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

In class we talked about how film is a large part of French culture and how France is the

third largest film market in the world behind the United States and India. We also discussed the

fact that many non-French filmmakers come to France and add some influence from their native

countries to the French films that they work on, this relates to the film Blue, because although it

is a French film, it was directed by Polish born Krysztof Kieslowski. After watching the film,

we discussed the relatively low level of dialogue it contained, especially when compared to

Trainspotting, our previous film. We also discussed the use of the blue throughout the film,

some examples including the chandelier made up of blue stones, and the swimming pool that

Julie swam in on numerous occasions.

2) Find a related article and summarize the content. (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress,
artistic content, etc.) You can use the library or the internet. Cite the article and copy the link to
your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any
content. Make sure your link is a true hyperlink that will connect to the article you are
referencing.

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/04/movies/review-film-blue-the-first-installment-of-a-tricolor-
trilogy.html

In this New York Times article, which features excerpts from a review by Vincent

Canby, the idea of liberty in the film is explored. Canby explains that this film is the first of the

Three Colors trilogy, Blue which on the French flag represents liberty, White which represents

equality, and Red which represents fraternity. Blue explores liberty on a personal level, more

specifically the liberty of Julie as she attempts to move on after the deaths of her husband and
young daughter. The Article gives examples of ways in which Julie attempts to liberate herself

from her former life, such as leaving her home in the country and moving into an apartment in

Paris, as well as destroying what she believed to be the only copy of the composition that her

husband had been working on at the time of his death. Canby points out the fact that the film

doesn’t explicitly explore the fact that Julie wrote a large amount of her husband’s music for

him, and how his secret dependence on her affected their marriage. The article ends by saying

that when the musical composition that has been hinted at throughout most of the film is finally

played for the audience, the author did not feel that it lived up to the hype.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. How did the article support or change the way
you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

This article has increased my interest in seeing the other two films in the Three Color

trilogy. When watching this film for the first time I did not realize that, on the French flag, blue

represents liberty, and I was trying to figure out what the color had to do with the film other than

just being seen multiple times. I was thinking that maybe blue could have to do with the sadness

that Julie was feeling following the loss of her family, but her search for liberty makes much

more sense. I am interest in seeing the other films in the trilogy because I am curious to see if

Julie’s story is continued in those films, and I would like to see how equality on an individual

level is explored in White, and how fraternity is explored in Red.

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. I am less interested in whether you
liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this) than I am in your understanding of its
place in film history or the contributions of the director.

Blue focused on the inner journey that Julie, played by Juliette Binoche, took while trying

to create a new life after the death of her daughter and composer husband. The use of nonverbal

communication was extremely effective in this film, and if the script had relied on more dialogue

for exposition it would have felt out of place or unrealistic in many instances. One example is in

the beginning of the film, Julie is in the hospital shortly after the car accident that killed her

family, and she puts a bunch of pills in her mouth as though she is ready to commit suicide, but

she does not swallow them. When she makes eye contact with a nurse at this moment, very little

has to be said verbally because so much is exchanged and understood in the looks that they give

each other. It is possible that Julie’s life is saved by the look that the nurse gives her in this

scene, because when the two of them make eye contact Julie spits the pills back into her hand. A

life saving amount of empathy is able to be conveyed with one simple look, and that is a

testament to the power of nonverbal communication in this film. Because Julie spends so much

time alone in this film, it is important that she is able to communicate her thoughts and feelings

to the audience without saying anything, and Juliette Binoche is excellent at this, which is
important considering she is playing a character who is attempting to finish writing a song

without lyrics, that is supposed to be about the unification of Europe. Even when Julie does

speak, she is a woman of few words and her responses are often subtle. It is fitting that this is a

film about musicians because, Krysztof Kieslowski is able to communicate a lot through his use

of music and it often compliments the expressions of the actors when trying to show what

characters are thinking or feeling at a given moment. I enjoyed this film because it was

interesting seeing the ways that Julie attempts to liberate herself from her former life, and the

difficulties that she has while on this journey. Although Julie is able to move on to a degree,

things from her past keep showing up in her life, like when the boy that witnessed the accident

attempts to return her necklace, he brings Julie back to the moment of her husband’s death when

he finishes the punchline to the joke that her husband had been telling when the accident

occurred. At the end of the film Julie decides that she will finish the composition that her

husband had been working on, even though she tried to destroy it earlier. I think that by

finishing the composition, Julie is finally freeing herself from her grief, but at the same time

understanding that her past will always be a part of her, even if she is able to move on from it.

Canby. “Review/Film; ‘Blue,’ the First Installment of a Tricolor Trilogy.” The New York Times
December 4, 1993 nytimes.com

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: ____Michael Erskine_________ Date: ____2/8/18______________