Polish film director Krzysztof Kieślowski (1941-1996) is one of the most influential directors of the 1980s and 1990s, with the Trois Couleurs trilogy – three films that came out in 1993 and 1994 – widely regarded as a highlight of his varied work. The trilogy title refers to the colours of the French flag, but also to the fundamental principles of the French Revolution: liberty, equality, and fraternity.
In Trois Couleurs: Bleu, Trois Couleurs: Blanc and Trois Couleurs: Rouge, Kieślowski intelligently and often ironically presents the elaboration of these principles at the end of the 20th century, assigning a key role to themes such as kinship, chance and the search for what is morally correct. All three films were co-written by Kieślowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz and Agnieszka Holland.
Eye Filmmuseum has recently digitally restored the three films, which can be seen in Rialto De Pijp from 12 January 2023.
Trois couleurs: Blanc
In this second part of the Trois Couleurs trilogy, Kieślowski presents his view on the second principle of the French Republic: equality, though "inequality" may be more fitting here. Kieślowski won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 1994 Berlinale for his film. Blanc stars Julie Delpy and Zbigniew Zamachowski.
The Polish Karol (Zamachowski) once emigrated to France, where he married the beautiful Dominique (Delpy). The couple lives in Paris. When Karol, who runs a barbershop, is unable to satisfy Dominique's sexual desire she kicks him out eventually. Devastated and desperate, Karol wanders through Paris. In a metro station, he meets Mikołaj, a well-off fellow Pole who helps Karol return to Poland. Driven by feelings of revenge, Karol strives to become a successful businessman, solely to have the means to regain an "equal" footing with Dominique.
Click here for all the Kieślowski films.
