Three Colours Blue

Three Colours Blue

The film ‘Three Colours Blue’ has many devices which are there to entertain the audience and express meanings.  Devises such as visual, aural, non-verbal, verbal and written are the main ones which are present in many films including this particular one. Firstly at the start of the film there is sound but with no picture, of a low, deep pitch of an engine, this is followed by the camera zooming out to show a black wheel turning as it is on a motorway. As I heard this I felt the tension and the stiffness that came over me as I seemed to have an impulse that there was going to be some danger that would follow. This followed with a girl being shown at the back of a car, gazing out to find lights in a tunnel, this might represent that whoever was driving, including the girl might be in a dreamy state. This I think might also give a hint to the audience of what’s to come especially when I realised that as we followed the car, there were different times-the colour of the sky had changed, this was shown while I was still observing and the various places the car drove in. To me, this gave the impression that whoever was driving might have been on the wheel for a number of hours and it would be obvious that an accident may occur. This also had the same reason when a leak was shown at the bottom of the car, this could also indicate the danger which was sure to come. The technique was crucial as the shot of the dripping going softly and quietly could represent unawareness and carelessness by the characters.

While the leak was shone, the camera was out of focus on the girl who was playing beyond. She is instructed to go back in the car by her mother and we see them driving on. From when she went back into the car, it seemed like they were going somewhere important, this might have been the way in which they acted as they got ready to drive off again. Afterwards there is snippet on when they are on a road, and the sound of howling wind gets louder and more strong as they drive further, this makes the piece seem eerie and sinister. Next we see a boy with a toy and he is aiming to get the ball into the hole but fails, however as the car drives past, he finally achieves, this might signify the accomplishments which the family might have had throughout their life. But then there’s a screech and crash as the car thuds into a tree and there is a quiet but muffled cry, possibly from the girl before a ball falls out of the car. I found that this could connect with the little girl as she had gone running out of the car as they had the break. The ball could represent the girl and how graceful and innocent she is, and that she is able to be set free e.g. just like the ball. I like the way the director had made the time of the crash significant even though we knew that danger was striking, there was still some silence which had calmed the tension and curiosity between the audience. Although this somehow changed when the sudden crash happened and created a big impact on the audience watching.

There are various devices which are used such as diegetic sounds which the boy gets to hear when there crash happens, aural sounds that help create feelings of emotions; sound effects are also vital to build reactions and impressions, and mostly visual images and snaps which are essential for the audience, if they need to understand the story a little more.