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Krysztof Kieslowski regarding the film White

30 janvier 1994
03m 18s
Ref. 00212

Information

Summary :

Krysztof Kieslowski answers Michel Field's questions regarding his film White. He discusses the themes of his film, love, the need to love, cruelty and, especially, the absence of equality.

Media type :
Vidéo
Broadcast date :
30 janvier 1994
Source :
France 2 (Collection: Le cercle de minuit : supplément )
Personnalité(s) :
Krzysztof Kieslowski / Michel Field
Themes :
Places :

Context

Although Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941-1996) based his Three Colors trilogy in France, he often said that it was because the money needed to produce it was French (the producer was Marin Karmitz, CEO of the MK2 company).

After the worldwide critical success of The Decalogue, his ten-part 1998 film, he made three films bearing the colours of the French flag. Blue, with Juliette Binoche, more or less brings up the question of freedom, White, with Julie Delpy, brings up equality, and Red, with Irène Jacob, brings up fraternity. White (1994) tells the story of a Polish hairdresser whose French wife obtains a divorce due to a non-consummated marriage. He went back to Poland and became wealthy but was nevertheless lacking love.

Kieslowksi took on the question of equality with irony: who really wants to be equal to others? "Everyone wants to be more equal than the other", wrote Kieslowski in his book Le Cinéma et Moi (published by Noir et Blanc, 2006). Interrupted by the film-maker's death, another trilogy was supposed to follow Three Colors. The first part, the only one written, Heaven, was directed by Tom Twyker in 2002.

Charlotte Garson

Transcription

Krzysztof Kieslowski
I am telling a very simple story of a hairdresser, who on this occasion is Polish, and who is tied to a young French woman, who on this occasion is French. It is pure chance, she could have been Polish or American, Japanese or Indian, it doesn't matter. I think it is a film where we discuss our weaknesses, human weaknesses. Love, the willingness to love, the need to love. Of course, vengeance as well, cruelty, and the absence of equality, we speak of this republic ideal nonetheless, the absence of equality.
Michel Field
But this love story, well, it's a sort of moral fairytale, it is a love story what is in fact a long passion, a long cross to bear.
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Of course yes, but life is like that, no?
Michel Field
Not always.
Krzysztof Kieslowski
No, no, I think that life is always like that.
Michel Field
So where is the equality in this extremely conflicting and extremely violent love relation? It is in the reciprocity of vengeance, it is in the moment where they will finally find themselves, after these almost initiating trials that they are subject to, or that they subject each other to?
Krzysztof Kieslowski
No, no, there is no equality, that is the sense of the film. The absence of equality, and equality, it is a word the represents in fact a lie in the movie. we always speak of equality, and it would perhaps be more precise to speak of equality in relation to the law, but as concerns equality as such, no one wants it in fact. Recently, I was in Nancy, only a week ago. There was an auditorium full of people, and I asked the following question: who among you wish to be equal? Raise your hands, please. And nobody raised their hands.
Michel Field
That is a form of equality, if nobody raised their hands.
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Of course, a form of equality in inequality. And I asked if, do you have someone, do you know someone who wants to be equal? no one raised their hands, no one wants to be equal. Everyone, all people want to be better. You, you want to be better than others, and so do I, I do not want to be equal to others.