Three Colors: White

The second film in Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Blue, White & Red" trilogy, "White" (1993), is decidedly lighter in tone than its predecessor and should manage to appeal to a wider audience. In it we meet Karol Karol, a Polish hairdresser living in Paris who has just been divorced by his wife Dominique (the gorgeous Julie Delpy, who is not unfairly compared to the Brigitte Bardot of "Contempt" in this picture), due to a spell of impotence. At first blush something of a nebbish, Karol soon shows that he is nevertheless quite the resourceful character. Back in his wintry-white native land, he manages to somehow get back on his feet, rebuild his life despite numerous adversities--as had Juliette Binoche in "Blue"--and even contrive a get-even scheme involving his ex. As in the previous film, the directing and photography are just outstanding, and Zbigniew Zamachowski is at once sympathetic, funny and charismatic in "White"'s lead role. Sharp-eyed fans of "Blue" will note Ms. Binoche's Julie character in "White"'s opening courtroom scene, as well as the same old lady at the recycling bin (this latter background character would also, strangely, resurface in "Red"); just some fun elements to help tie this loosely linked trio of films together, I suppose. Despite being a bit more straightforward than the other two films in the trilogy, "White" still offers food for thought, as well as some puzzling moments. For example, viewers who will be able to interpret Delpy's hand gestures at the tail end of the picture are certainly better than me. (Then again, I've always been pretty bad at any hand pantomime more involved than a raised middle finger; guess I'd make a lousy deaf person!) Fortunately, Delpy explains these mysterious gestures for us in one of the DVD's copious extras. I'm also somewhat at a loss as to how the color white's corresponding to "equality" on the French flag pertains here. Are we supposed to think that Karol and Dominique are equals of sorts by the film's end? I suppose so. The white of the title can just as easily be regarded, though, as corresponding to the sweet and pleasing center of an Oreo cookie, in the middle of two decidedly darker segments...

While 'Three Colours: White' may be the weakest of Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colours Trilogy", that is in no way saying that it is a bad film (to me it was actually still an extremely good one) and that it's testament to the trilogy's consistently high overall quality.

'Three Colours: White' could have been a little longer to give more development to the two leads' relationship and to Julie Delpy's character perhaps, and there are a couple of parts that do strain credibility. On the whole though, it is an entertaining, sad and thought-provoking examination of equality and revenge with a story detailing love on the rocks and the aftermath of Poland's Communist Regime.

Again it is very symbolic, especially in the linking to the protagonist's past (this time with a coin and a Marianna plaster bust) and again the recycling of bottles that ties in with the film's main theme of equality. This symbolism is this said intriguing and visually arresting, instead of being incoherent, one may not get the significance of it at first but reading up about the film and analyses of it has proved to be tremendously insightful.

Visually, 'Three Colours: White' is every bit as visually stunning as the previous film 'Three Colours: Blue'. The scenery is intentionally not flattering but at the same time it is also affectionate, and the film is exquisitely shot with the use of colour bold and striking. The music is not quite as symbolic as in 'Blue', but is still very much inspired and cleverly used, with a dark jauntiness to match the blackly comedic nature of the film and also a little pathos to mirror the emotions of the protagonist.

Writing is of the true black comedy/dry humour kind, enough to make one laugh heartily and cry unashamedly, with plenty of funny and poignant moments as well as blunt and thought-provoking ones. Kieslowski's direction is never intrusive.

Zbigniew Zamachowski excels par excellence in his tragicomic role, a very funny and nuanced turn. Julie Delpy's role is not as interesting, but she does bring a formidable edge and sensuality to it.

On the whole, the weakest of the trilogy but still extremely good. 9/10 Bethany Cox

It is not only difficult to comment separately on the three parts of Kieslowski's trilogy, it seems obvious that the filmmaker wants us to do just the opposite: view them in order, Blue, White, and Red, and consider them together as one complete work. It is true they are distinct stories with distinct themes: liberty, equality, fraternity, and each them is developed with unique applications of intrigue and artistry. They are each well worth seeing independently, but I believe they are best seen as one work. Collectively, I would rate the trilogy as a 9; separately, I place each in my top ten for the years 1993 and 1994.

White is the fabric of a bride, chaste and pure at the outset of her marriage; later it is the flash of an orgasm in the dark; and then .... But any more said of the instances of white in this film might spoil it for the first-time viewer. Unlike Three Colors: Blue, White is a more plot-oriented movie, with two main characters to Blue's one. And this is as it should be. Blue's theme of Liberty, the first word of France's motto, is an individual's principle, while White's theme of Equality, the French motto's second word, requires at least two people. The central quest for liberty is personal; the struggle for equality is fundamentally social. White is the most conventional of the three Color films, and while it is still one of my ten top films of 1994, I rate it an 8, slightly less than the highly visual Blue and the mind-bending Red.

Review In A Nutshell:

White tells the story of a male Polish hairdresser, Karol, who was left by his wife, Dominique, with nothing. He deals with this loss by going back to Poland and rebuilding himself.

The first I noticed when going through this film was how light it all felt, all the weight that I felt on the director's previous film, Blue, were mostly lifted. I wasn't so much disappointed with the change in tone as there are many moments in this film where the plot and narrative benefited from it, but I was underwhelmed by Kieslowski's execution. The director couldn't seem to make me feel comprehensively invested to the protagonist, as I personally felt he wasn't explored enough and the intentions of the character wasn't truly clear to me throughout.

Thankfully I enjoyed the journey that the protagonist has taken, as we get to see him start off on the bottom of the world, figuratively speaking of course, and building himself up slowly to becoming a respectable and "fulfilled" man. He doesn't reach this stage without playing dirty of course, Karol is still a normal human being and would do whatever he can in order to get ahead, but it was handled in such a way that we don't think less of him. I saw this rebuilding as just a constructive coping mechanism towards the tragic loss he just suffered, and I think in a way all of what he has made for himself was all for her or at least something to prove to her. During the film's third act, we can see that he is still in pain and even though he could get anything he wants there is still a void in him that hasn't been filled, and that is love. It was her love that he has always wanted, and he blames himself for not being able to show and prove that to her during their marriage. For Karol, content doesn't come from wealth, respect and fame, it comes from Dominique.

The film's photography was also a major change from the first film of the trilogy. Colors seem to be warmer, and the color seems to dominate a lot of the film's images, possibly enforcing the idea of purity and beauty. It connects really well with the film's plot and narrative, making certain situations coming off as comically charged rather than dire, giving us a glimpse of how the film would feel during its resolution. The score also was change from the previous film, switching from the grand and dramatic tone to something much lighter and sharper. I found the score to be effective, particularly during the moments where the film wants us to feel sorry for Karol or when he examines or thinks about his one true love, Dominique. We are able to understand his fascination with her, and the music helps support that.

Zbigniew Zamachowski plays the film's protagonist, Karol. He was wonderful in the role, though it wasn't at the same level of amazing as Binoche in Blue. The actor was able to manipulate my feelings towards the character, with one moment feeling highly sorry then the next moment feeling proud of what he has become. He was able to change the appearance of his exterior while keeping his internal qualities the same. Julie Delpy was also pretty good in the role, but it would have been better if she was given a bit more screen time; then again this is Karol's story, not hers.

White may not be a step up as I hoped it would be from Blue, but it's still a great piece of work from Kieslowski. Hopefully Red would be at least just as good as this, if not better.

Your pretty wife, has decided to divorce, as you're impotent and not hung like a horse, your debit card is taken, your lost, lonely, forsaken, and you're feeling rather low, full of remorse. A chance encounter gets you back to your homeland, to Poland where you hatch the perfect plan, to avenge all of the strife, from your uncaring ex-wife, and make you feel like you're actually a man.

Karol Karol goes from zero to hero as he takes his life from the depths of despair to the heights of a wealthy and successful businessman, in order to exact his cunning revenge on the wife that belittled and scorned him. A little bit daft and wholly unimaginable but mildly entertaining in a comical kind of way.