I haven’t seen any of these films in years, but I do clearly remember Blue being my favorite. I would need to watch them again to give any kind of analysis as to why that’s my favorite, though.
im just going to rely on the emotions that i felt when i watch this show some six years ago. i would have to say that white was my favorite. i remember the last scene where the lead guy is talking in hand gestures to the july delpy’s character after all that they’ve been through!!! on another note i remember very vividly some images on blue (juliette binoche scratching her knuckles in blue and irene jacod’s red bubble gum)…
i should watch the trilogy again. i was 19 when i first watched it and i don’t think my age gave justice on the film.
I think they go Blue, Red, White in terms of how emotionally effective they were on me. In terms of conceptually, no one is better than the other two. Same with the Decalogue, there are a few episodes that really hit me harder than others, but overall they’re of the same quality.
—PolarisDiB
BLANC used to be my least favorite of the three, and only saw it on video. Then I watched it again in the theatre and found it quite good, charming with a nice element of comedy, also more Polish than French. I think all three are excellent as one package.
Blue, because its in the style that I liked best of his work. A natural contination of his work on Double Life Of Veronique
Red is the best of the three, with the best story and the most substance of the trilogy.
It is hard to pick one. I always thought I preferred BLUE simply because it was the first I saw, and Juliette Binoche is more stunning than the other two actresses, but recently I watched all three in a row and found RED to be as worthy. Those two are the ones that resonate due to the subject matter, with WHITE having a different affect because the subject matter is handled with more light-heartedness. The really are one long movie though.
Yeah, they should be considered as a whole.
But individually I like RED the best; it has possibly the best pacing of any film ever made.
While I like Red the best of the three, I feel as if Blue is the strongest. Such elements of Red as the opening credit sequence of traveling through the phone lines and the subplot of the guy who meets a girl always felt flawed to me, the former because it felt like it was out of Mission: Impossible, and the latter because I never cared what was happening with that guy – even though it served as a parallel for the older man.
Blue on the other hand explores its themes much better by sticking closely to showing the progression of Binoche’s character away from being a hermit.
White is interesting in how it is widely regarded as the weakest, but I think that it holds its own well and is a return to Kieslowski’s Polish background, a representation of himself at odds with France.
Overall I feel like every one of the films is flawed, but it is an interesting cinematic experiment and I can, for the most part, look past flaws to appreciate the greater work. But in a competition between this and Dekalog, Dekalog hands down.
I like Red and Blue but not White
My own opinion is lacking from the discussion topic. I suppose that is because I am still a bit conflicted. For sure white is my least favorite. But between blue and red, each invoke such a different response that I feel to state my preference is to choose between two very different emotions. How does one choose which emotion one prefers? Red was the first of the three I viewed as well as my first Kieslowski experience and it was instant love. In some senses it sticks out in my mind as favorite for those reasons alone. Yet Blue content-wise, struck with such a poignant connection. Place a talented actress in a story such as Blue with the visual effectiveness in terms of color and how can it not be your favorite? I suppose if I were to judge which expressed a more seamless display of color emotion and connection it would be Blue. But perhaps that is just due to the nature of that sentiment. So I have not answered the question. I think Blue the greatest of the three pieces, though at times Red appears in my memory as my particular favorite.
White.
Blue is excellent. But perhaps it takes its style too far, a bit de trop, with its artificial blues and loud score. I found it emotionally troubling, the world of Blue seemingly populated by borderline sociopaths (the husband, his mistress, the husband’s friend & collaborator, the horrid journalist). It has the least plot of the three.
White has the most exquisite cinematography — as for example the majestic skyline seen when Karol Karol is beaten at the dump — while at the same time is the most naturalistic in its use of its colour theme. Of the three, it has the most attractive score. A very fine comedy.
Red is a warm film, and strange too. It’s hard to describe the feelings it evokes, or what it’s really all about, but it’s deeply satisfying.
So Red and White are my favourites, while Blue was not quite as successful, as good as it is.
@Rich Uncle Skeleton — that’s a good point about the pacing of Red. The relationship between Valentin and the old judge goes through a remarkably fast trajectory from hostility to friendship.
Red. Irene Jacob and Kieslowski are a match made in film heaven. That said, I think The Double Life of Veronique is Kieslowski’s best. It’s a stunningly beautiful film that opens up so my questions – questions about narrative as well as philosophical/phenomenological questions. I wish we had a philosopher like Heidegger around today that could being to analyze Veronique. Though, Zizek’s article in the Criterion package is quite amazing. (I know this is off topic. Sorry.)
I loved the elegiac tone of Blue, but must admit this was mainly due to the illuminating presence of one my favourite French actresses, the lovely Juliette Binoche. I also greatly admired Red, with its whole theme of eavesdropping and accidental betrayal. White I thought not as effective, but it is Kieslowski’s attempt at a kind of ironic farce, and makes a good contrast in terms of levity to the other two films. That is the order, for me.
Ok, so, not to derail this thread, but I have a question. I just got Three Colors, and was wondering… Should I watch one film tonight, and the other two tomorrow? Or should I wait until I have the time (probably Sunday), and watch all three of them back-to-back-to-back?
Blue is my favorite. But, Red is probably the best film overall, because it’s more complex; because it has to be; seeing how it summates the three colors.
“Red. Irene Jacob and Kieslowski are a match made in film heaven. That said, I think The Double Life of Veronique is Kieslowski’s best.” I agree with this statement thus far, even though I haven’t seen ALL of Kieslowski’s films.
As far as Col. Dax’s question, I would say either way is fine, if you’re anything like me you will watch them WAY more than just once, and so if you don’t watch them in order (one after another back to back) this time, you will prolly do that at somepoint. Personally I stretched them out a bit and watched one at a time over the course of a week or so, I wanted to savor it. but I’ve since watched them back to back which was an experience in itself.
As far as favorites go, I love them all, and one of the things that I love about them is the fact that while they are all obviously interconnected, they are distinctly their own films. Red is extremely powerful, I love Jacob and Kieslowski obviously has a certain love for her as well. The way in which he films her has a certain affection that holds a certain power in itself. Blue is also emotionally draining, Binoche is amazing, and the ways in which the color blue is incorporated is fantastic. White is beautiful and I love the way in which the central character is a male instead of the typical central character from the other two (funny since the only person that I’ve personally talked to who said that this was their favorite of the three was a woman (an ex of mine)). Each has it’s own complex and captivating narrative, and the way that in the end they all sort of come full circle and the connection is revealed is fantastic.
But with all of that said in reagards to the films in general, personal preferance, I waver but I would have to say in order Blue Red White. But all of them rank higher than most films in my humble opinion.
I think I’ll wait, being the first time I want it to be special (take that any which way you want). I will definitely be back here when I finish. Thanks, Edouard.
Col. Dax just don’t watch RED first or second! It must come last!
I’m watching them Blue, White, Red. From what I know that’s how it was released, right? I’m getting very excited indeed.
I like Red the most.
Red for sure. That one was the most affecting for me, though Blue is great also, and I do enjoy White, since it was actually the first one I saw (then Blue, then Red) and actually intrigued me when Binoche made her brief appearance.
Damn, I might have to go and watch them again…
White, it’s both very darkly comic and incredibly moving.
I’ve only been able to see Blue so far, but it was an amazing film. One of my top favorites.
Red by a nose. Blue is my second favorite and had much more interesting camera work. And the use of color is much more prominent in Blue as opposed to the other two. White, while being my least favorite, is still a marvelous film. But in the end, Red did it for me. Irene Jacobs is brilliant (as usual) and it’s just all together a touching film.
Red, Blue, and White for me.
I think Red is the very best, but I have a soft spot for White because it doesn’t get a lot of appreciation because its very dark, the “anti-comedy” of the bunch as Ebert put it.
1. Blue
2. Red
3. White
for me.
All are good though. Blue just stands out for me because it is so emotionally involving.
Laina Barakat
A friend of mine (who will hopefully join this discussion) recently began a conversation with me regarding her favorite piece of Kieslowski’s Three Colors. A simple question with the potential for an in-depth analysis of the films individually and as a collection. Please share your thoughts and opinions of your favorite of the three, your choice of “best” (if not the same), your thoughts on the very asking of the question and breakdown of a trilogy, and your reasons for all stated conclusions.