THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 3, 1994 TAG: 9407040182
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
IN THE OPENING scene of ``Blue,'' there is a single-car accident in which a famous composer and his young daughter are killed. The only survivor is his wife, Julie.
The whole world mourns his death. He was about to finish the eagerly awaited ``Concerto for the Reunification of Europe'' when the accident occurred. Julie, the wife, surprises everyone by settling his estate and fading into oblivion. She takes a small apartment in Paris where she retreats from everything and everyone connected to her former life.
Along the way, there are hints that perhaps she actually wrote her famous husband's music. There is also a revelation that the man had had a mistress, who is now pregnant with his child.
This might seem, outwardly, to be little more than a standard soap opera, but Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski is known to have one of the more non-linear obsessions in the Western world. To him, no plot is without its vagaries. His movie ``The Double Life of Veronique'' was so vague that it irritated as many as it intrigued.
Here, he inundates even the most ordinary scene with technical gimmicks to keep us guessing. In the middle of a conversation, the screen will go black, only to come back a second later and continue the dialogue. Over and over again, we see Julie swimming laps in a pool of oh-so-blue colors. Then she stares at a blue wind chime - the only item she has brought from her past life. Constantly, she listens to music recorded by the Warsaw Symphony and conducted by Wojciech Michniewski. She broods and she thinks.
So what does it all mean?
Darned if I know.
Nonetheless, ``Blue'' falls just short of being overly pretentious because of the quite stunning performance by Juliette Binoche in the central role. Binoche, seen previously in ``The Unbearable Lightness of Being'' and ``Damage,'' is as much a presence as an actress, but she is a remarkably disciplined one. She plays silence with more power than most actresses can muster from pages of dialogue.
She is greatly aided by a fine musical score composed by Zbigniew Preisner. It's one of the best of the movie year.
``Blue'' is the first in a trilogy of films with titles taken from the colors of the French flag. ``White'' is already in release in this country, and ``Red'' was a hit at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
``Blue'' is ostensibly about a woman seeking her freedom. In the end, she learns that escaping from life is not the answer.
``Blue'' is all mood, but it is not without substance. As with any hypnotism, however, you have to be willing. This is not the ticket for anyone who wants clear answers. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Juliette Binoche and Benoit Regent star in Krzysztof Kieslowski's
``Blue.''
Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``Blue''
Cast: Juliette Binoche, Benoit Regent, Florence Pernel
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski,
Screenplay: Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiweicz
Music: Zbigniew Preisner
MPAA rating: R (brief nudity)
Mal's rating: Three stars
Locations: Naro in Norfolk
by CNB