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(aka 'Three Colours: White' or 'Three Colors: White' or 'Trois couleurs: Blanc' or 'Trzy kolory: Biały' or 'White' )
The most playful and also the grittiest of Kieślowski’s Three Colors films follows the adventures of Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a Polish immigrant living in France. The hapless hairdresser opts to leave Paris for his native Warsaw when his wife (Julie Delpy) sues him for divorce (her reason: their marriage was never consummated) and then frames him for arson after setting her own salon ablaze. White, which goes on to chronicle Karol Karol’s elaborate revenge plot, manages to be both a ticklish dark comedy about the economic inequalities of Eastern and Western Europe and a sublime reverie about twisted love. *** "The colors blue, white and red in the French flag stand for liberty, equality and fraternity. One of the small puzzles Kieslowski sets up is how these concepts apply to his plot. As Karol deviously sets a snare for the wife he loves and hates - as he gains control of the relationship, in a way - it is hard to see how "equality" could be involved in such a struggle for supremacy. Afterwards, thinking about the film, beginning to see what Kieslowski might have been thinking, we see even richer ironies in his story."
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Posters ( Click to enlarge )
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews - R2
The Criterion editions - only available in their Kieslowski - Three Colors Blu-ray set | ||
Comparison:
Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL vs. Buena Vista - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
1) Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL LEFT 2) Buena Vista Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE3) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - RIGHT |
Box Covers |
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The Criterion edition is only available in their Kieslowski - Three Colors Blu-ray set - not individually. | |
Can also be purchased in the Tri-Colors Boxsets |
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Distribution | Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL (ART085DVD) |
MiraMax - Region 1 NTSC North America |
Criterion Collection - Spine # 589 Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:27:48 (4% PAL speedup) |
1:31:36 |
1:46:35.806 |
Video | 1.85:1.00
Letterboxed WideScreen / anamorphic Average Bitrate: 6.27 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
1.85:1.00
Letterboxed WideScreen / anamorphic Average Bitrate: 4.75 mb/s NTSC 960x540 29.97 f/s |
1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 49,267,832,073 bytesFeature: 23,939,444,736 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 25.99 Mbps |
Bitrate: Artificial Eye | |||
Bitrate: Buena Vista R1 |
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Bitrate: Criterion Blu-ray |
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Audio | French (Dolby Digital 5.1) |
French (Dolby Digital 2.0) |
LPCM Audio French 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps /
24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
Subtitles | English, None | (removable): English and English for the hearing impaired | English, None |
Features |
Aspect
Ratio(s):
Edition
Details: • Krzysztof Kieslowski - masterclass. feature, where the director takes us through a single scene from the film. ( 10 minutes)
NOTE: ENGLISH SUBTITLES on all extras features!
DVD Release Date:
October 29th, 2001 |
Aspect Ratios:
1.85:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen / anamorphic
Discographic Information: Extras: • Documentary "A Look at Blue" - 4:3 - with non-anamorphic widescreen scenes - 7:25 • Documentary - A Discussion on Working With Kieslowski 4:3 - 18:34 • Interview 'A Conversation on Julie Delpy on Working With Kieslowski' - 4:3 - 5:35 •
Kieslowski's Cinema lesson - Non-anamorphic widescreen -
10:40 ( subs in French and English ) Sneak Peek Trailers
DVD Release
Date: March 4, 2003 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 49,267,832,073 bytesFeature: 23,939,444,736 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 25.99 Mbps
• Cinema lesson with director Krzysztof Kieślowski (10:49)
Blu-ray Boxset Release
Date: November 15th, 2011 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - (October 2011) - The digital manipulations of both SD-DVD version become even more prominent beside the new Criterion Blu-ray. the 1080P shows much more information in the frame - notably the right edge but marginally more on the other three sides. Criterion showcases heavy film grain and produces a substantially more film-like image. This is a giant leap beyond both DVDs - as evidenced by the screen captures below.Criterion stay with the original French mono - via an linear PCM track at 1152 Kbps. There is some interesting music but overall is fairly unremarkable. There are optional English subtitles on the Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc. Criterion, have again, stacked the deck with some wonderful extras - we get another 'Cinema lesson with director Krzysztof Kieślowski' running over 10-minutes and focusing on the opening scenes and how it was shaped in the editing room. We get a highly interesting new video essay by film critic Tony Rayns lasting over 20-minutes - there are two new interview programs, one with Three Colors cowriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz (21:23) and one with White actors Zbigniew Zamachowski and Julie Delpy (18:17) as they share their memories of making White and discuss their mutual respect for Kieslowski (in separate interviews). There is a 16-minute documentary on the making of White. It follows Kieslowski behind-the-scenes highlighting the key narrative details in White and the challenges and pleasures of shooting in Poland. We also get two short documentaries by Kieślowski (the director actually made over 20 documentaries in his career.) The first is Seven Women of Different Ages (1978 - 16:16) which subtly portrays a range of ballet dancers; one each day of the week. In Talking Heads (1980 - 14:52) Kieslowski poses the questions "What year were you born?" "Who are you?" and "What do you most wish for?" to forty different people; ranging from an infant to a 100-year old woman. There is an original theatrical trailer and there is a liner notes booklet that is included in the package. Not that you need another reason to indulge in the Three Colors Blu-ray from Criterion - but this is an equally as professionally produced disc (like our previously reviewed 'Blue'.) Strongly recommended! *** ON THE DVDsThis is pretty tough. The new Buna Vista release has really reddened up the skin tones, but now we can see that the Artificial Eye release has contrast boosting. Hmmm... the Extras are in favor of the Buena Vista R1 (Commentary and a few Doc's) and I think I am going with their image quality too... regardless of the unnecessarily color manipulation. In comparison it appears as though there is too much green in the Artificial Eye release. I think the R1 is just a little sharper (look at the sky in capture #2 ). |
Recommended Reading in French Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
The Films in My Life |
French Cinema: A Student's Guide by Philip Powrie, Keith Reader |
Agnes Varda by Alison Smith | Godard on Godard : Critical Writings by Jean-Luc Godard | Notes on the Cinematographer by Robert Bresson |
Robert Bresson (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No.
2) by James Quandt |
The Art of Cinema by Jean Cocteau |
French New Wave
by Jean Douchet, Robert Bonnono, Cedric Anger, Robert Bononno |
French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present by Remi Fournier Lanzoni |
Check out more in "The Library"
DVD Menu
(Artificial
Eye Region 2 -Left, Buena Vista Region 1 - Right)
Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray Subtitle Sample
1) Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL TOP 2) Buena Vista Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE3) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL TOP 2) Buena Vista Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE3) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL TOP 2) Buena Vista Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE3) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
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1) Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL TOP 2) Buena Vista Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE3) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
More Blu-ray Captures
Report Card:
Image: |
Blu-ray |
Sound: |
Blu-ray |
Extras: | Blu-ray |
Box Covers |
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The Criterion edition is only available in their Kieslowski - Three Colors Blu-ray set - not individually. | |
Can also be purchased in the Tri-Colors Boxsets |
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Distribution | Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL (ART085DVD) |
MiraMax - Region 1 NTSC North America |
Criterion Collection - Spine # 589 Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
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Gary Tooze
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