Three Colours: Blue

The first film in Kieslowski's 1993-1994 'Three Colours' trilogy, seen as one of the finest film series in modern cinema. This opening piece was a very good fine, enjoyed, with a fine central performance, well and not overdone, by Julliette Binoche.
Among Kieslowski's visual tics is his use of two seperate colours, in fact these are the key visual motifs of the film. The colours are the blue of the title, and a soft orange. In faact, all of Kieslowski's colours are rather soft. The blue clearly represents Binoche's inner coldness, after the disaster. The orange reflects a number of interesting motfs; the freedom and happiness in sunshine, to start. But as we see it happen in the case of the bottlebank scene, it is also the colour of forgetting, of ignoring what is immanent and should be important.
The lighting is often under Binoche, giving an interesting effect we haven't seen much elsewhere. There is softness and a beauty, with also a certain amount of substance and stature. An interesting combination. Kieslowski is also keen, with his use of two sidelights, to shadow Binoche's features, to give her face and body a depth. The way that this is shown is also through long shots, certainly through filters and perhaps even through glass, oddly. We have long exposures which makes the whole excercise grainy, soft. This allows a real play of light; often refracted light.
We are, with the help of this, and with the frequent close ups and camera behind her, getting on with some serious identification of the Binoche. The direction is pretty simple, with wider shots and then the close ups. After 'The Double Life Of Veronique', this more simplistic turn comes as a surprise, partly from the fact that this is one of three films, so less is thrown in the pot, even less time perhaps. The film, to go with this simple direction, is fast and surprisingly snappy. For all the art-house baggage, this is a sharp, snappily plotted. This makes the excercise avoid bathos, which a certainly dramatic musical score could eak on. Kieslowski is one of the masters of using classic music in his films (remembered from 'Veronique'), here in a shorter film it could be over the top, but it is saved.
What for the themes? This is the film of freedom and even selfishness. It is a film about ideology, that could even be read politically. What is the past? What does it want? Kieslowski is not going to make things simple, he realises the complexities of the issues of freedom. A film of layers.
So we enjoyed this film, and were surprised by the directness of it. A very good start.