Movie #11 Three Colours: Red

[Dee]

Watching This Weekend:




Three Colors: Red (French: Trois couleurs: Rouge) is a 1994 romantic mystery film co-written, produced and directed by Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski. It is the final installment of The Three Colors Trilogy, which examines the French Revolutionary ideals. Kieślowski had announced that this would be his final film, which proved true with the director's sudden death in 1996. Red is about fraternity, which it examines by showing characters whose lives gradually become closely interconnected, with bonds forming between two characters who appear to have little in common.

[Lori]

Thanks, DEE!!!!

[DawnFae]

Three Colors: Red
Red was for me something like: Life seen through the looking glasses of mysterious observers.
Who was Joseph?

Was he what he appeared to be: a bitter old man who was betrayed by the woman he loved, became lonely and emotionally alienated so much so that he turned into a spy watching his neighbors dark secrets as a distraction from his empty, sad life?
Was he a future projection to the character Auguste? Or was he someone who recognized Auguste’s blindness to the illusion of his romantic relationship with the weather girl and the inevitable descent into the hell of bitterness and resentment it would lead to when he came to discover her betrayal. Joseph’s story was very similar to Auguste’s up to the point of said betrayal, yet he saw the chance of a new beginning for Auguste, a different path than his own if his protégé would meet Valentine, the woman he never met himself when he needed such help from fate. He then proceeded to play the role of a higher power to bring Auguste and Valentine together.

He certainly knew about Valentine’s illusion about her relationship with Michel, a toxic presence through his demanding, mocking and hurting voice from the other side of the Channel. Somehow Joseph recognized that Auguste and Valentine were actually kindred spirits, perhaps even soulmates who hadn’t met yet…

I saw Joseph as an observer and insightful judge of character, watching other people’s lives and in doing so, he discovered the innocence and inner beauty of Valentine and the longing and faithfulness of Auguste and decided to play Cupid and plot their encounter in a very subtle but determined way.

Was Auguste his son? I wondered about this possible connection…
All the scenes with Valentine and Auguste crossing paths without actually meeting looked like as if someone was following them around with a camera. Was it Joseph or was this the eye of fate being the observer of observers in this story?

Rita played a huge role in bringing Valentine to Joseph’s lair but who put Rita on the young woman’s way? Rita was to me the symbol of the “shepherd” bringing the innocent Valentine back “home” or at least to a place where her life took a different but much better turn than she had in mind with her plans to be with the “volatile” Michel, the voice without face…
The movie was very fascinating and pregnant with warm moments and deep connections between the players whether they were aware of them or not.

I haven’t watched the Blue and White movies properly yet but I could see the connection to the old woman trying unsuccessfully to put the empty bottle in the recycling bin like in the first 2 movies. The others protagonists did not help her but Valentine did.

Do the three characters represent facets of human struggles, hopes, dreams and losses and how the power and magic of love can heal wounds and help people reconnect in more meaningful and happy ways?

It was beautiful to see all 3 characters survive a fatal accident and get to be with their new or “changed to the better” love interests.
Joseph was happy to see his plan, to bring Valentine and Auguste together and give them a chance at a truer love, succeed.

Thank you for this fascinating journey Dee. I planned to watch the trilogy for ages but never got around doing it until your recommendation made it a higher priority.

If anything “Red” shows, in a deep and emotional way, how complex life and our connections with it and with our fellow human beings truly are.

There was an odd feeling of “identifying” Valentine as Julie (Juliette Binoche) only to discover that she is not but when the next scene showed her, I would begin to wonder, is she Julie…
And the remaining question: was Joseph, Ausgute’s future self, on a mission to save his younger self from a bitter, cold life? Or was this the director’s mastery in crafting uncanny similarities into the lives of two different characters with the twist that the older, wiser man, came to the rescue of the younger one because he met the woman who could be a much better match to the betrayed Auguste and decided to give them both the chance he never had in his own life?

What do you guys think?

I will come back and comment some more when I find more connections in “Red” and with Blue and White.

[Dee]

I'm not reading yet, DF, sorry, I've been so distracted with other things the last few days. I'm hoping to watch and read and comment in the next few days. I'm so glad you've watched and written a review.

[DawnFae]

I'm not reading yet, DF, sorry, I've been so distracted with other things the last few days. I'm hoping to watch and read and comment in the next few days. I'm so glad you've watched and written a review.

You're welcome and take your time to relax and savor this one.
Hugs!

[Lori]

Very insightful, DF. I really hadn't thought about some of the possibilities you mention, but I can definitely see the parallels. Auguste being Joseph's son - very interesting and in this interweaving of characters it is within the realm of possibility. It would stand to reason that a man such as Joseph could be alienated from his family yet watch over them from afar.

I think Red is my favorite color within this series. One of Krzysztof Kieślowski's major talents is challenging the viewer's perception of people - that first judgment, the round peg in the round hole. To leap in little over an hour from being repulsed by Joseph to loving the man is quite an accomplishment.

The character of Valentine is such a beautiful and complex sketch. She is simultaneously so many things. She is strong and determined to be a voice for others and a helpmate. She requires authenticity from people and holds their feet to the fire, but succumbs to abusive treatment from her lover and plays a needy role. She is overall very contemplative and thoughtful - also an observer of others. I loved the dialogue and I loved the honesty between Joseph and Valentine.

I saw Joseph as an observer and insightful judge of character, watching other people’s lives and in doing so, he discovered the innocence and inner beauty of Valentine and the longing and faithfulness of Auguste and decided to play Cupid and plot their encounter in a very subtle but determined way.

This is really the heart of the show. That his occupation was that of a judge has so many connotations, does it not? I think the writer/director was asking us to examine our own judgments.

Irène Jacob was delicious in the role of Valentine and played it with flawless emotional depth. I loved her performance. The camera absolutely adores her. Jean-Louis Trintignant was masterful with the nuances of this man, Joseph. The subtle changes in both characters from guarded to bonded created a beautiful unfolding. It was playfully displayed with the tentative sips of peach brandy at the onset of the relationship and then the cute wanton one shot gulps by the end...culminating in the gift for the trip. ("Take this feeling of sweet abandonment and Devil may care with you...") I felt the relationship had a wistful romantic overtone of the unrequited from Joseph's POV. The moment Valentine was confirmed as saved, there was a sweet relief with a simultaneous letting go it seemed on his face.

I loved how the characters from the previous segments of the series were also saved. It made me smile at the full circle and irony. So, Dominique and Karol were together. Or were they? Ha! Who really knows with this writer? Did Karol come clean he faked his death and they fled together? Did Dominique get out of prison on a technicality and Karol was stalking her? I assume they are together, having done their worst to each other and come back together.

This series was a complicated sketch of interpersonal interaction, plus the hand of fate and the dominoed impact our decisions have on our lives and the lives of others. (I feel a bit of a ripple from The Unbearable Lightness of Being in this respect.) What events had to align for the characters in this film to intersect? Where would they be had the intersection not taken place? Fascinating approach.

This trilogy was really enjoyable! Thanks for the fun ride!

[DawnFae]

Thank you Lori!
This is a wonderful review of Red!
I enjoyed your observations and comments.
I still have to watch the other 2 movies because I didn't get their full "impact" yet.
Fascinating is one word to put it and also very thought provoking and emotion stirring.

I can imagine Joseph to be Auguste's father and that's why he reached out from behind the shadows he was hiding in to help him find what he himself did not get in the past. There is also a saying that goes, there are sometimes curses running through the families, through many generations, before the dark spell is broken and the new generations are free from it.
This makes me think of the movie "Holes" in a way.
That is imho another face of fate the director is displaying in this movie or so I "believe".

And yes, a wounded / broken heart can lead to a life of isolation, loneliness, bitterness and countless forms of misery so I guess that Joseph wanted to spare that to Auguste and to Valentine.

I see also patterns like the ones snowflakes create, things we see happen to many different humans yet the tragedies seem to repeat themselves showing uncanny resemblance to the ones other, "seemingly" separate, people end up experiencing, as if they were one single entity. We come here to the idea of human collective consciousness, which is actually more than an idea...

The other characters from the previous movies absolutely belonged together in that rescue boat. Life can also save us sometimes so that a new chance can be taken, a new opportunity to love and be happy. Will these people take it?
A survived trauma can help forge deeper bonds between people and so they will perhaps take the chance after all.

[Dee]

Such lovely reviews and responses to the film from both of you, DF and Lori. I hope our other friends will join us here eventually too. I think Red is my favourite of the three films too. It is certainly the most uplifting.

You have already described the heart of the show so beautifully: Joseph's transformation after he's met Valentine, and him playing Cupid by bringing her together with Augustine.

Such a wonderful story, with two extremely complex characters, not to mention the fascinating layers of Joseph's motivations.

The thought of Auguste being related to Joseph didn't occur to me whilst watching the film... it's definitely a possibility. I looked at it more like he was a kindred spirit, a younger version of him, a bit like Veronica and Veronique in Double Life but different time zones, with the older one acutely aware of the younger one as another incarnation of himself. Only this time he was able to alter "his" fate. I just love this dimension of the film. It is playing with the idea of the collective consciousness, definitely.

And I agree with you, Lori, definitely romantic undertones, I think from both sides, actually. It was so beautifully done. Valentine inviting Joseph to the fashion show, (of all places and times to meet...) where she will be utterly stunning and enchanting, and so anxiously looking out for Joseph, wanting him to be there, to see her. I don't even think she was fully conscious of why she wanted him there so much on that night. And Joseph being so gentlemanly about it, because he was fully aware of his attraction to her, but guiding his muse to his younger, purer self, the one more suited to Valentine. There was such a bittersweet air around them, especially in that theatre after the fashion show: right person - wrong time kind of thing. I loved it.

A wonderful performance from the two leads. Gorgeous cinematography, beautiful music from Preisner again, and again, so much palpable longing... All Kieslowski's films seem to be laced with this deep longing... for inner peace, for love.

I like how the three films have intertwined, happening at the same time, with all the little connections and tiny glimpses into the other stories, bringing them all together in the very last scene. Suddenly the trilogy has become the backstory of the Survivors... But truly, a wonderful assignment to create three highly original takes on the concepts of freedom, equality and fraternity, like Kieslowski intended.

[NurseRatched]

In honor of Dee's birthday, I plan to (finally) watch this weekend

[Dee]

That's so sweet. I wish we could really sit down and watch movies together. Such as this one. But I guess, this little arrangement we have going here is a pretty good alternative for people who live an ocean apart, no?

[NurseRatched]

I think I enjoyed Red much more now than when I first watched it years ago. Kieślowski's movies are such a refreshing break from the predictable, plot-heavy movies of today. So many subtle details in this movie; we have no idea where we're going, but we definitely want to follow along! I read all of your reviews (masterful-I'm amazed at all of your comprehensive movie reviews, your acumen is unmatched).

I loved the relationship between Valentine and Joseph. After his odd pronouncement when she enters the room & tells him about Rita, one would think she'd never
return to his home. As one of you said, Joseph was such a repellent character, and yet, by the end of the movie, he is totally redeemed as he holds his breath, waiting to hear if Valentine survived the accident. Such a complex relationship; as Dee wrote, "Right person, wrong time"....

It's such a visually rich film; from all the touches of red in the apartments and streets, to the brilliant light streaming into Joseph's apartment. Irene Jacob is intensely charming in every scene & her humanity shows throughout the movie. I wonder if Valentine and Auguste, in all their near meetings throughout the movie, got together after the ferry accident.

A beautiful film, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. More uplifting than Blue, for sure!

[Dee]

Delighted you've rewatched, NR, and you've enjoyed it more this time round. I think it's heavily implied that Valentine and Auguste have been brought together by this incident. A happy ending for them, bittersweet for Joseph.
Such a lovely, lovely film.