Saturday, May 07, 2005

Three Colours: White

White is very different from its companion pieces - lighter in tone (appropriately enough given its colour theme) and distinctively sardonic in flavour, and, unlike Blue and Red, not really about anything larger than its immediate concerns. These factors probably had a lot to do with White being, for me, the least immediately appealing of the three, and its remaining my least favourite upon repeated viewings. Still, that's hardly a damning criticism given how much I like Blue and Red, and White has plenty going for it in its own right.

For me, White really works - and works well - on the level of amusement. The film as a whole amuses me in the way that things which are light and weighty at the same time often do; the characters are interesting enough, and things move on rapidly enough, to hold my interest (although it's a bit choppy at times - odd, when Kieslowski's films are normally practically paeans to fine editing). Moreover, watching it with the theme of 'equality' in mind adds another layer to proceedings (though again, not as much as in Blue and Red), and the colour white is used wittily throughout in the cinematography and settings. All of that said, though, I don't think that I could really watch this one over and over and continue to enjoy it.