Three colours blue = Trois couleurs bleu [DVD]

Three colours blue is the first installment in Krzysztof Kieslowski’s trilogy based on the three ideals of the French revolution - liberty, equality and fraternity. Blue addresses Liberty in an intimate manner. Julie, portrayed with refinement by Juliette Binoche is stripped of her emotional support at the onset of the film when her husband, Patrice, an internationally renowned composer, and her daughter, are killed in a car crash. Patrice’s work-in-progress, a concerto to celebrate Europe’s impending unification remains unfinished at his death. Her heartrending “freedom” provides the emotional centre of this hypnotic film. To deal with the trauma of their deaths, Julie retreats into anonymity, withdrawing from the world, but life can never be lived in a vacuum. Inexorably and inevitably, she begins to reawaken to life’s possibilities. Blue is a film of mood and atmosphere, shadow and light, music and gesture. It dazzles with its succinct emotional power, insights and technical genius - culminating, in the final moments, in an overwhelming spiritual climax. Co-starring Benoit Regent, Florence Pernel, Charlotte Very, Helene Vincent, Philippe Volter, Claude Duneton, Hugues Quester and Emmanuelle Riva. (Awards: Winner of the Venice 1993 Golden Lion - Best Actress and Best Picture, Los Angeles Critics Awards - Best Foreign Film, Runner Up - Best Music and 2 Cesar Awards including Best Actress). In French with English subtitles.