867. Trois Couleurs: Rouge

Trois Couleurs: Rouge
Three Colors: Red
1994
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski

This is the last film in Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy.  The previous films were Blue (which I did review) and White (which I didn't review).  I know, I know.  I am a loose cannon.

Valentine Dussault is a part time model who accidentally hits a dog with her car.  She discovers that the dog belongs to her neighbor, a reclusive retired judge, Joseph Kern, who loves to eavesdrop on his neighbors' telephone conversations.  Valentine is disgusted by Kern's activities but ends up overhearing a conversation herself between a couple, Karin and Auguste.  Karin and Auguste are seemingly in love,  but Kern believes that Karin is dishonest.

The metaphors and symbolism in this film are a bit less heavy handed than in Blue, for which I am thankful.  Irene Jacob is as compelling as Juliette Binoche.  Well, almost.  In any case, I think this is a marked improvement from Blue.

Still, it is a very slow moving film.  The characters are also rather inaccessible.  Valentine made for a rather dull protagonist.  I suppose she was supposed to be the moral center of the film.  We all know how I feel about Melanie Wilkes-esque characters.

I might watch White someday, but I kind of think there must be a solid reason for not including it on the List.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Was rejected by the Academy as an entry for Best Foreign Language Film on the grounds that it was not being a majority-Swiss production.

861. Trois Couleurs: Bleu

Trois Couleurs: Bleu
Three Colors: Blue
1993
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski

Only two of the films in Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy are featured in the book.  The second one, Three Colors: White, is skipped.  It might make some completists absolutely insane to not watch the entire trilogy.  But as you can probably tell from this blog, I am kind of easy going about List stuff.  I really don't take it that seriously.  Ahem.

Julie loses both her husband and young daughter in a car crash.  Nothing else of note really happens, as the rest of the film deals with her coping with her grief.

I really struggled with this one.  I didn't expect to, as I adore Juliette Binoche.  I would watch that woman do infomercials.  Still, I thought the experience was a rather dull one.  And I know I am about to make the most obvious statement ever, but everything was so...blue.  The concept felt a bit campy to me; the whole blue=depression idea is kind of tired.  It all just felt very exaggerated and I don't feel like there were any new insights presented.

Anyway, any film with Juliette Binoche is worth watching.  I hope Rouge is more impressive.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Both stars of the sequel, Three Colors: White, make brief appearances in this film.

842. La double vie de Véronique

La double vie de Veronique
The Double Life of Veronique
1991
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski

I have been writing since I woke up this morning but decided to take a short break to watch this film.  Because, obviously, I don't make enough time to watch movies.  This was, surprisingly, quite enjoyable.  I say surprisingly because I wasn't overly impressed with Dekalog Jeden.  Fortunately, Kieslowski redeemed himself with this film and I am now looking forward to The Three Colors.

Weronika, a pretty Polish woman, has a beautiful soprano voice and dreams of singing in concerts.  Meanwhile, her doppelgänger Veronique works as a music teacher in France.  Veronique begins to realize that she might have a connection to an unknown person, meeting a mysterious (and handsome) stranger in the process.

I know that summary was a bit vague, but I am not sure what was intended to be straightforward, and what was intended to be a plot twist.  I actually didn't realize we were dealing with doubles at first; I thought that Weronika was just bilingual.  Let's all take a moment of silence to marvel at my daftness.

In any case, this film is gorgeous.  The cinematography really has an other worldly quality that is stunning to watch.  Actually everything about this film seems ethereal, from the cast to the scary marionette dolls.  It is also a pretty fascinating concept; the idea that we could be living virtually the same life as someone else, sharing the thoughts, emotions, and dreams of a complete stranger.  Thankfully, I already know that my doppelgänger is my sister; everyone thinks we are twins.

A very enjoyable way to procrastinate writing.  Back to the salt mines...

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Andie MacDowell was Kieslowski's first choice to play Veronique.

789. Dekalog, Jeden

Dekalog, Jeden
The Decalogue 1
1988
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski

I hope this information doesn't cause any of my followers to have an aneurysm, but I did not watch the entire series of The Decalogue.  Allow me a little background for those of you who have never heard of this.  The Decalogue is a ten episode mini series, each story having some connection to one of the commandments.  The Book lists "Dekalog Jeden" as the entry.  "Jeden" is Polish for one, so I think the Book refers to the pilot, not the entire series.  This is also supported by the running time it lists, which is 54 minutes (the entire series is roughly 572 minutes).  I seem to be one of the only list followers who takes this view, as other blogs I have found consider this to be the longest "film" in the Book.  I was open to the idea of watching the rest of the series if this episode grabbed me, but unfortunately, I was disappointed.

Krzysztof is a single parent, raising his son Pawel with the help of his sister Irene (or possibly his sister in law, I'm not sure). Krzysztof teaches Pawel son to think scientifically and seemingly does a good job, as Pawel is very intelligent.  Pawel is also really good at chess, which in movies translates as a genius.  Things...happen from there.  It is hard not to give away spoilers, as the episode is less than an hour.

It's pretty random that the book included this, as it hardly qualifies as a movie.  The 1001 Books people pulled this too by including A Modest Proposal with a thousand novels.  Those scamps.  Anyway, it was hardly brilliant; in fact, it was pretty upsetting (although I guess that doesn't really count as a valid criticism).  I suppose the boy was adorable and the premise of making a story for each commandment is interesting enough.  It reminds me of when my mother forced us to take Sunday school lessons and we each had to draw a commandment (I think I chose kill).  I am not sure which one this connects to; maybe honoring your father or having no other gods (i.e. the computer)?

Wow, I am really rambling a lot so I will try to wrap this up.  I am not quite certain what Kieslowski's message here was. Was it supposed to be some moral lesson?  I don't think the characters did anything wrong or need to be punished for their perceived sins.

I can't help thinking there must be a better Decalogue episode that the 1001 list makers could have recommended.  The rascals.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Budget of $10,000.