Stars: Juliette Binoche, Benoit Regent, Florence Pernel, Charlotte Very, Emmanuelle Riva, Helene Vincent

Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski

Summary: In the first part of acclaimed Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's extraordinary THREE COLOURS trilogy, BLUE represents Liberty (of Equality and Fraternity) in the French flag and national motto. Julie (Juliette Binoche) is a young, musically gifted Frenchwoman who has just lost her daughter and renowned composer-husband Patrice (Claude Duneton) in a tragic car accident. During her long physical and emotional convalescence, a journalist questions Julie about the widespread rumor that she's the actual composer of all Patrice's work. She rebuffs the journalist's inquiry regarding her husband's music, but she does not deny it. Upon leaving the hospital, Julie takes a flat in Paris and struggles to start anew--but not until she destroys Patrice's final unfinished work--a huge symphony for 12 orchestras, to be played at a gala celebrating the upcoming unification of 12 European nations. However, another copy surfaces, and gradually, as Julie discovers some surprising secrets about her husband's life, she's drawn back to the music, and the pleasures of existence. Kieslowski uses color as metaphor ingeniously, adding immense emotional depth to the story that is unfolding on screen. As Julie, Binoche is a striking cinematic presence. Her transition from a destroyed widow to a woman who has learned to embrace life gives BLUE the heart and soul that makes it a powerful, moving work.

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The first instalment of the late Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's trilogy on Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, the three colours of the French flag. Blueis the most sombre of the three, a movie dominated by feelings of grief. As the film begins, a car accident claims the life of a well-known composer. His wife, played by Juliette Binoche (Oscar winner for The English Patient), does not so much put the pieces of her life back together as start an entirely new existence. She moves to Paris, where she dissolves into a wordless life virtually without other people. Kieslowski attaches an almost subconscious significance to the colour blue but primarily he focuses on Binoche's luminous face and the way her subtle shifts in emotion flicker and disappear. The picture may be more enigmatic than the follow-ups Whiteand Redbut Binoche's quiet, heartbreaking presence becomes spellbinding; her performance won the best actress prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1993. --Robert Horton

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	French
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Scene By Scene Commentary By Krzysztof Kieslowski, Interviews With Juliette Binoche Jacques Witta And Marin Karmitz, Excerpts From The Original Soundtrack By Zbigniew Priesner, Theatrical Trailer
Subtitles:	English
Year:	1993
Release Date:	October 29, 2001
Runtime:	100 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	A R T 085 D V D
Keywords:	Blue, Subtitled, General, Colours, Wide, Screen, Three, French, Trois, Drama, Bleu, Couleurs
Genre:	Drama