Blue, White, Red: Three Colors by Krzysztof Kieslowski (Criterion Collection)

Around here, red, white and blue are known as the colours of the American flag, and they are also the colours of the French flag. But they also are the names of the late Krzysztof Kieslowski's brilliant "Three Colours" trilogy, which has a delicacy that most directors can only dream of. Beautiful, painful, artfully shot, it's a visual feast for anyone who has an appreciation for beauty, subtlety and filmmaking.In "Bleu," Julie de Courcy (Juliette Binoche) and her family are in a car accident when their brakes fail, and her husband and daughter are killed. Devastated, she leaves her palatial house in the country after a night with her husband's old friend Olivier (Benoît Régent), who has been in love with her for years. And though Julie tries to leave her old life behind, she is pulled in when Olivier starts to finish her husband's last composition -- and he tells her of a side of her husband that she never knew.In the bitterly funny "Blanc," hairdresser Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) is being coldly divorced by his beautiful wife Dominique (Julie Delpy) because she is sexually dissatisfied with him -- and she takes all his money too. But after returning to Poland, Karol rebuilds his life and fortune, and amid a web of killing, seduction and faked death, he comes up with a way to get back at Dominique...And "Rouge" is the color of love. On her way home from a modelling session, Valentine (Irene Jacob) accidently injures a pregnant dog. The owner is Joseph Kern, (Jean-Louis Trintignant) an embittered ex-judge whose job has left him spiritually adrift, and who now spends his time wiretapping the phones of his neighbors and predicting what will happen in their lives. The friendship between Valentine and Kern grows, even as a young man's current life mirrors what devastated Kern long ago...The three colours of the French flag symbolize liberty, equality and fraternity -- and these are echoed in the stories of Kieslowski's films. And each of the three movies has its own "feel" -- "Blue" is cool and sensual, "White" was sharp and sexy, and "Red" has a sweetness and richness that is truly moving.And while most directors are just boring when they do slow, arty direction, Kieslowski infused his direction with sensual beauty and endless light and colour, like a painting come to life. And he intertwined many symbolic images and lingering threads from one movie to the next, whether it's an old lady recycling bottles or a rather surprising finale for "Red" that brings all three movies' protagonists together.And he saturated the movies with the colour of their title -- blue is sadness, depth and beauty; white is beautiful and pure, stark and blinding; red is passion and warmth. While this may not have been Kieslowski's intention, the constant presence of these colors (a bridal gown, a swimming pool, and so on) add an extra dimension to the emotions in the story, especially the first.Juliette Binoche is an extremely good actress, and this movie uses her expressiveness as most movies don't. Zamachowski brings an element of humanity and poignancy to what could have been an idiotic character, and I never felt anything but understanding for this guy. And Irene Jacob brings a sweetness and innocence to her role as Valentine (aptly named, considering the title of the movie she stars in) that is rarely seen in modern movies.In fact, this trilogy was ripe for a Criterion Collection release, and as usual they're lavishing extras on it -- high-def restorations; improved English subtitles; commentary by Juliette Binoche; interviews with actresses, writers, critics, producers and composers; video essays, a few short films and documentaries by Kieslowski, a feature-length documentary on Kieslowski, and the usual booklet of essays and printed interviews.Kieslowski was an unusual and extremely talented moviemaker, and his "Three Colors" trilogy -- "Bleu," "Blanc" and "Rouge" -- is an exceptional piece of work. We shall not see his like again.

"Trois Couleurs: Bleu, Blanc, Rouge" is my favorite film series of all time. This magnum opus of Kieslowski is a clear love letter to Paris to to his home country of Poland."Amélie" & "The Sixth Sense" clearly derive their symbolic uses of colors from Kieslowski.I watch this film over & over. If you're a true cinéphile, then you must add this to your film collection.

Bleu - Blanc - Rouge. et plein de bonus :New high-definition digital restorations (with 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks on the Blu-ray editions)Three cinema lessons with director Krzysztof KieślowskiNew interviews with writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz, composer Zbigniew Preisner, and actors Julie Delpy, Irène Jacob, and Zbigniew ZamachowskiSelected-scene commentary featuring actor Juliette BinocheNew video essays on Blue, White, and Red by film writers Annette Insdorf, Tony Rayns, and Dennis LimFull-length 1995 documentary featuring KieślowskiThree Kieślowski’s short films—The Tram (1966), Seven Women of Different Ages (1978), and Talking Heads (1980)—plus the short film The Face, starring KieślowskiInterview programs on Kieślowski’s life and work, featuring film critic Geoff Andrew, Binoche, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Sławomir Idziak, Insdorf, Jacob, producer Marin Karmitz and editor Jacques WittaBehind-the-scenes programs for White and Red, and a 1994 short documentary on Red’s world premiereOriginal theatrical trailersNew and improved English subtitle translationsPLUS: A booklet featuring essays by film critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans, and Georgina Evans; an excerpt from Kieślowski on Kieślowski; and reprinted interviews with cinematographers Idziak, Edward Klosinski, and Piotr Sobocinski

Three stories are related, somewhat entangled with each other and yet function each in its own manner. The acting is superb and the stories are compelling, but few in the U.S beyond critics and film buffs are aware of many foreign films and others are too readily avoiding anything for which they feel the need of subtitles is too large of a problem.Forget about the need to read subtitles if you are not the polyglot. You will miss all too much by limiting your attention to media without the subtitles. If you have to read the print on the screen, it is still well worth the effort.

This is my favorite film trilogy of all time, and this is a lovely boxed set. I can’t wait to watch them in 4K.

This is a very different style of movie, more thoughtful, less obvious and ultimately a bit wonderful. Great director, great cinematography, acting for most part was first rate. Would say undiscovered gems but these are fairly well known though perhaps not as much to US audiences.