RED arrived!

[Number_6]

What are the names to look up?

Where at?

Generally, I find them filed under Blue, White, and Red, respectively, when I see them in video stores. Occasionally they will all be under "T" for Three Colours.

If you're looking at DeepDiscount, Bleu, Blanc, and Rouge will bring each one up, as will Trois Couleurs.

 

[Friday]

Deepdiscount is where I purchased my copy. There was a glitch in ordering, but their customer service people took care of it immediately, with no questions asked.

I highly recommend them.

And you might as well buy it. This film is not one that you can watch once, and walk away knowing everything about it.

 

[Number_6]

The broken window.

I read that the windows in the old judge's life are meant to symbolize his cynicism and the shutting out of other people. The breaking of the windows near the end symbolize his own personal walls crumbling, and the fact that he actually peers out of a broken pane of glass at the end, and for the first time in a long time chooses to see life without a filter or barrier, symbolizing his redemption.

That sounds about right. The only thing I would add is that glass functions in a lot of different ways in Kieslowski. In La Double Vie de Veronique, for example, the use of filters is encouraged, because Kieslowski is arguing that we need to look at the world in ways our normal senses don't allow.

But the fresh air point is also important. Why else would that be the phrase for a bubble gum ad?

 

[Friday]

What....does...that....french....phrase....mean??!!

 

[Number_6]

Something like "newness" or "freshness" of life.

 

[Friday]

Fate and Destiny. Two themes that are interwoven throughout this film.

Do we have a destiny, or do we choose our own fate? Was Valentine destined to meet Auguste on that ferry, or did the old judge manipulate events to insure that outcome?

 

[Friday]

OH! The broken glass at the bowling alley! What was up with that? I didn't get that at all. I know that was supposed to mean that Auguste had been there, because of the Marlboros, but why was the glass broken?

 

[Number_6]

Right. The Marlboros establish that Auguste has been there, and earlier we eavesdropped on the telephone conversation in which Auguste and Karin decide to go bowling (by flipping a coin--again the element of chance, though the Judge flips a coin along with them, and his also comes up heads, I think it was).

One thing that the article you looked at doesn't mention is that in a way, the fact that the broken glass at the end of the film represents redemption also "redeems" the usual use of broken glass in Kieslowski, which has the more traditional meaning of something being shattered. I think we are supposed to understand that Auguste and Karin had a fight at the bowling alley, preparing us for the scene where Karin is having sex with another man (Hugo Hoebling?).

 

[Friday]

I just can't let go of the similarities between Auguste and John (the old judge?).

I'm solidifying in my mind the idea that John was Auguste, and he was able, somehow, to come back to redeem himself. The similarities are just overwhelming....down to the snapping of the suspenders.

And if that's the case, I could still get my redemption angle at the end, as opposed to John only acting as a facilitator of the story.

And no curiousity about my av?

 

[Friday]

Hmmm...Valentine's relationship with Michel.

Why does she put up with that? To answer, "I think so" in response to your girlfriend's inquiry to find out if you love her, is pure dickery. Why does she let him try to dictate all the facets of her life...from a distance, no less?

I don't quite have a handle on the character of Valentine yet.

 

[Number_6]

Your av has something to do with your announcement that you are becoming a nun. That will mean an end to buying mp3s and DVDs, you know. Vow of poverty and all that.

The Judge's name is Joseph Kern. And he may well have re-inserted himself into an earlier point in history to correct the past. Kieslowski seems almost obsessed with the idea of being able to re-do things. Blind Chance (1981) is a precursor to films like Sliding Doors and Run Lola Run (in fact, Tom Tykwer, the director of Run Lola Run directed Kieslowski's script for Heaven, which was supposed to be the first in a trilogy linked to Dante's Divine Comedy), and La Double Vie de Veronique is the story of Weronika, a young Polish girl, and Veronique, her French doppelganger, who somehow learns lessons from Weronika's life, which was tragically cut short by a heart attack.

As for the character of Valentine, she is damaged. Her family situation--a family broken by her mother's infidelity, an infidelity that resulted in the birth of her brother--are only lightly touched upon, but they obviously plague her.

And her problems with Michel are not new--remember that she says, "It's starting again," when Michel begins his descent into "dickery."

When Joseph tells her to just "Be," he helps her to reaffirm her sense of self-worth. All she needs to do is Be. That is enough.

 

[Friday]

Your av has something to do with your announcement that you are becoming a nun. That will mean an end to buying mp3s and DVDs, you know. Vow of poverty and all that.

Aww, hell. I didn't think about that. Maybe I'll get a special dispensation from the Pope or somethin'. Make some kind of deal...maybe I could "share" my bounty with him.

The Judge's name is Joseph Kern. And he may well have re-inserted himself into an earlier point in history to correct the past. Kieslowski seems almost obsessed with the idea of being able to re-do things.

I really have come to believe this. And have thought about doing the same in my life, every so often. How cool would it be to be able to go back and fix those events in your past that you wished never happened?

I actually did see Sliding Doors. It was a really good film.

Blind Chance (1981) is a precursor to films like Sliding Doors and Run Lola Run (in fact, Tom Tykwer, the director of Run Lola Run directed Kieslowski's script for Heaven, which was supposed to be the first in a trilogy linked to Dante's Divine Comedy), and La Double Vie de Veronique is the story of Weronika, a young Polish girl, and Veronique, her French doppelganger, who somehow learns lessons from Weronika's life, which was tragically cut short by a heart attack.

Okay, I'm reactivating Netflix today. Are ya satisfied?

As for the character of Valentine, she is damaged. Her family situation--a family broken by her mother's infidelity, an infidelity that resulted in the birth of her brother--are only lightly touched upon, but they obviously plague her.

And her problems with Michel are not new--remember that she says, "It's starting again," when Michel begins his descent into "dickery."

When Joseph tells her to just "Be," he helps her to reaffirm her sense of self-worth. All she needs to do is Be. That is enough.

I noticed that Valentine was damaged and vulnerable. Her past, coupled with her not so healthy relationship with Michael, left some pretty deep scars, it seems.

Just "Being" is great from a thematic angle, but it really isn't very practical IRL. There's a certain suspension of disbelief required there, I think.

 

[Blindgroping]

On Ebay, I'm bidding on a copy of the whole trilogy for a total of $20.

 

[Friday]

OH!

Just as the broken windows in Joseph's life symbolize him finally seeing life for what it truly is, the broken beer glass at the bowling alley could symbolize Auguste seeing Karin for what she truly is.

 

[Number_6]

Aww, hell. I didn't think about that. Maybe I'll get a special dispensation from the Pope or somethin'. Make some kind of deal...maybe I could "share" my bounty with him. [/quuot]

I don't think this new pope will go for that. He seems pretty traditional.

I really have come to believe this. And have thought about doing the same in my life, every so often. How cool would it be to be able to go back and fix those events in your past that you wished never happened?

Well, in one sense, that's the essential human dilemma--being force to live in linear time. There's definitely an existential element here, because I see some echoes of Heidegger. There's also the voice of the writer, who can go back and change events until he/she gets the story exactly the way he/she wants it.

I actually did see Sliding Doors. It was a really good film.

Okay, I'm reactivating Netflix today. Are ya satisfied?

All of Kieslowski is available via Netflix save La Double Vie de Veronique. It only just came out as a Region 2 DVD (another reason why I bought the region-free player), and though Amazon has it listed as coming out in Region 1 this Tuesday, there are no details--not a price, not the name the company who's releasing it, nothing--so I think it's probably no true.

And you want to wait for the DVD on this one. The VHS/LD transfer was poorly done, with the colors over-saturated (and shifted too far into the yellows and reds) and the aspect ratio is incorrect. The over-saturation of color also causes blurry, indistinct images. But as the VHS has been out of print for quite awhile, you're unlikely to come across it anyway.

I noticed that Valentine was damaged and vulnerable. Her past, coupled with her not so healthy relationship with Michael, left some pretty deep scars, it seems.

Just "Being" is great from a thematic angle, but it really isn't very practical IRL. There's a certain suspension of disbelief required there, I think.

Why is just Being impractical?

 

[Number_6]

On Ebay, I'm bidding on a copy of the whole trilogy for a total of $20.

I forgot about eBay. Several of my students picked up the trilogy for $14, plus S&H.

Good luck!

 

[Number_6]

OH!

Just as the broken windows in Joseph's life symbolize him finally seeing life for what it truly is, the broken beer glass at the bowling alley could symbolize Auguste seeing Karin for what she truly is.

That sounds reasonable, though you'd have to explain why the drinking glass would symbolize a visual filter in the first place.

There's another point to be taken account of, one you'd only know if you'd watched a lot of Kieslowski. If two characters successfully share a drink together, that is symbolic of a deep bonding. Notice that when Valentine is first asked by the Judge if she would like some tea, she refuses, and he poors the hot water on the floor, symbolic of their failure to forge a connection.

Later, when they share the plum brandy, the connection has been forged, and the begin to share their inner thoughts with one another.

This shared drink is done to great effect in No End, in which the main character, whose husband has died the day before, comes downstairs to make the morning coffee. Shooting just her hands, we watch her pour out two cups of coffee. Then we see the hands "remember," and she pours one cup down the sink.

It works better than I describe it. It's one of the most powerful images of the reality of loss I've ever seen.

If you're going to Netflix Kieslowski films, don't forget The Decalogue, a series of ten 50-minute films, each one loosely based on one of the Ten Commandments. They are not necessarily religious, and Kieslowski isn't pushing a religious agenda. They are more about human beings finding themselves in situations which the commandments address.

 

[Number_6]

And just because she's absolutely beautiful:

 

[Friday]

Well, in one sense, that's the essential human dilemma--being force to live in linear time. There's definitely an existential element here, because I see some echoes of Heidegger. There's also the voice of the writer, who can go back and change events until he/she gets the story exactly the way he/she wants it.

Yes, we are, unfortunately, linear animals. I found myself envying the main character in Slaughterhouse Five, because his life was decidely nonlinear. That could get confusing however, and reality would cease to exist as we know it.

And you want to wait for the DVD on this one. The VHS/LD transfer was poorly done, with the colors over-saturated (and shifted too far into the yellows and reds) and the aspect ratio is incorrect. The over-saturation of color also causes blurry, indistinct images. But as the VHS has been out of print for quite awhile, you're unlikely to come across it anyway.

The 35th Anniversary Edition of The Sound Of Music was oversaturated. The color sucked big time. I was constantly told that's the way it was shown in the theaters, and it was the color Robert Wise preferred, but it still sucked. I was glad they corrected it on the 40th Annniversary disc.

Why is just Being impractical?

For the same reason philosophy is impractical during a time of crisis. "Being" offers no practical solutions to life's problems. It's great for the person just being, but it doesn't help anyone else. There are no tangible solutions found in just being.

 

[Friday]

That sounds reasonable, though you'd have to explain why the drinking glass would symbolize a visual filter in the first place.

Hmm...let me think on that one.

There's another point to be taken account of, one you'd only know if you'd watched a lot of Kieslowski. If two characters successfully share a drink together, that is symbolic of a deep bonding. Notice that when Valentine is first asked by the Judge if she would like some tea, she refuses, and he poors the hot water on the floor, symbolic of their failure to forge a connection.

Later, when they share the plum brandy, the connection has been forged, and they begin to share their inner thoughts with one another.

I was wondering why he would pour water on the floor! It seemed odd to me. Now I know. Thanks.

This shared drink is done to great effect in No End, in which the main character, whose husband has died the day before, comes downstairs to make the morning coffee. Shooting just her hands, we watch her pour out two cups of coffee. Then we see the hands "remember," and she pours one cup down the sink.

It works better than I describe it. It's one of the most powerful images of the reality of loss I've ever seen.

No, you described it well. I can definitely see that being an effective visual to illustrate something abstract.

If you're going to Netflix Kieslowski films, don't forget The Decalogue, a series of ten 50-minute films, each one loosely based on one of the Ten Commandments. They are not necessarily religious, and Kieslowski isn't pushing a religious agenda. They are more about human beings finding themselves in situations which the commandments address.

Sometimes I swear you own stock. I really do.