Three Colours: White (French: Trois couleurs : Blanc) is a 1994 French-Polish comedy-drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski. White is the second in Three Colours trilogy, themed on the French Revolutionary ideals, following Blue and preceding Red.
That will do for the Divers.
For the Toe-Dippers, here is the brief synopsis:
Spoiler:
White is about equality, with the film depicting Karol Karol, a shy man who, after being left by his wife in humiliating circumstances in Paris, loses his money, his residency, and his friends. As a deeply ashamed beggar in Warsaw, Karol begins his effort to restore equality to his life through revenge.
We went off on an Irish tangent this weekend, so White is next on the agenda. Saw Waking Ned Devine last night..such a delightful movie! Also saw "In America" which is another favorite, favorite...But back on track
Oh, "Waking Ned Divine"? Our first movie here! You might like to add your thoughts, if you have time, Mz NR? I'm hoping to rewatch "White" tonight too. After 20+ years.
We ended up watching "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" last night, it's a very good film, I would recommend it.
Well... it's a very different film from Blue and Red, but perhaps a welcome comical tale in the middle. It takes a little adjusting to get into the genre on the heal of Blue, but it's a fun little farce with some deeper moments.
It's a nonsense tale, and there is no point in trying to find rational explanations to the myriads of eyebrow raising questions, we just need to go with it and enjoy the ride for what it is.
Nice to have a man in the centre of the story, even if we don't get to know him as deeply as we do Kieslowski's heroines. There are some beautiful moments though, when we are allowed little glimpses of who this man really is.
It doesn't matter why he loves this woman so much, inexplicable as it is, but it's the depth of his feelings that strike us, especially in the closing scene. He just can't move on from this love, he is utterly defined by it.
Apart from that emotional final scene, I also loved Karol's friendship with Mikolai, and I would say, the shooting "incident", followed by the exuberant running, laughing and sliding on the ice, was my favourite part of the movie.
I also enjoyed his comb-harmonica playing, and his "thing" with the girl's bust that looked so much like Dominique. I liked his brother, such a sweet innocent man, and their relationship. I enjoyed Karol's devious streak coming into play as he was getting more and more confident in his abilities. There were a lot of funny moments.
On the whole, I don't think this film is on par with Blue and Red, but it's an enjoyable interlude, and the futility of "getting even" in revenge was very poignantly depicted. "White" in the French flag stands for "equality", and I guess we have seen Karol becoming Dominique's equal in deviousness, and that, combined with his regained sexual prowess, seems to have made him desirable to her again. An unorthodox aspect of "equality" explored in the film for sure.
Oh, it seems like we have all been caught up in Real Life lately... I hope it hasn't all been like the gif above...
I'm beginning to find my way back to our Harbour after a very busy spell of dear house guests and stressful work overload. I hope to see you girls come back to play soon too.
So, I'm afraid, you gotta get through 'White', you lovely ladies, to get to the wonderful 'Red'...
Geez, I hope not! I expect that you had a glorious time with your friends; I'm sure there were lots of laughs! From the Fin Dac post, it sounds like you acted as tour guide-had any of your friends been to the UK before?
They have, but never done East London or street art tours before. So that was very exciting for them! And for me, to see how much they enjoyed it! We went to the Tate Modern afterwards and had to conclude that the Street Art was much more thrilling.
Beautiful slow Easter weekend after a work whirlwind! White was very enjoyable. I liked the casting and was able to let go of any disbelief (as it was a 'tale' after all). Revenge / love / manipulation. In spite of a constant stream of bad luck, our main man was nothing if not resourceful. He was able to rise above his inner lovesick puppy for a while, reclaimed his man-card, and then slid back down the bunny trail with double tears looking up at Rapunzel (or was it Anne Boleyn) pining in her tower at his hand. It was an uncomfortable film at times where my mental dialogue was begging Karol to move on, but it always threw out a lifeline just in time to avoid a downward spiral.
Even in the end, I was not certain the final bell had been rung - I felt Dominique still either unsure of her own mind or heart...or duplicitous. Of course, her freedom relied on this man. Since the film was from Karol's perspective, the depth of Dominique was not explored to the extent we can truly place blame or understand this marriage, though she was seemingly incredibly cruel to Karol at the time of divorce. However, much like the love for Dominique's doppelganger statue head perhaps his love of her was limiting and, while deeply embedded in him, his brand of adoration served to diminish her following wedded bliss. Perhaps this type of love had little or nothing to do with the soul inside Dominique, but more his molded perception of Dominique as pertained to him and him only.
"One fine day, Pygmalion carved the statue of a woman of unparalleled beauty. She looked so gentle and divine that he could not take his eyes off the statue. Enchanted with his own creation, he felt waves of joy and desire sweeping over his body and in a moment of inspiration he named the figurine, Galatea, meaning "she who is white like milk". He draped over her the finest of cloths and bedecked her with the most dazzling of ornaments, adorned her hair with the prettiest of flowers, gave to her the choicest of gifts and kissed her as a sign of adoration. Pygmalion was obsessed and madly in love with his creation. The spell the lifeless woman cast on him was too much to resist and he desired her for his wife. Countless were the nights and days he spent staring upon his creation." Source: www.greeka.com
I really loved Mikołaj with his beautiful expressive eyes and undercurrent of humanity. The shooting "incident" and aftermath was also a favorite part for me. Again, we are not shown quite what variables made Mikolaj tick or what had brought him to the decision to have his life ended. Nor were we shown much more than the daily trappings of the brother. If we indeed are seeing all of these characters through Karol's eyes, then perhaps those who orbited his life were given sweet consideration (*see his concern with the shooting request...see his offer to pay for his boarding with his brother), yet were never truly known to him completely. Perhaps that is how he walked through life and relationships. Perhaps we all do to some extent.
Very enjoyable film!
The statue concept made me think of this song....which also involves a color ironically!
Blueboy - Joni Mitchell
Lady called the blue boy, love
She took him home
Made himself an idol, yes
So he turned to stone
Like a pilgrim she traveled
To place her flowers
Before his granite grace
And she prayed aloud for love
To waken in his face
In his face, oh
Sometimes in the evening
He would read to her
Roll her in his arms
And give his seed to her
She would wake in the morning
Without him
And go to the window
And look out through the pain
But the statue in her garden
He always looked the same
He looked the same, ah
Bring her boots of leather
And she will dance for him
Shyly from a feather fan
She'll glance for him
Here he comes after midnight
To find her again
He will come a few times more
'Till he finds a lady statue
Standing in a door
In her door, oh
