Plot
Final entry in a trilogy of films dealing with contemporary French society concerns a model who discovers her neighbour is keen on invading people's privacy.
Storyline Valentine is a young model living in Geneva. Because of a dog she ran over, she meets a retired judge who spies his neighbours' phone calls, not for money but to feed his cynicism. The film is the story of relationships between some human beings, Valentine and the judge, but also other people who may not be aware of the relationship they have with Valentine or/and the old judge. Redemption, forgiveness and compassion...
Writers: Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Cast: Irène Jacob
-
Valentine
(as Irene Jacob)
Jean-Louis Trintignant
-
Le juge
Frédérique Feder
-
Karin
(as Frederique Feder)
Jean-Pierre Lorit
-
Auguste
Samuel Le Bihan
-
Le photographe (Photographer)
(as Samuel Lebihan)
Marion Stalens
-
Le Vétérinaire (Veterinary surgeon)
Teco Celio
-
Le barman (Barman)
Bernard Escalon
-
Le disquaire (Record dealer)
Jean Schlegel
-
Le voisin (Neighbour)
Elzbieta Jasinska
-
La femme (Woman)
Paul Vermeulen
-
L'ami de Karin (Karen's friend)
Jean-Marie Daunas
-
Le gardien du théâtre (Theatre manager)
Roland Carey
-
Le trafiquant (Drug dealer)
Brigitte Raul
-
Leo Ramseyer
-
Release Date: December 1994
Filming Locations: Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland
Gross: $4,043,686
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
SERIES TRADEMARK: In all three parts of the trilogy, an elderly person can be seen trying to throw an empty bottle into a recycling bin. In this final entry, Valentine (Irène Jacob) helps her, while in the other two parts the main character just watches.
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible:
A stage hand reflected in the window upon Valentine's first visit to the Judge's house.
Quotes: The Judge:
Leave. It's your destiny. You can't live your brother's life for him. Valentine:
I love him. If only I could help. The Judge:
You can. Be. Valentine:
What do you mean? The Judge:
That's all: be.
User Review
A Sublime Shade of Red
Rating:
The last film in the Three Colors trilogy, RED, is deceptively simple, yet
it rounds out everything that came before in an enlightening way. It
slightly resembles THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE in its theme of
fraternity,
and in its casting of Irene Jacob, who manages to exude a sense of curious
innocence and integrity. She interprets the role of Valentine, a young
Swiss
model and student living in Geneva and experiencing a kind of emotional
limbo as she awaits her boyfriend's return from England. Through a
seemingly
trivial twist of fate, she encounters a cynical retired judge (Jean-Louis
Trintignant) who leads a lonely, world weary existence and eavesdrops on
his
neighbors' telephone conversations. Initially she finds his detached
indifference appalling, and wants to report him, but her compassionate
nature enables her to comprehend the greater plight of the man, one of
leading a fruitless, lovelorn life. They form a touching friendship, and
this sets the stage for another turn of events. Auguste (Jean-Pierre
Lorit)
is young judge who is in many ways a mirror image of Trintignant's
character. He lives near Valentine, but through possible lack of
synchronicity, they never meet. Upheavals in his life are accordingly
similar to the old judge's, but this time, due to the presence of the
noble
Valentine, an old adversity can be turned on its side, bringing
fulfillment
for everyone.
With Red, there is a real sense of culmination unlike any other. Wistful,
melancholy, yet life-affirming, the film offers hope in world full of
supposed mistaken paths.
Tritignant remarked on Kieslowski's talents in augmenting the emotions of
the actors through his technique: "I'm very pleased with my work on this
film - and I don't think it had a lot to do with me. For example, at the
end
of the film when my character goes to the window, looks outside, and
starts
to cry - I couldn't do it, I couldn't summon the tears. I tried to make
myself cry but couldn't manage it. Krzysztof called the make-up lady who
shot menthol into my eyes. We shot the scene and Krzysztof said 'It's
good,
next shot.' Recently I saw the finished film. I waited anxiously for this
scene. And I cried when I saw myself."
Tritignant's nuanced portrayal is augmented by equally good work from
Jacob
who bears insight into her role as well: "Something really great about RED
are the 'non-encounters' between Auguste and Valentine. They pass each
other
without ever meeting. They might be great for each other but they never
meet. It reminds me of THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE where the two
identical
Veroniques are face to face but don't see each other. In RED this idea is
reflected by the way Valentine can't face up to her life, her love, her
sorrows. How can Auguste see her, or she him? How can they both release
themselves from this blindness?"
The uplifting aura of this film shines even brighter given the pettiness
with which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences brushed it off.
Due to the fact that is a multinational co-production, with a Polish
director, mixed Swiss and French cast and crew, Red was not allowed to
compete for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar as a film from Switzerland.
Indeed, the trilogy itself is without a country as it transcends borders
and
even culture in its solemn inquiry into human nature and that is a prize
in
itself.
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