Three Colors: Red (1994)
"Trois couleurs: Rouge" (original title)

Final entry in a trilogy of films dealing with contemporary French society concerns a model who discovers her neighbour is keen on invading people's privacy.

Director:

Krzysztof Kieslowski

Writers:

Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz

Stars:

Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Frédérique Feder

Top 250 #247 | Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Irène Jacob	...	Valentine (as Irene Jacob)
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	Le juge
Frédérique Feder	...	Karin (as Frederique Feder)
Jean-Pierre Lorit	...	Auguste
Samuel Le Bihan	...	Le photographe (Photographer) (as Samuel Lebihan)
Marion Stalens	...	Le Vétérinaire (Veterinary surgeon)
Teco Celio	...	Le barman (Barman)
Bernard Escalon	...	Le disquaire (Record dealer)
Jean Schlegel	...	Le voisin (Neighbour)
Elzbieta Jasinska	...	La femme (Woman)
Paul Vermeulen	...	L'ami de Karin (Karen's friend)
Jean-Marie Daunas	...	Le gardien du théâtre (Theatre manager)
Roland Carey	...	Le trafiquant (Drug dealer)
Brigitte Raul
Leo Ramseyer

Storyline

Valentine is a young model living in Geneva. Because of a dog she ran over, she meets a retired judge who spies his neighbours' phone calls, not for money but to feed his cynicism. The film is the story of relationships between some human beings, Valentine and the judge, but also other people who may not be aware of the relationship they have with Valentine or/and the old judge. Redemption, forgiveness and compassion...

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Plot Keywords:

judge | model | dog | redemption | privacy | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a brief but strong sex scene

Details

Country:

France Switzerland Poland

Language:

French

Release Date:

December 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Red

Filming Locations:

Veyrier, Canton de Genève, Switzerland

Box Office

Gross:

$4,043,686 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

MK2 Productions, France 3 Cinéma, CAB Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final movie for filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski

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Goofs

A stage hand reflected in the window upon Valentine's first visit to the Judge's house.

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Quotes

Valentine: If I had to go to court...are there still judges like you?
The Judge: You won't go to court. Justice doesn't deal with the innocent.

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Connections

Referenced in Amélie (2001)

User Reviews

A masterwork

The final part of Kieslowski's trilogy based on the colors of the French flag finds the director at peace with the metaphysical and transcendent nature of the cinematic image. In Red, imagery is paramount, as well as the obvious but clever color coding. However, rather than adhering to empty aesthetic contrivances based on the 'cinema du look', Kieslowski's Red is a multi-layered, densely plotted meditation on the nature of fate and love. In Red, love and fate are intertwined but complex notions, dictated as much by the whims of human beings as the invisible parallel associations that seems to pass us by. You sense Red is really an allegory, a reenactment of Prospero's omnipresent gestures in The Tempest, yet it is more than its story appears. Red demands countless viewings, and in each viewing something new is discovered that weaves itself into the already immaculately plotted structure.

Although Red stands alone as a masterwork from Kieslowski, it's best viewed as part of the trilogy. Elements of Blue and White are referenced in Red, which knowing viewers will enjoy.