Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red [Paperback]

Krzysztof Kieslowski (Author), Krzysztof Piesiewicz (Author), Danusia Stok (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1998

Krzystof Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy earned him the deserved reputation as "one of the world's premier film-makers' (Independent). In these films, based on the colors of the French flag and the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity--the three ideals of the French Revolution--Kieslowski has crafted three parables of contemporary existence. In Blue, Julie loses her child and husband in a car crash. In order to shield herself from the intensity of her grief, she strips away all remnants of her former life. This attempt is doomed to failure as music inexorably brings her back to a purpose in life. In White, Karol, a Polish hairdresser, is divorced and abandoned by his beautiful French wife and finds himself destitute on the Paris streets. He meets a fellow Pole, who ingeniously smuggles him back to Warsaw in a suitcase. Working on the black market, he soon rises to the top of Poland's emerging capitalist class. Still obsessively haunted by the image of his wife, Karol sets out to make her pay the price for her betrayal. The third and final part of the trilogy, Red, explores a strange, tentative relationship that gradualy grows between a beautiful young model and an embittered, retired judge. It is through the wisdom of her innocence that he finds the courage to engage with life again. Kieslowski brings the trilogy to a close with an event that weaves the disaparte threads into a seamless work of art.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Classic Kieslowski: a transcendent, beautiful essay on freedom." -- Independent on Sunday

"Brilliant . . . Black humour and razor sharp imagery." -- The Times (London)

"The best of European cinema . . . Miraculous." -- Guardian

Product Details

• Paperback: 291 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (January 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571178928
• ISBN-13: 978-0571178926
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,315,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No question about it -- pick up this book!, April 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red (Paperback)

This book is a screenplay of Kieslowski's famous movie trilogy. The films are amazing, and the book is no less terrific. It has three great, interweaving stories, all great read by themselves but a masterpiece when read together. This is one book I will read over and over again, and so will anyone else interested in a great script or story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three colors, three emotions, May 5, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red (Paperback)

Cinematic genius Krzystof Kieslowski wrote and directed his own films, including the famed Three Colors Trilogy, made up of "White" ("Blanc"), "Red" ("Rouge") and "Blue" ("Bleu"). Taking the three concepts behind the French flag (liberty, equality and fraternity), Kieslowski created a colorful, emotional masterwork.

In "Blue," Julie loses her composer husband and her young daughter in a horrible car crash. Enveloped in her grief, she leaves her country mansion and takes a small apartment in Paris. But the haunting memory of her husband's music -- and the love of his former coworker -- keep drawing her back to her old life.

In "White," Polish immigrant (and born loser) Karol Karol is divorced by his sexy, ruthless wife Dominique. She takes all his money, his home, sleeps around and rubs it in his face, and leaves him penniless in the street. But Karol turns the tables on his beautiful Dominique when he becomes a rich man, and begins to spin an elaborate plot against her.

In "Red," the warm-hearted model Valentine accidently runs over a pregnant German shepherd. She takes the dog to its owner, but finds that he's a cold-hearted, callous ex-judge who uses a radio to spy on his neighbors. Valentine's disgust prompts the judge to turn himself in, and a strange friendship is struck between the embittered old man and the idealistic model... one that will change both their lives.

Obviously, reading the scripts for the Three Colors Trilogy can't quite recreate the experience of actually watching the film. The characters -- especially Julie and Valentine -- don't seem as rich without Juliette Binoche and Irene Jacob. And what words can recreate the swell of shimmering violins whenever Julie fades out? But Kieslowski's screenplays hint at the splendor and grandeur of his visions for these films. He brings the words to life in a way that few screenwriters can, and his descriptions of the characters and how they look, act, feel is phenomenal.

The Three Colors Trilogy is a modern classic of cinema, with its haunting characters and beautiful direction. So check out the wonderful screenplays that launched those films. Beautiful, heartfelt.