Three Colors: Blue (1993)

A woman struggles to find a way to live her life after the death of her husband and child.

Director:

Krzysztof Kieslowski

Writers:

Krzysztof Kieslowski (scenario), Krzysztof Piesiewicz (scenario)

Stars:

Juliette Binoche, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 20 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Juliette Binoche	...	Julie Vignon (de Courcy)
Benoît Régent	...	Olivier (as Benoit Regent)
Florence Pernel	...	Sandrine
Charlotte Véry	...	Lucille (as Charlotte Very)
Hélène Vincent	...	La journaliste (as Helene Vincent)
Philippe Volter	...	L'agent immobilier
Claude Duneton	...	Le médecin
Hugues Quester	...	Patrice (Mari de Julie)
Emmanuelle Riva	...	La mère
Florence Vignon	...	La copiste
Daniel Martin	...	Le voisin du dessous
Jacek Ostaszewski	...	Le flutiste
Catherine Therouenne	...	La voisine
Yann Trégouët	...	Antoine (as Yann Tregouet)
Alain Ollivier	...	L'avocat

Storyline

The first part of Kieslowski's trilogy on France's national motto: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. 'Blue' is the story of Julie who loses her husband, an acclaimed composer and her young daughter in a car accident. The film's theme of liberty is manifested in Julie's attempt to start life anew, free of personal commitments, belongings, grief or love. She intends to numb herself by withdrawing from the world and living completely independently, anonymously and in solitude in the Parisian metropolis. Despite her intentions, people from her former and present life intrude with their own needs. However, the reality created by the people who need and care about her, a surprising discovery and the music around which the film revolves heal Julie and draws her back to the land of the living.

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Plot Keywords:

liberty | first part of trilogy | trauma | telling a joke | mourning | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Juliette Binoche: The Art of Being - Official Fansite

Country:

France Poland Switzerland

Language:

French Romanian Polish

Release Date:

8 September 1993 (France)

Also Known As:

Three Colors: Blue

Filming Locations:

Piscine Pontoise - 19 Rue de Pontoise, Paris 5, Paris, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,324,974

Company Credits

Production Co:

MK2 Productions, CED Productions, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one point, we see Julie carrying a box which, as a close-up shows, has prominently written across it the word "blanco", Spanish for white; in the next shot we are looking at her from behind, and she pauses in the street as a man in blue passes her on her left and a woman in red passes her on her right. This is a subtle reference to the structure of the Three Colours trilogy - blue, white, red, in that order, mirroring the French flag. In another scene, children in red and white bathing suits run out and jump in the blue swimming pool.

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Goofs

The speech given at the funeral states Julie's daughter's age as 5, but the dates on the coffin (26/04/1985 - 07/09/1992) would make her 7 years old.

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Quotes

Julie Vignon: Now I have only one thing left to do: nothing. I don't want any belongings, any memories. No friends, no love. Those are all traps.

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Crazy Credits

The final credit says in French, "We thank Alfa Romeo who allowed the scene of the accident to the Alfa 164 whose dynamics are of course purely imaginary."

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Blink/Naked/I'll Do Anything/The Thing Called Love/Blue (1994)

User Reviews

My brief review of the film

Carefully directed, with attention to both detail and colour, the film is amazing on a visual scope, but it is also powerful on an emotional scope with a number of very intense and moving scenes. It is a story of coping with grief, with characters fleshed out through facial expressions rather than words and actions, and Binoche is a fine choice for the lead. The intriguing music score and fade-to-black editing provide the film with an interesting sensation, in particular alongside the cinematography and lighting, used cleverly to keep things in and out of focus. Kieslowski also plays with sound in an interesting manner, and it is hard to flaw the film on anything. We are told nothing of the background of our protagonist, the supporting characters at times appear haphazardly thrown around, and yes, there is a lot of meandering and not much story, but this surely depicts the state of mind of the protagonist. Really, it is hard to say anything against this film, as it is so well made and moving that it is really just fine viewing. The first entry in a trilogy of films, it was followed in 1994 by 'Trois Couleurs: Blanc'.