Three Colors Trilogy (#588, 589, 590)

This boldly cinematic trio of stories about love and loss, from Krzysztof Kielowski, was a defining event of the art-house boom of the 1990s. The films are named for the colors of the French flag and stand for the tenets of the French Revolutionliberty, equality, and fraternitybut that hardly begins to explain their enigmatic beauty and rich humanity. Set in Paris, Warsaw, and Geneva, and ranging from tragedy to comedy,Blue, White,andRed(Kielowskis final film) examine with artistic clarity a group of ambiguously interconnected people experiencing profound personal disruptions. Marked by intoxicating cinematography and stirring performances by Juliette Binoche, Julie Delpy, Irne Jacob, and Jean-Louis Trintignant, Kielowskis Three Colors is a benchmark of contemporary cinema.

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FILM INFO

• Spine #587

FILMS IN THIS SET

• Three Colors: Blue

  1993

  In the devastating first film of Krzysztof Kielowskis Three Colors trilogy, Juliette Binoche gives a tour de force performance as Julie, a woman reeling from the tragic death of her husband and young daughter. ButBlueis more than just a blistering study of grief; its also a tale of liberation, as Julie attempts to free herself from the past while confronting truths about the life of her late husband, a composer. Shot in sapphire tones by Sawomir Idziak, and set to an extraordinary operatic score by Zbigniew Preisner,Blueis an overwhelming sensory experience.

• Three Colors: White

  1994

  The most playful and also the grittiest of Krzysztof Kielowskis Three Colors films follows the adventures of Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a Polish immigrant living in France. The hapless hairdresser opts to leave Paris for his native Warsaw when his wife (Julie Delpy) sues him for divorce (her reason: their marriage was never consummated) and then frames him for arson after setting her own salon ablaze.White,which goes on to chronicle Karols elaborate revenge plot, manages to be both a ticklish dark comedy about the economic inequalities of Eastern and Western Europe and a sublime reverie on twisted love.

• Three Colors: Red

  1994

  Krzysztof Kielowski closes his Three Colors trilogy in grand fashion, with an incandescent meditation on fate and chance, starring Irne Jacob as a sweet-souled yet somber runway model in Geneva whose life dramatically intersects with that of a bitter retired judge, played by Jean-Louis Trintignant. Meanwhile, just down the street, a seemingly unrelated story of jealousy and betrayal unfolds.Redis an intimate look at forged connections and a splendid final statement from a remarkable filmmaker at the height of his powers.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• 4K UHD and Blu-ray: New 4K digital restorations, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks; Blu-ray-only edition: High-definition digital restorations, with 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks; DVD: High-definition digital restorations
• In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of each film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray of each film with special features
• Three cinema lessons with director Krzysztof Kielowski
• Interviews with cowriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz, composer Zbigniew Preisner, and actors Julie Delpy, Irne Jacob, and Zbigniew Zamachowski
• Selected-scene commentary featuring actor Juliette Binoche
• Video essays by film critics Annette Insdorf, Tony Rayns, and Dennis Lim
• Documentary from 1995 featuring Kielowski
• Three short films by KielowskiThe Tram(1966),Seven Women of Different Ages(1978), andTalking Heads(1980)plus the short filmThe Face(1966), starring Kielowski
• Interview programs on Kielowskis life and work, featuring Binoche, Insdorf, Jacob, film critic Geoff Andrew, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Sawomir Idziak, producer Marin Karmitz, and editor Jacques Witta
• Behind-the-scenes programs forWhiteandRed,and a short documentary onReds world premiere
• Trailers
• PLUS: Essays by film critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans, and Georgina Evans; an excerpt fromKielowski on Kielowski;and reprinted interviews with cinematographers Idziak, Edward Kosiski, and Piotr Sobociski

  Covers by Sarah Habibi