Three Colors: Blue, White, Red

For the art house crowd, the release of Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's magnificent Three Colors trilogy has long been one of DVD's most wanted. Just as Kieslowski's epic The Decalogue took its inspiration from the Ten Commandments, so do Blue, White, and Red take their cue from the colors of the French flag, which stand for liberty, quality, and fraternity. Blue (1993) is the most challenging and least accessible of the three, but is a showcase for the ravishing Juliette Binoche, who stars as a recent widow beginning life anew in the wake of her composer husband's tragic death. White (1994) is a bleak comedy about a hapless Polish immigrant plotting revenge on his French wife (Julie Delpy), who left him. Red (1994) stars Irene Jacob (who also starred in Kieslowski's The Double Life of Veronique) as a model whose life is transformed by her friendship with a reclusive retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant). While each film can stand alone (and is also available separately), there are interconnections that ultimately enhance the trilogy's power (in Red, for example, Binoche's character briefly enters a courtroom where the couple in White are getting divorced). Each of the discs sports a handsome widescreen transfer and comes loaded with extras, ranging from illuminating scholarly commentary and interviews with cast and crew, to contemporary and archival featurettes and Kieslowski's student films. While less patient viewers may be put off by these deliberately paced and enigmatic works, this trilogy is sure to be appreciated by true cinephiles and is essential for world cinema collections. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Nov. 22, 2011—Criterion, 288 min., in French & Polish w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: 4 discs, $79.95; Blu-ray: 3 discs, $79.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD, and first on Blu-ray, 1993's Blue, 1993's White, and 1994's Red feature fine transfers and 2.0 surround sound on DVD, and DTS-HD 2.0 sound on Blu-ray. Extras on Blue include select scene commentary by star Juliette Binoche (26 min.), a new interview with composer Zbigniew Preisner (22 min.), a video essay by film studies professor Annette Insdorf (21 min.), a cinema lesson with director Krzysztof Kieślowski (8 min.), and reflections by Binoche, film critic Geoff Andrew, collaborator Agnieszka Holland, and others (18 min.). Extras on White include a video essay by film critic Tony Rayns (22 min.), interviews with cowriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz (22 min.) and costars Zbigniew Zamachowski and Julie Delpy (18 min.), a “making-of” featurette (16 min.), and a cinema lesson with Kieślowski (11 min.). Extras on Red include the 1995 documentary “Krzysztof Kieślowski: I'm So-So…” (56 min.), three short films by—and one starring— Kieślowski (43 min.), behind-the-scenes footage (23 min.), a video essay by film writer Dennis Lim (22 min.), a new interview with star Irene Jacob (17 min.), a short on the film's Cannes premiere (15 min.), a “Kieślowski: The Early Years” 2003 interview program featuring Holland, critic Geoff Andrew, and others (15 min.), interviews with editor Jacques Witta (13 min.) and producer Marin Karmitz (11 min.), a cinema lesson with Kieślowski (7 min.), a booklet, and trailers. Bottom line: Kieślowski's critically-acclaimed trilogy is given the red carpet treatment on DVD and Blu-ray.]