Ray Pride

One of the great masterpieces of the 1990s, Krysztof Kieslowski's "Red" slyly uses his overweening "themes" as a way to minimize the suffocating structure of traditional plots and to instead dive into things that actually delight him. Patterns of chance, the paths of our lives, enigmatic expressions on fascinating faces, the way contemporary life is transacted in modern cities, all observed with a mildly sarcastic shrug. The result is hypnotic and sensual, a fragrant montage of mood and image unlike that of any filmmaker who's outlived the late director. Kieslowski shows everyday life as the ultimate tragedy, reduced to the cruel artlessness of overheard conversation. It's the same tack he takes in teasing out the meaning of his collection of red objects, of missed meanings, of eccentric repetitions. Simultaneity takes the place of routine plot developments. "Red" feels like, well, life: Is the modern age Dickensian or Barthesian? Composed of strands of plot or shards of semiotics? Kieslowski's virtuosity lay in his ability to bury these notions in the flow of faces, motions, gestures, mysterious acts, rigorous, cool, yet highly erotic surfaces that must somehow reveal inner lives, innermost thoughts. "Red" is crazed with red. If I were to describe its use, it would sound chicly ridiculous, a gagman's notion of abstraction, but the cumulative effect is breathtaking. In a cool red town, people live in isolation, almost meeting, meeting, never meeting. Life is lived, transactions transacted, emotions, unspent, left to wither within potentially generous hearts. Kieslowski alternates precision and ambiguity: an oxymoron in description, but ineffably moving on screen.

"Three Colors: Red" is released Tuesday on Buena Vista Home Video, along with "Blue" and "White."

(2003-03-05)

Also by Ray Pride

Tip of the Week
Nicholas Ray's 1954 Western is an astonishing, topsy-turvy take on the genre's conventions as two tough women (Joan Crawford, Mercedes McCambridge) duke it out for control of a gambling saloon and the love of Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden).
(2003-02-26)

Short Runs
This week's limited showings
(2003-02-26)

DVD Tip of the Week
Bertrand Tavernier's 1999 "It All Starts Today" is a DVD I didn't get around to watching when it was first released a couple of months ago, but it's one I've gratefully watched twice since
(2003-02-26)

Whispers in your ear
In David Gordon Green's "All the Real Girls," credits start, a Will Oldham song quietly churns breath, then a boy and girl take center frame and kiss.
(2003-02-26)

Tip of the Week
(2003-02-19)

Short Runs
(2003-02-19)

DVD Tip of the Week
(2003-02-19)

Tip of the Week
(2003-02-11)

Short Runs
(2003-02-11)

The devil you say
(2003-02-11)

The end of the affair
(2003-02-05)

Short Runs
(2003-02-05)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment