Screening Report 2: France: Three Colors: Blue

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

We discussed the usage of color in this film. The main color used was of course blue, but red was also used in a pivotal scene in a brothel. Looking up the artistic meaning of blue, I got results saying that it can represent depression and sadness. This fits the theme of the film as we follow Julie and her grief as she tries to move on from the trauma of losing her family. Music is also a major theme in the movie as Julie's late husband was working on a piece of music that would celebrate the unity of Europe. Early in the film she destroys this piece but we hear it repeated over and over throughout the film. 

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content.

https://girlonfilmsite.com/2012/11/23/into-the-blue-an-analysis-of-kieslowskis-three-colours-blue/

Eavangeline Spachis' article for the website Girl on Film titled Into the Blue: An Analysis of Keislowski's 'Three Colors: Blue' discusses the film at great length. She discusses the use of color, the use of music, and, what stood out to me the most, the editing in the film. She says that blue in this case represents liberty and the need Julie has to liberate herself from her past entirely. Spachis also notes the blurring of diagetic and non-diagetic sound in the music that's played over and over in the film. She also notes the use of fade-in and fade-outs in the editing. Spachis also quotes from the Keislowski, editor Jaques Witta, and film critic Annette Insdorf, each describing different aspects of the film.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.

The article discussed some things I had already noticed about the film, such as the use of the color blue. The mobile that Julie takes is made of blue beads that reflect the color on to her face in the light. The pool Julie swims in has so much blue in it that the lighting in those scenes makes her skin blue as well. The music that plays is Julie's late husband's unfinished master work that was meant to play at a celebration of the unification of Europe. The music is loud and only increases in sound when Julie's emotions run high. We hear what she's hearing in her head. Spachis notes a specific scene where Julie is standing over a piano as her husband's piece plays loudly over the soundtrack (or in her mind) and as it builds, she snaps the piano lid closed and the music abruptly stops. However, something that didn't make sense to me until I read Spachis' article was the use of the fade-in's and fade-out's in the editing. These didn't make sense to me because usually they're used to show a passage of time, yet in Blue no time passed between these edits. Spachis quotes Jaques Witta, the film's editor who said that these fades gave the music more time to breathe and would heighten the emotions of each scene. 

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion,  formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.

Looking up the trilogy this film comes from, I found that the other movies are called White and Red. All three represent the three colors of the French flag and French Revolution ideals, which stand for liberty (blue), equality (white), and red (fraternity). Knowing that blue stands for liberty it's easy to see that this is an overarching theme of the film. Julie is not attempting to work out her grief but rather attempting to liberate herself from her past life entirely. All she takes from her old home is a mobile of blue beads but otherwise sells the house and destroys her husband's musical pieces. She moves to a city where no one will know her and doesn't attempt to make friends. However, life finds a way of worming itself into her space and she ends up becoming acquaintances with a prostitute and being pulled back into writing music with her late husband's partner. The movie is thoughtful, but a bit distant and cold at points. Julie's blase reaction to her late husband's mistress (who is pregnant with his child) was strange and made her seem cold and passionless. As understandable as it is to see someone be detached and empty after such a loss, it doesn't always make for a great character study.

Citation:

Three Colors: Blue. Krzysztof Kieslowski. Miramax.1993. Film.

Spachis, Evangeline. "Into the Blue: An Analysis of Keislowski's 'Three Colors: Blue'". GirlonFilmSite. 23 November 2012. Web. 8 February 2017. 

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM 
1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: ______Melissa Faitoute________________________________  Date: ___________February 8 2017_________________