THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 3, 1995 TAG: 9503030044
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALAN CHANG, TEENOLOGY MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
D ESTINY AND chance are brought to the spotlight in ``Red'' without the aid of a horoscope or a fortune teller. This is the third installment from the Polish director Krzystof Kieslowski's ``Three Colors'' trilogy. It requires an active mind to comprehend its subtitles.
The story unfolds when beautiful Swiss model Valentine, played by Swiss actress Irene Jacob accidentally hits a dog with her car. Feeling guilty, she goes in search of the dog's owner, which takes her to a shabby house. There she meets a retired judge, played by the acclaimed French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant, who greets life with discontent and scorn.
The judge involves himself in the outside world only by eavesdropping on his neighbors' telephone calls. Valentine finds him loathsome. As their relationship improves, the judge finds hope through the young model, and the secrets of his bitterness are soon revealed.
On the other side of the story is a young judge who lives across the street from Valentine. Although the two have nothing to do with each other, at times they brush past one another by chance. The young judge's life becomes a parallel of the old judge's life. Through this young man, we see hope for a second chance for what the old judge had lost many years ago.
The whole movie is centered around telephones. Interestingly, the phones are an important creative element in the movie; they shed light on the characters' hidden lives.
Although the performances by Jacobs and Trintignant are not top-notch, they play their roles with ease. But the characters have exaggerated personalities, as though they come from an afternoon soap opera. The judge's bitterness toward life is to the point that he might eat his dog and not feel remorse. Valentine is a soft-hearted character, but at times her kindness leads to prying into other people's business too much.
To label this film boring because it is an art film is wrong. Although the movie is not as intense as ``Terminator,'' ``Red'' is unique with a gripping story. It has unsolved mysteries lurking in every scene.
Above all, the cinematography is superb. ``Red'' has a style all its own. Every camera angle imaginable is used to bring an air of mysticism and exotic beauty to the film. Zbigniew Preisner's music is not played often, but it always intensifies the mood of a dramatic scene.
With three Oscar nominations to its credit - best direction, cinematography and script - ``Red'' is European film at its best. MEMO: ``Red'' is rated R. Children under 17 not admitted without parent or
guardian. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Alan Chang is a junior at Kempsville High.
by CNB