Three Colors: Red 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Three Colors: Red 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 8, 2023

Krzysztof Kieślowski's "Red" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with Irene Jacob; archival program with producer Marin Karmitz; archival program with editor Jacques Witta; archival program with Krzysztof Kieslowski; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

In the third and final film in Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy, Valentine (Irene Jacob), a beautiful model living in Geneva, ends up in the home of a retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) after her car accidentally strikes his dog. His indifference towards the dog irritates her but his hobby -- spying on his neighbor and recording his phone calls -- fascinates her.

After the dog recovers at her place, Valentine visits the judge again, and much to her surprise, he reveals why he wiretaps his neighbor. Valentine learns that the judge's neighbor is a middle-aged man, wealthy and married, most of the time looking incredibly happy. But she also learns that he has many secrets, some dangerous, some sad. The man's wife does not know about them, but his daughter does.

While struggling to decide whether to confront the man and save his family, Valentine begins a most unusual relationship with the judge that forces her to reexamine how she defines right and wrong. She discovers that it is easier to be good when you do not know enough, but very difficult to do the right thing when you know everything.

While Valentine's relationship with the judge evolves, the camera becomes interested in the progression of a second relationship between two young lovers, Auguste (Jean-Pierre Lorit) and Karin (Frederique Feder). Even though the two are committed to each other, eventually fate separates them and arranges that Auguste meets Valentine.

Red is a marvelous puzzle of a film about the cosmic force that determines how people meet, how they fall in love, how they live, and how they die. It tells two great stories, but it is the thoughts and feelings it evokes that captivate the viewer's imagination. Anyone could recognize a familiar piece in the puzzle and reflect on its meaning.

The consensus among critics and fans of the Three Colors trilogy is that Red is the most elegant film. In it, light, shadow, and color are united in a truly special way by cinematographer Piotr Sobocinski. Like Blue and White, Red greatly benefits from another remarkable score composed by Zbigniew Preisner.

Red was Kieslowki's final film. In 1996, two years after Red premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, the director passed away at the age of fifty-five.

Three Colors: Red 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Red is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. It is included in the Three Colors 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray box set. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. The Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this release:

"The new 4K restorations of all three films (Blue, White, Red) were undertaken by MK2 at Hiventy in Joinville-le-Pont, France, using the 35mm original camera negatives. The restoration of Blue was supervised by director of photography Slawomir Idziak; the restoration of Red was supervised by cinematographers Piotr Sobocinski Jr. and Michael Sobocinski, sons of director of photography Piotr Sobocinski; and an archival 35mm theatrical print was used as a color reference for White. The 5.1 surround soundtracks were created from the 35mm magnetic tracks."

Please note that some of the screencaptures in this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-22 are from the 4K Blu-ray disc of Red.
Screencaptures #24-40 are from the Blu-ray disc of Red.

Criterion released the Three Colors trilogy on Blu-ray more than a decade ago, in 2011. Each release was sourced from masters that were prepared even earlier. The three films were recently redone in 4K and this box set introduces the new 4K makeovers in native 4K. The 4K presentations can be viewed with HDR and Dolby Vision. I viewed White with Dolby Vision. The Blu-ray disc presents the older version of Red, from the original three-disc Blu-ray box set, with a different older color timing.

The new 4K makeover of Red is very underwhelming, too. However, this is the only makeover in the box set that quite often does plenty to properly emphasize the prominent color red, as previous presentations of the film have. Unfortunately, the new 4K makeover of Red has a new color grade that destabilizes and in some cases eliminates other important colors as well. Virtually all of these modifications are introduced in the same manner the native appearances of Blue and White are compromised -- there is a soft yellow(ish) tint that alters the color temperature of the visuals. Different ranges of blues and whites suffer the most, but there are browns and even blacks that are affected as well. In some areas, the effects of this tint are very similar to the effects that are observed on the 4K makeover of La Piscine. (Examples of prominent shifts in color temperature can be seen in screencaptures #3, 5, 13, and 15). More importantly, there are numerous areas where the yellow(s) even interferes with the prominent red and variations of red, which is a serious issue because there are numerous examples where the red and variations of red begin to resemble deep dark orange and brown. Together with the modification of white(s), the overall impact on the color temperature of the visuals becomes quite dramatic. In years past, the film always had proper and rather striking ranges of lush reds. The rest looks fantastic, but in the grand scheme of things it becomes largely irrelevant. For example, it is very easy to see that now the surface of the visuals is much healthier, boasting superior density and stability as well. On my system, the natural sharpness of these visuals was exceptional as well. Sadly, the color anomalies that are highlighted above are a lot easier to focus on.

Three Colors: Red 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on the 4K Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. The Blu-ray disc has two standard audio tracks: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.

I think that Zbigniew Preisner created the best score for Red, and over the years, it gradually became my favorite. The segment with the modeling session sounds incredible on my system and there are some other areas where the 5.1 track does some new things to expand the dynamic field. This being said, the old 2.0 track still performs very well, so if you choose to view the Blu-ray, I would encourage you to consider using it.

Three Colors: Red 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Bonus Features - there are no bonus features on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Red. In French, with optional English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• On Red - a video essay written and narrated by film writer Dennis Lim. In English, not subtitled. (22 min, 1080p).

• Kieslowski's Cinema Lesson - in this segment from 1994, the Polish director discusses a key scene from Red (where Rita, the dog, runs away). In Polish, with optional English subtitles. (9 min, 1080i).

• Irene Jacob - in this video interview, the French actress discusses her collaboration and friendship with director Krzysztof Kieslowski, Jean-Louis Trintignant's magnificent performance in Red, as well as the film's production history. The interview was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2011. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• Marin Karmitz - a very informative video interview with producer Marin Karmitz, who discusses the production history of Red, its acceptance at the Cannes Film Festival, the controversy surrounding the film's "nationality" and its unusual Oscar nominations. The interview was recorded in 2001. In French, with optional English subtitles. (11 min, 1080i).

• Jacques Witta - in this video interview, Jacques Witta, editor of Blue and Red, discusses specific scenes and selected shots in Red that were removed during the editing of the film. The interview was recorded in 2001. In French, with optional English subtitles. (13 min, 1080i).

• Behind the Scenes of Red - raw footage from the shooting of Red, with Krzysztof Kieslowski directing key scenes. In French and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (24 min, 1080i).

• Kieslowski Cannes 1994 - a short documentary shot during Red's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The documentary features interviews with director Krzysztof Kieslowski and actors Irene Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant. In Polish and French, with optional English subtitles. (16 min, 1080i).

• Krzysztof Kieslowski: I am so-so... - in 1995, a year after Red premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, director Krzysztof Kieslowski was interviewed at his home in Poland. This documentary film, directed by Krzysztof Wierzbicki and originally broadcast on Danish television, is based on this interview. In Polish, with optional English subtitles. (56 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - an 80-page illustrated booklet featuring Colin MacCabe's essay "A Hymn to European Cinema"; Nick James' essay "Blue: Bare Necessities"; Stuart Klawans' essay "White: The Nonpolitical Reunifications of Karol Karol"; Georgina Evans' essay "Red: A Fraternity of Strangers"; excerpts from Kieslowski on Kieslowski (1993), a book-length interview with the Polish director conducted, edited, and translated by writer Danusia Stok; and interviews with the cinematographers of Three Colors - Slawomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski, and Piotr Sobocinski, which first appeared in a September 1993 special edition of the French magazine Telerama devoted to the trilogy.

Three Colors: Red 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I cannot write that I was impressed with the 4K makeover of Red because now the film has a new appearance and identity. The films in the Three Colors trilogy emphasized the colors blue, white, and red in very particular ways, which made them memorable. In each film, there are important themes that are attached to the presence of these colors. The restored films may look very pretty in native 4K, but they do not look right -- sometimes there are minor inconsistencies, and sometimes there are major inconsistencies. If you have seen these films theatrically, you will recognize them. I love these films and have owned them on multiple formats, so it pains me to write that they do not look as good as I hoped they would in native 4K. If you disagree with my thoughts on the new 4K makeovers of the three films, then you should consider picking up Criterion's 4K Blu-ray box set. Yesterday, I received a market copy of it and discovered that the Blu-ray discs that are included in it have the original presentations of the three films with the old color timings. It is great that the folks at Criterion decided to include these Blu-ray discs so that fans of the films can choose how to view them.