White (1994)

overrated

Only just got around to watching this after hearing years of raves for "White". In a word: overrated. Slight comedy. Others say symbolism. More like cheap and obvious. The whole motivation behind this tale of revenge is unbelievable and contrived. Go on to "Blue" and "Red" for rewarding viewing. July 20, 2008

Utterly brilliant

White (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994)

When I mentioned to people that I was in the midst of watching Three Colours, Kieslowski's celebrated film trilogy, for the first time, to a person, I got the same reaction: "oh, Blue is my favorite of the three, but the other two are really good as well!" Of course, if you've been following along, you know me: if there's a sacred cow around, I have an overwhelming urge to turn it into shish-kebab, and that may be part of the reason that, now that I've given myself a few weeks' perspective from all three films, I've landed on White as my favorite of the three. But it could also be that White is the film that, in some odd way that I can't quite put my finger on, most reminded me of Dekalog, my favorite Kieslowski offering. Even though Blue has the most surface connection to Dekalog, White has a great deal of that same mindset going on under the hood. Kieskowski's masterful morality play would have fit right in with Dekalog, I think.

The wonderfully-named Karol Karol (The Call of the Toad's Zbigniew Zamachowski) is a Polish expatriate barely getting by in Paris. His lovely young wife Dominique (Killing Zoe's Julie Delpy) has just divorced him after only six months, and he finds himself homeless. While playing a comb in the metro to pick up spare change, he meets Mikolaj (Aquarium's Janusz Gajos), a wealthy Polish businessman who wants Karol to come back to Poland with him to perform a service (saying what would be a spoiler). Things turn out unexpectedly in Poland, and Karol, who has never forgotten Dominique's betrayal, alternately tries to go on with his life without her and concocts absurd schemes to win her back.

I think one of the reasons I liked White more than the other two films is that, of the Kieslowski works I've seen (all the major films at this point, and a few of the shorts-- not nearly as many as I'd like), it's the out-and-out funniest; it requires a warped sense of humor, to be sure, but Karol is without doubt meant to be a comic figure, and Zamachowski's hapless portrayal is spot-on. Karol never feels entirely comfortable in his skin, whether he's on top of the world or at the bottom of the trash heap, and it's Zamachowski's excellent portrayal of Karol that makes this film a success as much as it is Kieslowski's impressive directorial skills. Whereas Juliette Binoche's character in Blue was never less than self-assured, even when she was entirely lost, Karol is her opposite; he's never self-assured even when he's most found. And yet neither Zamachowski nor Kieslowski ever overplay their hands; Karol is usually at least sympathetic, if not outright pathetic, but Zamachowski does it so well that even the well-worn cliché that forms the final movement of the film comes off as fresh and inviting.

White is Kieslowski at his finest, easily on a par with episodes five and seven of Dekalog. I cannot recommend the films of Kieslowski highly enough, if you haven't already experienced them; while I'd suggest starting with Dekalog, it does represent a serious chunk of time, and Three Colours gives you a taste of the genius without having to invest eleven hours and change. **** ½

July 18, 2008

Superb!

Karol ( Zbigniew Zamachowski ) is disposed by his wife, Dominique ( Julie Delpy ) and forced to go back to his home country, Poland. Then, he thinks of and begins to plan the revenge to her, supported by his friend, Mikolaj ( Janusz Gajos ). When he becomes a successful businessman, it's the time to carry out his PLAN to acquire equality...
White implies purity and innocence, but also means equality. This film tells how a man acquires the equality with his wife.
Oscar nominee and the star of "Before Sunset", Julie Delpy portrays Dominique as icy beauty. Zamachowski plays a clueless man well. The story is depicted as somewhat comedic but serious touch. The friendship between Karol and Mikolaj is interesting. This movie received the winner of the best director award at the Berlin Film Festival.
Director Kieslowski is prominent in the unique expression. He effectively uses silence, unique behavior, metaphor, minimum speech, and beautiful music. These effects give deep impression. For instance, some funny moments are depicted by serious touch in this film. Also, an old lady appears through the three colors trilogy. It is interesting that Julie( Blue ), Karol( White ), and Valentine( Red ) react differently toward the old lady.
The three colors trilogy is the masterpiece of Kieslowski and consists of three films (" Blue", "White", and "Red" ) . The colors of French flag means liberty, equality, fraternity. Director Kieslowski expressed these themes through the movies. If you like Kieslowski's movie, you will like it.
February 28, 2008

Essential cinema: Krzysztof Kieslowski's 'Trois couleurs: Blanc.

One of the most critically acclaimed film cycles ever made, Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's (1941-1996) Three Colors Trilogy (Blue / White / Red) is the collective title of three celluloid poems, Three Colours: Blue (Trois couleurs: Bleu) (1993), Three Colours: White (1994), and Three Colours: Red (Trois couleurs: Rouge) (1994), and somewhat loosely based on the colours of the French flag in left-to-right order, which represent the three political ideals of the French Republic: liberty, equality, fraternity. Although each film of the Three Colors trilogy stands on its own, the films should be watched as a series. The three-film collected set Three Colors Trilogy (Blue / White / Red) is worth the investment.

Set in Paris, in the opening scene in Three Colors: White (French: Trois couleurs: Blanc) Juliette Binoche (playing Julie from "Blue") briefly enters a courtroom by accident. "White" is a black comedy that tells the story of an immigrant, Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), who finds himself in a Paris divorce court after he is unable to consummate his marriage with his wife Dominique (tres sexy Julie Delpy). The judge tells confused Karol his wife does not love him anymore. After Karol loses his wife, his means of support (a beauty salon), and his money, while performing songs for spare change in a Paris Métro station, he is befriended by another Pole, Mikoaj (Janusz Gajos). Mikoaj is suicidal and offers to pay Karol to kill him. Still brooding over his wife's abandonment, Karol plots to win back Dominique only as a means to get even with her (equality).

The Three Colours Trilogy ranks among my all-time personal film favorites, and it consistently ranks in critical top-ten movie lists. Highly recommended.

G. Merritt August 26, 2007

"White" is Bland

There must be something missing in the translation. This film of alleged deceit and revenge is neither interesting or erotic. It's just plain boring. The film starts out fairly promisingly but just lumbers along from there on out. I was a fan of director Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Red" but this film is not as remotely excellent as that film. Haven't seen "Blue" yet but it can't be any worse than "White". July 4, 2007

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