White (1993)
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Synopsis: Part two in Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's THREE COLORS astounding trilogy, WHITE represents Equality (of Liberty and Fraternity) in the French flag and the French national motto. Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a sweet but awkward Polish hairdresser, has just lost everything in... Part two in Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's THREE COLORS astounding trilogy, WHITE represents Equality (of Liberty and Fraternity) in the French flag and the French national motto. Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a sweet but awkward Polish hairdresser, has just lost everything in a bitter divorce settlement--his cold-hearted French wife, Dominique (Julie Delpy), having taken their home, credit cards, and business. The poor Karol finds himself stranded in Paris, speaking very little French; once he returns to his native Poland, his luck changes for the better. He manages to make a small fortune and a name for himself. Although he's moved up in the world, he still thinks about his former life with Dominique, and it is his memories, good and bad, that lead him to stage his disappearance, and which initiate an unusual chain of events. WHITE is a more lighthearted and leisurely affair than BLUE or RED, adding a well-rounded dimension to the trilogy. Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiwicz's script thrusts the characters into odd predicaments, and then ingeniously backs off to tell the tale of Karol's revenge, succeeding in laying enough emotional groundwork to justify Dominique's sincere change of heart. [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy
DVD Info
Release:
Mar 4, 2003
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
- Dolby Digital Surround Sound - French
- Additional Footage - 1. A Discussion on Kieslowski's Later Years
- 2. A Discussion on Working with Kieslowski
- 3. Krzysztof Kieslowski's Cinema Lesson
- Production Interview - 1. Julie Delpy
- 2. Marin Karmitz
- Audio Commentary - 1. Annette Insdorf
- 2. Julie Delpy (Selected Scenes)
- Featurette - 1. A LOOK AT BLANC
- Bonus Short - 1.Kieslowski Student Film: Trolley
- 2. Kieslowski Student Film: The Face
- 3. Kieslowski Student Film: The Office
Interactive Features:
- Scene Access
- Interactive Menus
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Reviews
The second installment in the color trilogy is a black, whimsical comedy about the distortions of equality--and love. Lead actor Zamachowski bears resemblance to the little tramp; reportedly director Kieslowski asked him to watch Chaplin pictures.
How could the creator of Blue, the story of a woman who grieves by moping around Paris in a chichi haircut, possibly have followed it with such a rich, light-handed marvel?
The least of Kieslowski's Trois couleurs, at worst a minor film by a major talent.
If Kieslowski wasn't Polish himself, I'd think he was making Polish jokes.
White is a beautifully accomplished lyrical work that is both silly and serious.
Kieslowski presents a character who seeks superiority rather than equality and in a capitalist society he achieves it.
The tonal shifts in White display, for the first time, the emotional depth the trilogy enables, and functions secondly to paint expectations for Red.
Kieslowski, who so keenly satirized the crippling excesses of communism in his earlier work, unflinchingly has a go at training-wheels capitalism, but not without affection for the thawing tundra of his beleaguered mother country.

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