Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994)

A model discovers a retired judge is keen on invading people's privacy.

Director:

Krzysztof Kieslowski

Writers:

Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz

Stars:

Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Frédérique Feder

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Irène Jacob	...	Valentine
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	Le juge Joseph Kern
Frédérique Feder	...	Karin
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:

friendship | ex judge | eavesdropping | judge | model | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

14

Did You Know?

Trivia

For this film, Krzysztof Kieslowski became the fifth person to receive a Best Director Oscar nomination for their last film, after Jerome Robbins (West Side Story (1961)), Joseph L. Mankiewicz (Sleuth (1972)), David Lean (A Passage to India (1984)), and Charles Crichton (A Fish Called Wanda (1988)).

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Goofs

Camera shadow is visible on the building in the pan shot from Valentine getting out of her car to the ringing telephone in Auguste's apartment.

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Quotes

Valentine: I feel something important is happening around me. And it scares me.

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Connections

Referenced in Elsewhere (2011)

User Reviews

Perhaps the most philosophically dense film ever made

I feel at a loss, so brilliant is this film. Kieslowski is a writer, a philosopher; and while an excellent filmmaker, his greatness lies in his writing; and "Red" is his paradigm. This film is a metafictional study of the artist's judgement in the creation of his fictional world; of how an artist can attempt to remake life -- even his own -- thru his art, even as he cannot escape the knowledge that, no matter how he involves himself in his story, it is still fiction and he is still outside of his remade world, still burdened with its unreality and the reality of the life he has tried to artistically remake. And magically, all of this is not to the smallest degree at the expense of a wonderful story about the mysteries of love and fate and the characters who live out this story, this pre-judged destiny. If I had to choose, I might nominate this the greatest film ever made.

Details

Country:

Switzerland France Poland

Language:

French

Release Date:

27 May 1994 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Three Colours: Red

Filming Locations:

Rue des Sources, Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,581,969

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,581,969

Company Credits

Production Co:

MK2 Productions, France 3 Cinéma, CAB Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1