Three Colors Trilogy



This boldly cinematic trio of stories about love and loss from Krzysztof Kieślowski was a defining event of the art-house boom of the 1990s. The films were named for the colors of the French flag and stand for the tenets of the French Revolution—liberty, equality, and fraternity—but this hardly begins to explain their enigmatic beauty and rich humanity. Set in Paris, Warsaw, and Geneva, and ranging from tragedy to comedy, Blue, White, and Red (Kieślowski’s final film) examine with artistic clarity a group of ambiguously interconnected people experiencing profound personal disruptions. Marked by intoxicating cinematography and stirring performances by such actors as Juliette Binoche, Julie Delpy, Irène Jacob, and Jean-Louis Trintignant, Kieślowski’s Three Colors is a benchmark of contemporary cinema.

- New high-definition digital restorations (with DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray editions)
- Three cinema lessons with director Krzysztof Kieślowski
- New interviews with composer Zbigniew Preisner; writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz; and actors Julie Delpy, Zbigniew Zamachowski, and Irène Jacob
- Selected-scene commentary for Blue with actress Juliette Binoche
- Three new video essays, by film writers Annette Insdorf, Tony Rayns, and Dennis Lim
- Kieślowski’s student short The Tram (1966) and his fellow student’s short from the same year The Face, which features Kieślowski in a solo performance
- Two short documentaries by Kieślowski: Seven Women of Different Ages (1978) and Talking Heads (1980)
- Krzysztof Kieślowski: I’m So-So . . . (1995), a feature-length documentary in which the filmmaker discusses his life and work
- Two multi-interview programs, Reflections on “Blue” and Kieślowski: The Early Years, with film critic Geoff Andrew, Binoche, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Sławomir Idziak, Insdorf, Jacob, and editor Jacques Witta
- Interviews with producer Marin Karmitz and Witta
- Behind-the-scenes programs for White and Red, and Kieślowski Cannes 1994, a short documentary on Red’s world premiere
- Original theatrical trailers
- New and improved English subtitle translations
- PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans, and Georgina Evans, an excerpt from Kieślowski on Kieślowski, and reprinted interviews with cinematographers Sławomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski, and Piotr Sobocinski

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Blue



In the devastating first film of the Three Colors trilogy, Juliette Binoche gives a tour de force performance as Julie, a woman reeling from the tragic deaths of her husband and young daughter. But Blue is more than just a blistering study of grief; it’s also a tale of liberation, as Julie learns truths about her late composer husband’s life and attempts to free herself of the past. Shot in icily gorgeous tones by Sławomir Idziak and set to an extraordinary operatic score by Zbigniew Preisner, Blue is an overwhelming sensory experience.

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Cinema lesson with Krzysztof Kieślowski
- New video essay by film studies professor Annette Insdorf
- New interview with composer Zbigniew Preisner
- Select-scene commentary by actor Juliette Binoche
- “Reflections on Blue,” an interview program with film critic Geoff Andrew, Binoche, screenplay consultant and filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Sławomir Idziak, Insdorf, and editor Jacques Witta
- New and improved English subtitle translation

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White



The most playful but 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 after his wife (Julie Delpy) sues him for divorce (her reason: he was never able to perform in bed) 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.

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Cinema lesson with Krzysztof Kieślowski
- New video essay by film writer Tony Rayns
- Two new interview programs, one with co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz and one with lead actors Zbigniew Zamachowski and Julie Delpy
- Short documentary on the making of White
- New and improved English subtitle translation

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Red



Krzysztof Kieślowski closes his Three Colors trilogy in grand fashion with an incandescent meditation on fate and chance, starring Irène Jacob as a sweet-souled yet somber runway model in Geneva whose life intersects with that of a bitter retired judge, played by Jean‑Louis Trintignant. Their blossoming friendship forces each to open up in surprising emotional ways. Meanwhile, just down the street, a seemingly unrelated story of jealousy and betrayal unfolds. Red is an intimate look at forged connections and a splendid final statement from a remarkable filmmaker at the height of his powers.

- Cinema lesson with Krzysztof Kieślowski
- New video essay by film writer Dennis Lim
- New interview with actor Irène Jacob, plus interviews with producer Marin Karmitz and editor Jacques Witta
- “Red at Cannes, 1994”, a short documentary on the film’s world premiere
- New and improved English subtitle translation

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I was just about to say: Jesus, I'm glad I held onto my Blue and Red (never had White-- I'll buy someone's cheap though)-- Is Criterion intentionally trying to de-scholarize their releases now?

I'm glad they got all of those short films though. That's my favorite sort of extra. I'm sure the booklet will have enough academic work done.

Agreed: a different set of extras, but by no means a better one. Still, I'd much rather have this kind of variety between the two sets than a 90 to 100% overlap. And I have to admit that by far the strongest component of the original release, the short films, really had little relevance to the films.

Bear in mind that there are features listed for the whole set that are not necessarily listed for the individual films:

•New high-definition digital restorations (with DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray editions)
•Three cinema lessons with director Krzysztof Kieślowski
•New interviews with composer Zbigniew Preisner; writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz; and actors Julie Delpy, Zbigniew Zamachowski, and Irène Jacob
•Selected-scene commentary for Blue with actress Juliette Binoche
•Three new video essays, by film writers Annette Insdorf, Tony Rayns, and Dennis Lim
•Kieślowski’s student short The Tram (1966) and his fellow student’s short from the same year The Face, which features Kieślowski in a solo performance
•Two short documentaries by Kieślowski: Seven Women of Different Ages (1978) and Talking Heads (1980)
•Krzysztof Kieślowski: I’m So-So . . . (1995), a feature-length documentary in which the filmmaker discusses his life and work
•Two multi-interview programs, Reflections on “Blue” and Kieślowski: The Early Years, with film critic Geoff Andrew, Binoche, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Sławomir Idziak, Insdorf, Jacob, and editor Jacques Witta
•Interviews with producer Marin Karmitz and Witta
•Behind-the-scenes programs for White and Red, and Kieślowski Cannes 1994, a short documentary on Red’s world premiere
•Original theatrical trailers
•New and improved English subtitle translations
•PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans, and Georgina Evans, an excerpt from Kieślowski on Kieślowski, and reprinted interviews with cinematographers Sławomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski, and Piotr Sobocinski

Are there any short films that were released on the Miramax titles that aren't here?

Miramax features and specs:

Blue: 98 mins, R, letterboxed widescreen (1.85:1), 16x9 enhanced, Amaray keep case packaging, single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at ???), audio commentary with film scholar Annette Insdorf, Reflections of Bleu featurette (17 mins), A Discussion on Kieslowski's Early Years featurette (15 mins), A Conversation with Juliette Binoche on Kieslowski featurette (8 mins), Krzysztof Kieslowski: Cinema Lesson featurette (8 mins), interview and selected scene commentary with producer Marin Karmitz (17 mins), selected scene commentary with actress Juliette Binoche (23 mins), interview and selected scene commentary with film editor Jacques Witta (14 mins), Kieslowski student film Concert of Wishes (16 mins), Kieslowski filmography, 3 theatrical trailers (for White, Red and Heaven), film-themed menu screens, scene access (20 chapters), languages: French (DD 2.0 Surround), subtitles: English and English for the hearing impaired, Closed Captioned

White: 92 mins, R, letterboxed widescreen (1.85:1), 16x9 enhanced, Amaray keep case packaging, single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at ???), audio commentary with film scholar Annette Insdorf, A Look at Blanc featurette (7 mins), A Discussion on Kieslowski's Later Years featurette (22 mins), A Discussion on Working with Kieslowski featurette (19 mins), A Conversation with Julie Delpy on Kieslowski featurette (6 mins), Krzysztof Kieslowski: Cinema Lesson featurette (11 mins), Behind the Scenes of White with Krzysztof Kieslowski featurette (17 mins), interview and selected scene commentary with producer Marin Karmitz (6 mins), interview and selected scene commentary with actress Julie Delpy (22 mins), 3 Kieslowski student films (Trolley, The Face and The Office - 6 mins each), Kieslowski filmography, 3 theatrical trailers (for Blue, Red and Heaven), film-themed menu screens, scene access (19 chapters), languages: French (DD 2.0 Surround), subtitles: English and English for the hearing impaired, Closed Captioned

Red: 99 mins, R, letterboxed widescreen (1.85:1), 16x9 enhanced, Amaray keep case packaging, single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at ???), audio commentary with film scholar Annette Insdorf, Insights into Trois Couleurs: Rouge featurette (22 mins), A Conversation with Irène Jacob on Kieslowski featurette (11 mins), Krzysztof Kieslowski: Cinema Lesson featurette (9 mins), interview and selected scene commentary with producer Marin Karmitz (11 mins), selected scene commentary with actress Irène Jacob (11 mins), Behind the Scenes of Red with Krzysztof Kieslowski featurette (24 mins), interview and selected scene commentary with film editor Jacques Witta (15 mins), Red at Cannes featurette (15 mins), Kieslowski filmography, 3 theatrical trailers (for Blue, White and Heaven), film-themed menu screens, scene access (17 chapters), languages: French (DD 2.0 Surround), subtitles: English and English for the hearing impaired, Closed Captioned

I still have a Greek set which is a direct port of the Artificial Eye, it was one of the first DVDs i bought and maybe my first boxset along with a David Lynch one.

This is one set where I won't mind triple dipping! (I already have the Artificial Eye and Miramax (USA) DVD releases.)

Ah, I hadn't noticed that. Bizarre that they didn't list the features on the individual discs, since there are only three of them and they'd have to be divided amongst them somehow.

The feature "Kieślowski: The Early Years" seems like a weird inclusion for this set - though maybe they have a "Kieslowski: The Early Years" Eclipse set up their sleeves.

There is the rumour that they have picked up basically all of his features so those stray elements might be extras.

Far as I can tell, these are the differences between the new CC and the old Miramax editions (other than fluff like "film-themed menu screens"):

Both
Cinema lessons
Selected scene commentary for Blue with actress Juliette Binoche
Kieślowski’s student short The Tram (1966) and his fellow student’s short from the same year The Face, which features Kieślowski in a solo performance
Reflections on Bleu
Kieslowski: The Early Years
Interviews with producer Marin Karmitz and editor Jacques Witta
Behind the scenes of White and Red
Original theatrical trailers

CC only
Interviews with composer Zbigniew Preisner, writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz, and actors Julie Delpy, Zbigniew Zamachowski, and Irène Jacob
Video essays by film writers Annette Insdorf, Tony Rayns, and Dennis Lim
Two short documentaries by Kieślowski: Seven Women of Different Ages (1978) and Talking Heads (1980)
Krzysztof Kieślowski: I’m So-So . . . (1995), a feature-length documentary in which the filmmaker discusses his life and work
Booklet featuring essays by critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans, and Georgina Evans, an excerpt from Kieślowski on Kieślowski, and reprinted interviews with cinematographers Sławomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski, and Piotr Sobocinski

Miramax only
Audio commentaries with film scholar Annette Insdorf
Kieslowski student films Concert of Wishes and The Office
A discussion on Kieslowski's later years
A conversation with Juliette Binoche on Kieslowski
A look at Blanc
A discussion on working with Kieslowski on White
Interviews and selected scene commentary on White with actress Julie Delpy
Insights into Trois Couleurs: Rouge
Interviews and selected scene commentary on Red with actress Irène Jacob

But "all of his features" can be interpreted in more than one way - for instance, would this include The Calm, The Card Index, Personnel or A Short Working Day? Or indeed Dekalog?

Aside from the latter, none of them have had English-subtitled releases on DVD that I'm aware of - I've had to cobble together makeshift versions from unsubtitled Polish discs and .srt subtitle files (in one case a Google-translated subtitle file) or a copy of the original play The Card Index in English translation.

Granted, they're very minor Kieślowski in the wider scheme of things, and he himself basically disowned A Short Working Day (though I think it's more interesting than he gives it credit for), but with virtually everything else - including the documentaries - available in excellent English-subtitled editions there's a definite gap in the market.

Dekalog was what started this rumour. The Facets and Kino films have gone OOP possibly being picked up by Crit (I made sure to not say all in the definite sense).

I wonder what Criterion's thought process was behind which of the shorts to include? As zedz said, they don't really have any relevance to the features, but neither did the shorts included on Veronique. Given the inclusion of Seven Women of Different Ages, I wonder if they have access to all of the titles PWA released a few years ago.

Shame about the Insdorf commentaries. I wonder why they couldn't use them? Maybe ownership rights of the actual recordings?

Seconded. In most cases, I've come to prefer video essays, which can often do same thing more succinctly, but Insdorf's commentaries on these films defined what the genre at its best can accomplish.

For me I wouldve wanted the select scene commentaries by the actresses to make it, only 1 out of 3 are listed in the Criterion extras. I'm really hoping Criterion will update specs.

It should be noted though that those features have been replaced by new interviews with Delpy and Jacob. If anything, shouldn't we be asking why Binoche has contributed nothing to this new release? Is she that busy posing for Cannes posters?

Yes, how dare she not co-operate with Criterion! Who does she think she is?

What, does she work for BFI now?

Just upset about the Certified Copy snub I suspect!

She didn't contribute anything to the BFI's Shirin either.