their lives. No cell phones, no TV's just life pure and simple and how compassion can open the heart and transform lives so profoundly that lost lives can become renewed and the very reality of time as we know it can be changed forever. Love is the healing force of the world that is what is required to transcend stuck sorrowful lives. One of the best films ever made.