English Literature & Creative Writing
Kieślowski’s Three Colors Trilogy: The Experience of Isolation and the Quest for Meaning in the Contemporary World
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
English Literature & Creative Writing
Start Date
11-4-2014 10:45 AM
End Date
11-4-2014 12:00 PM
Sponsor
Lee Garver (Butler University)
Description
For this paper I viewed Krzysztof Kieślowski's groundbreaking Three Colors trilogy in an effort to untangle the subtle connections between the three films.While Blue, White, and Red differ in content, style, and tone (many critics call Blue an anti-tragedy, White an anti-comedy, and Red an anti-romance), they are linked by existential questions of fate and chance and the profound loneliness that accompanies the sensation of being out of control. In Three Colors Kieślowski raises the question of how to combat loneliness in a crowded, cutthroat, tragic world that is beyond human control, but does not directly answer it. However, Kieślowski proposes three different channels for confronting loneliness: Liberté, Egalité, or Fraternité (liberty, equality, fraternity), which constitute the national motto of France, represent the three colors of the French flag, and loosely serve as the thematic foci for Blue, White, and Red respectively. I believe that by suggesting avenues for an existential question to be answered without providing specific political, social, or moral commentary, Kieślowski becomes the puppet master, placing the power of discovery in the hands of his characters and audience as he simply inserts road blocks, detours, and complications along the path that leads to a transcendental understanding of the human experience.
Kieślowski’s Three Colors Trilogy: The Experience of Isolation and the Quest for Meaning in the Contemporary World
Indianapolis, IN
For this paper I viewed Krzysztof Kieślowski's groundbreaking Three Colors trilogy in an effort to untangle the subtle connections between the three films.While Blue, White, and Red differ in content, style, and tone (many critics call Blue an anti-tragedy, White an anti-comedy, and Red an anti-romance), they are linked by existential questions of fate and chance and the profound loneliness that accompanies the sensation of being out of control. In Three Colors Kieślowski raises the question of how to combat loneliness in a crowded, cutthroat, tragic world that is beyond human control, but does not directly answer it. However, Kieślowski proposes three different channels for confronting loneliness: Liberté, Egalité, or Fraternité (liberty, equality, fraternity), which constitute the national motto of France, represent the three colors of the French flag, and loosely serve as the thematic foci for Blue, White, and Red respectively. I believe that by suggesting avenues for an existential question to be answered without providing specific political, social, or moral commentary, Kieślowski becomes the puppet master, placing the power of discovery in the hands of his characters and audience as he simply inserts road blocks, detours, and complications along the path that leads to a transcendental understanding of the human experience.