A WEEKLY FILM NEWSLETTER PROMOTING ARTHOUSE, REPERTORY, ART, SHORT FORM AND EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA SCREENING IN THE CITY OF MELBOURNE

2 March 2023

Three Colours: Red (Trois Colours: Rouge)

Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski

Screening at Europa! Europa Film Festival

Classification: M

Words by Digby Houghton- 2/3/23

The opening scene in the final instalment of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s three colours trilogy, entitled Red (derived from the colour of the French flag – following Blue and White), begins with a telephone call being made. Underneath a tactile tracking shot we hear each digit being punched, and the call tone, as the camera follows the telephone’s wire which curls around a messy desk. The camera magically enters the wall, hypnotically appearing on the shores of a beach before being submerged underwater and reappearing on a different shore until finally arriving at the call’s destination, only for it to ring out. Such a scene highlights the ever increasingly globalised world we now live in, a central concern in Kieślowski’s trilogy, albeit one shaped around the establishment of a transnational union.

Valentine (Irene Jacobs) is a young model and student studying in Geneva, (although the specifics of the location are vague) who crashes into a dog one evening in her red car which leads her to find its owner. Upon being reacquainted with his dog, Joseph (Jean-Louis Trintignant), a garish old man, decides Valentine should keep it. However, when Valentine enters Joseph’s house, she is shocked to realise that he is eavesdropping on his neighbours who are having affairs, dealing drugs and faking injuries to attract attention from their absent family. The predicament is made even more ironic because Joseph used to be a judge before retiring and living alone.

This isn’t the only coincidence which shapes Kieslowski’s final film, before his death two years later in 1996, which functions as a narrative steeped in tragedy and dramatic irony. Each of the films in his trilogy centres on one of the virtues instilled during the French revolution: liberty, equality and fraternity. Red finds itself dealing with characters who are connected in ways that only the audience is privy to. This leads it to centre around the theme of fraternity due to the characters’ proclivity for topics like law. For example, we are introduced to a figure in the opening scenes called August (Jean-Pierre Lorit) who is one of Valentine’s neighbours. Before the shock of hitting Joseph’s dog, we see one of August’s textbooks fall on the ground. The parallel narrative which August’s character encapsulates allows the mundane and serendipitous to seem concerted and planned in Red.

Kieślowski’s decision to disrupt classical narrative by including different stories which coalesce shows that he is a director that is willing to question his audience and leave space for contemplation. Cinematographer Piotr Sobociński’s throttling camera pans and elaborate crane shots emphasise the dislocation of classicism. This is established almost in the first scene of the film when we see August leave his flat with his dog before leveraging up from street level and peering into Valentine’s window whose telephone is ringing. The single orchestrated crane shot establishes the disparate lives which are connected in the audience’s eyes but not in the diegesis of the film. This is what Kieślowski’s film is all about.

Red is conflicted by the burgeoning telecommunications industry which was starting to encompass the internet around the time of the films production. Throughout the film people miss crucial phone calls, Joseph listens in to his neighbours and a very accurate weather reporter forecasts the climate. The surveillance state looms large and Joseph’s defence for spying only leaves Valentine compromised and more conflicted. Valentine only becomes more human when confronted by Joseph’s ill-fated interests.

Joseph is a tortured and tragic character who would be found at the helm of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ because he is so lost in the past like Fitzgerald’s eponymous antihero. Time stopped long ago for him. Jean-Louis Trintignant brings a subliminal force to the role with his withered and weary face and soft voice. He is both benevolent and cruel, a paradox that Kieślowski teases out over the course of the film. His humility is best demonstrated when Valentine cries at him, “one can only feel pity for you!” only to reprimand his wrongs and change his behaviour soon after. Joseph represents the old guard who is incapable of progressing with the future. In fact, one of the only pieces of currency we see is a five-frank piece in a closeup of his hand representing what would soon become outdated currency with the introduction of the Euro in 2002.

By contrast, Valentine is an icon of beauty and in one of the recurring motifs of the film we view her side on as she blows a bubble with chewing gum. Early in the film we watch as the photographer commands her to, “think of something awful,” before he grows excited by her expression, which is miserable and dreary. Valentine juggles a lifestyle built on surface level imagery such as glossy advertisements and modelling the flashiest outfits. When Joseph enters the equation Kieślowski composes a binary of good and evil out of the two characters; Valentine is graceful and empathetic and wants to do the right thing but as she comes to learn the jaded reality of Joseph’s existence, she becomes more resolute with trying not to fix everything. This complacency is the greatest character transition in the film, and it is subtle but effective.

Kieślowski’s earlier films such as Camera Buff (Amator) in 1979 were set in Poland and therefore dealt primarily with a Polish identity. The film is set in 1970 Poland under the rule of the Communist party and follows a young man Philip (Jerzy Stuhr) who has recently become a father who considers himself a filmmaker. Soon after shooting short films of his child on an 8mm camera his boss requests that he make a documentary of his workplace. When censorship leads to elements of the film being removed Jerzy protests. Thematic and camera techniques from this narrative can be spotted in Red including adultery and a stark realism which embellishes the story through camerawork. Part of Red’s appeal is the intricacy of detail through which the film can charm the audience. Piotr Sobociński’s soft lighting creates a sombre mood without being overbearing on the audience.

Krzysztof Kieślowski was born in Poland and went to the Łódź Film School after several attempts to dodge the draft. The University was also the home of Polish heavyweights Roman Polanski and Andrzej Wajda. After graduating he began to make documentaries of mundane aspects of Polish life involving workers and soldiers. Later he turned to narrative including tv shows. The films which would influence his international reputation the most were The Double Life of Veronique (Le Double Vie de Veronique) and the Three Colours trilogy. He received acclaim at Venice film festival with a Golden Lion (Three Colours: Blue) and a Silver Bear in Berlin (Three Colours: White). Kieślowski’s outsider looking in approach is clearly harness throughout the Three Colours trilogy. There is a gaze on European culture and solidarity that is particular of someone who is both inside and outside the culture.

Krzysztof Kieślowski finishes his trilogy in style with a riveting and complex drama exploring the fraught morality of disparate people and the ethics of everyday human life. Jean-Louis Trintignant brings a challenging lens through which to view the role of Joseph who plays as a foil for the tribulations of Valentine played resolutely by Irene Jacobs. The choreographed and intricate camerawork by Piotr Sobociński lures the audience into the web of conflict we see play out between the two main characters. Kieślowski challenges the classical narrative paradigm by offsetting one narrative with a parallel one and this creates tension and drama for the audience but also a degree of self-reflexivity heretofore unseen in mainstream cinema.

Further writing

https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/notebook-primer-krzysztof-kieslowski

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-three-colors-trilogy-blue-white-red

Further Viewing

Camera Buff (Amator)

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/watch/1134209603612?resume=true

Blind Chance (Przypadek)

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/blind-chance/2087803971911

Tickets:

https://www.europafilmfestival.com.au/films/three-colours-red-4k-restoration#

WEEKLY FILM LISTINGS

MAR 2 - MAR 8

ACMI

AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY CONFERENCE

Agents of Change: Short Films

Various Directors

Screening 2:45pm Sunday 5 March

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Laura Poitras, 2022

Screening 7pm Sunday 5 March

Mister Organ + Q and A

David Farrier, 2022

Screening 6:30pm Monday 6 March

Into the Deep + Q and A

Emma Sullivan, 2020

Screening 6:30pm Tuesday 7 March

You Can Go Now!

Larissa Behrendt, 2023

Screening 6:30pm Wednesday 8 March

ASTOR CINEMA

ALLIANCE FRANCAISE FILM FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT GALA

Masquerade

Nicolas Bedos, 2022

Screening 6pm Wednesday 8 March

Empire of Light

Sam Mendes, 2023

Screening Daily

Pearl

Ti West, 2022

Screening 8:30pm Saturday 4 March

The Big Lebowski

Joel and Ethan Coen, 1998

Screening 8:30pm Monday 6 March

BBBC CINEMA (GALLERY GALLERY BRUNSWICK)

Canyon Passage

Jacques Tourneur, 1946

Screening 9pm Tuesday 7 March

CHINATOWN CINEMA

Hidden Blade

Er Cheng, 2023

Screening Daily

CINEMA NOVA

Empire of Light

Sam Mendes, 2023

Screening Daily

Navalny

Daniel Roher, 2022

Screening Daily

Action Jackson

Craig R. Baxley, 1988

Screening 7pm Wednesday 8 March

Aftersun

Charlotte Wells, 2023

Screening Daily

Lonesome

Craig Boreham, 2022

Screening Daily

Close

Lukas Dhont, 2022

Screening Daily

Knowing the Score

Janine Hosking, 2023

Screening Daily

Women Talking

Sarah Polley, 2023

Screening Daily

Tár

Todd Field, 2022

Screening Daily

Marcel the Shell with Shoes on

Dean Fleischer Camp, 2022

Screening Daily

Triangle of Sadness

Ruben Östlund, 2022

Screening Daily

The Lost City of Melbourne

Gus Berger, 2022

Screening Daily

The Whale
Darren Aronofsky, 2023

Screening Daily

The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh, 2023

Screening Daily

LIDO / CLASSIC / CAMEO

Europa! Europa Film Festival

Multiple Films Screening Daily

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Ang Lee, 2000

Friday & Monday 3/6 March 8:30pm & 7pm

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Jim Sharman, 1975

Screening Friday 3 March 8pm

Empire of Light

Sam Mendes, 2023

Screening Daily

Aftersun

Charlotte Wells, 2023

Screening Daily

Women Talking

Sarah Polley, 2023

Screening Daily

Marcel the Shell with Shoes on

Dean Fleischer Camp, 2022

Limited Screenings

Tár

Todd Field, 2022

Screening Daily

Triangle of Sadness

Ruben Östlund, 2022

Screening Daily

All Quiet on the Western Front

Edward Berger, 2022,

Screening Daily

The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh, 2023

Screening Daily

THE MELBOURNE CINÉMATHÈQUE (ACMI)

Les Anges du Péché

Robert Bresson, 1943

Wednesday 8 March

Au Hasard Balthazar

Robert Bresson, 1966

Wednesday 8 March

MOVIEHOUSE

The Quiet Man

John Ford, 1952

Monday 6 March 10:30am

PALACE BALWYN / BRIGHTON / COMO / KINO / PENTRIDGE / WESTGARTH

Empire of Light

Sam Mendes, 2023

Screening Daily

Aftersun

Charlotte Wells, 2023

Screening Daily

Women Talking

Sarah Polley, 2023

Screening Daily

Marcel the Shell with Shoes on

Dean Fleischer Camp, 2022

Limited Screenings

Tár

Todd Field, 2022

Screening Daily

Triangle of Sadness

Ruben Östlund, 2022

Screening Daily

The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh, 2023

Screening Daily

Knowing the Score

Janine Hosking, 2023

Screening Daily

Women Talking

Sarah Polley, 2023

Screening Daily

Triangle of Sadness

Ruben Östlund, 2022

Screening Daily

The Whale

Darren Aronofsky, 2023

Screening Daily

The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh, 2023

Screening Daily

SUN CINEMAS YARRAVILLE

John Wick: Chapter I

Chad Stahelski, 2014

Thursday 2 March 7pm & Sunday 5 March 2:30pm

Empire of Light

Sam Mendes, 2023

Screening Daily

Aftersun

Charlotte Wells, 2023

Screening Daily

Knowing the Score

Janine Hosking, 2023

Screening Daily

Women Talking

Sarah Polley, 2023

Screening Daily

Tár

Todd Field, 2022

Screening Daily

Triangle of Sadness

Ruben Östlund, 2022

Screening Daily

Magic Mike’s Last Dance

Steven Soderbergh, 2023

Screening Daily

The Whale

Darren Aronofsky, 2023

Screening Daily

The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh, 2023

Screening Daily

THORNBURY PICTURE HOUSE

But I’m a Cheerleader

Jamie Babbit, 1999

Thursday 2 March 6:15 & 8:15

Aftersun

Charlotte Wells, 2023

Screening Daily

The Whale

Darren Aronofsky, 2023

Screening Daily

Tár

Todd Field, 2022

Screening Daily

Triangle of Sadness

Ruben Östlund, 2022

Limited Screenings