Blue Is the Warmest Color (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

A good romance in American cinema is surprisingly difficult to find because most films of a romantic nature are either romantic comedies or romantic melodramas. They're a dime a dozen. But every once in a great while, you get a film that not only casts off the rom-com or melodrama usually associated with a romance story, but actually draws you in to the relationship in such a mesmerizing way with smart and absorbing storytelling and unbelievably brilliant performances is one of the rarest things imaginable. Director Abdellatif Kechiche's BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR is that film. Based on the wonderful award-winning graphic novel by Julie Maroh, BLUE is the story of Adele (Adele Excharopoulos), who begins the film as a naturally beautiful 15-year-old high school student who is just trying to do her best to stay uneaten in the feeding frenzy of adolescence. She keeps with her friends; she dates a cute boy; she pleases her working-class parents; she does well in school. But all that changes one day when she walks across a street, and sees Emma (Lea Seydoux), a haunting and beautiful older college student with dyed blue hair. They share a gaze, and in that instant, Adele is transfixed. She can barely move. She has really felt that thing we all look for: love at first sight. After losing her virginity with her boyfriend as an attempt to deny her "abnormal" feellings, she clearly doesn't feel the love and desire for him that she wants to, and breaks it off with him. Through a sequence of events, she has a chance meeting with Emma at a gay bar, and they become friends. The friendship clearly blossoms into something more, and their passions reach a fever pitch as they make love for the first time. They begin a relationship that is hidden from Adele's family and friends, but is open and accepted by Emma's. The relationship spans several years from Adele's student days and to her becoming a teacher of kindergarteners, and Emma changes from starving artist to toast of the town. But their relationship has problems. Despite the length of time they've spent together, they seem to be losing one another. Does love overcome, or is the passion of youth weighed down by the practicality of adulthood? When this film was presented with the Palme D'or, the highest award at the Cannes Film Festival, it wasn't just presented to director Kechiche, but also to leads Excharopoulos (this is her first major film role) and Seydoux (who some filmgoers might recognize from American films like MIDNIGHT IN PARIS or MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL) and the reasoning behind that is that they were all equal parts of what makes this film so remarkable. Kechiche directs the film using a lot of close-ups, allowing the audience very much in the lives and minds of the characters that inhabit the film. He also spares the audience any obvious artistic flourishes. There is barely any soundtrack to the film that isn't ambient sound from the settings within the film, so there are no music cues that instruct the audience how to feel. But Kechiche's skill behind the camera pales in comparison to what is possibly one of the most revelatory screen debuts I've ever seen, and that is from Excharopoulos, who so bares herself in both body and soul that it may be one of the singularly most immersive performances I've seen since Charlize Theron's amazing turn in MONSTER. Seydoux is as close to Excharopoulos's level as possible, which is an obvious challenge, but she plays the wiser, edgier and more experienced Emma close to perfection opposite Adele's wide-eyed, voracious youth, hungry for knowledge, experience and love. Both regretfully and triumphantly, the film's most talked-about sequence is a nearly 10-minute love scene between Adele and Emma which, while being graphic (but not unsimulated), is exciting, erotic, tender, a little clumsy, and beautiful. It gives the film its NC-17 rating, and I regret that it's the scene that most articles and reviews tend to bring up, but I also think it's a triumph because no one has talked this way about an NC-17 film since the film that effectively killed the rating being taken seriously, and that is Paul Verhoeven's SHOWGIRLS. Another thing that is brought up in regards to this film is the seemingly endless war of words between Kechiche and his two leads, but more than anything, that's just fodder for the gossip columns and not worth the time to remark on it any further. For fans of the graphic novel, there are certainly differences that will surprise and possibly disappoint them. A major plot point is dropped from this film in favor of something that seems more realistic, and that actually works in the film's favor, however, if how the film plays out is how it played out in the graphic novel, it would not have worked. It's best to think of them as two separate but equally amazing pieces of art that share a great deal, but one story works better in the graphic novel, and one works better in the film. To me, this is the most romantic film since Ang Lee's BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, and let me qualify that statement. Yes, they are both romance epics about same-sex love, but for whatever reason, I haven't seen another film between the masterpiece of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN in 2005 and this film in 2013 that reflects what it truly feels to be in love, and is also so achingly beautiful and sad and heartfelt and real as we watch the relationship progress, flourish and disintegrate through time. BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR is certainly one of the very best films of the year and possibly of the decade, and has what is certainly to be the two best female performances in recent years. I can only hope that Exarchopolous and Seydoux are remembered and rightfully recognized during Oscar season.

"Blue is the Warmest Color" was my favorite film of 2013 and the best movie I've seen in years. This movie is nothing short of a masterpiece. Steven Spielberg told Adele Exarchopoulos it was the best love story he'd ever seen. I wouldn't doubt it, I can't think of a film that more realistically and honestly depicts the nature of love, which looks the same no matter what the orientation of its players. Two of the bravest and most memorable performances I can remember... Adele Exarchopoulos is the birth of a genius onscreen. Seydoux is also evenly matched with respect to her degree of talent. Director Abdellatif Kechiche leaves you spellbound for the whole movie. Controversy aside, this movie is worth seeing for far more than its NC-17 content and I think audiences will be surprised by the depth of the surrounding material. It's odd that the sex scenes have become such a point of discussion and speaks to cultural hangups more than anything else. Those scenes comprise less than 10 minutes of the 3-hour film, which is in essence the story of growing up and experiencing first love, and the rollercoaster ride that accompanies it. This film is ambitious in its scope and I have yet to see several of the scenes in this film play out in other movies. Truly, some of the best onscreen chemistry and commitment I've seen performers give. They are at 150% the whole way through and there isn't a moment where any of it feels contrived, which isn't suprising given that the actresses improvised most of the film. This film isn't for everyone; it is 3 hours long, French with subtitles, sex and nudity (which I feel is justified), and it is what I'd call a slice-of-life minimalist film, if that isn't your cup of tea you may want to look elsewhere but personally, this film is a treasure and I'm so glad I stumbled upon it. This film speaks truth, and you can't ask for much more with respect to the magic that transpires on screen and the perfect trifecta of artists that are Kechiche, Seydoux, and Exarchopoulos who won the first ever triple Palm d'Or at Cannes for this very reason. Spielberg mentioned if this movie was as much as 3% different in any aspect it wouldn't have worked, I agree it was just the right amount of everything, you can't lose with these three onboard. This film has been recognized internationally for its brilliance, made most critics top 10 list for the year, and was largely snubbed at US awards shows for political reasons, which is unfortunate. For the curious, this film is not a political commentary, but rather a story of two people who find one another and journey. And a worthy journey it is! I do believe this film will one day be seen as a classic. It is a very special and singular film. Note: This Criterion Edition DVD is just the movie, if you are waiting for the additional 40 minutes the director plans on including in his Director's Cut version (also a future Criterion edition) you may want to hold out on buying this now.

Hey there, As another poster pointed out, some comments should have included a spoiler tag, out of courtesy. Here's mine in order to respond freely to a lot of statements made in regards to this movie: **SPOILER ALERT*** Now my dear reader, there are a few points that I would like for you to consider. - Some people talk about how it is uber boring for them to watch Adele be filled with grief over the loss of Emma. They are forgetting that this is relevant, because the second chapter of Adele's life revolves around her life without the Blue - without Emma (That's why the literal translation to the original movie title is, "the life of Adele: Chapters 1 and 2"). And also, this is artistic cinema. If you wanted an action packed blockbuster then perhaps you should have reconsidered watching this one. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it is not a masterpiece. The portrayal of emotions is masterful, you even feel the void Adele is experiencing in her life by just looking at her, and that is exactly the kind of feeling the movie wants to provoke, in order for us to understand the main character's feelings. It was a pleasure to watch. - There is also a mention of an anti-gay sentiment, and I couldn't disagree more with that. The explicit sex scenes are meant to be there BECAUSE it shows the incredible sex our lead characters (used to) have, how passionate their relationship was, and how deeply they were physically into each other. All those asinine arguments about how "lesbians don't have sex that way" are nothing but ridiculous - who is to say how someone else is to have sex? Last I checked it is something personal. It is like a straight couple complaining about a movie in which the leads have sex on the kitchen counter (and we have seen that numerous times) and how that doesn't realistically depict their sex lives. Really? - The film shows that true love CAN and DOES exist between two women. Doesn't mean that it was meant to last forever. Now, it is implied that Adele eventually does come out to society, which is why they end up living together (makes me wonder if that is also why Adele feels so alone as her old friends might have alienated her over her coming out?). Yes, she ends up having flings here and there, but that is only AFTER she and Emma have broken up and you see, even she can't find love elsewhere, which suggests that what they have was the real deal for both of them -during a given period of time- and how they both eventually outgrew it. She doesn't find love with another man, nor with another woman, and in the end scene we see Adele walking out a different direction than the man who chases after her - so it is suggested they won't ever meet up. Either that, or she simply wasn't interested in him anyway. She walked out on her own accord because she couldn't bear being there in the art exhibit one second longer. That's when it truly dawned on her that Emma had already moved on and she still hadn't. So she walks out for her own sake, clearly depicting the first step on her moving on process. And who knows? She might find true love with another girl once she lets go of Emma's memory. - Both actresses LOVED the end result, and you can see in numerous interviews how the lead actresses comment over and over again that the media blew their comments way out of proportion. ***END OF SPOILER ALERT*** Either way, in order to remain on topic, I would suggest people to watch it, if they are into intense love films - this film doesn't disappoint, at all. And I would also suggest to bear in mind that this is artistic cinema, not a blockbuster, so don't expect fast unrealistic scenes. This movie delivers the joy and pain that comes from love, and does it in such a way that the viewer is compelled to mirror the lead character's feelings as their own. 10/10

There are spoilers in this review so don't read on if that bothers you. This is a pro-lesbian film. If that bothers you don't read on. This is not pornography, I was told by somewhat reliable sources that the women “wore things” so you're not seeing real girl on girl sex, just acting faking. So I am told. There is, however, a lot of female nudity and love making sequences. This film is sub-titled, if that bothers you don't read on and don't see the film. One problem with sub-titles is that you are so busy reading them that you don't watch the actors and French directors make their actors work with their eyes and faces. So, you have to see this film enough to see their faces. I first saw Lea Seydoux as the 'assassin who goes flying out the window' in “Ghost Protocol” the Tom Cruise Mission Impossible film. What can I say, I fell in lover with her at first sight. I looked her up and there was this film about to go into theaters. So I waited and it became available as a pre-order and I ordered it. It will it sit on my shelf next to The Lover. There were two “things” that raised eyebrows in 2013, one was “Fifty Shades of Grey” and the other was “Blue is the Warmest Color.” It's about a 15 year old French high school girl who is discovering her own sexuality. Her friends want her to be hetro. She, however, see's this older woman with blue hair crossing the street and the two of them meet with their eyes and it's love at first sight. Adele, the girl, has an affair with a guy who is a senior at school(she's a junior) and they go to bed and have sex but you can see she's not all that into it. She has dreams of the woman with blue hair making love to her as she mastrubates and dreams. At school she meets a girl who is curious but not comitted and they share kisses. Later Adele see's her and goes to kiss her but finds out it was just a passing fancy. For our young girl it was not. She, like other students, goes to a crowded political gathering in the town square with union people and students. One of her friends, a guy who is gay, takes her to a gay bar but she leaves and walks back to her house and passes a lesbian bar that she goes into just to 'see' what goes on. In there she is confronted by the older woman with blue hair. They chat. The share a drink. They part and the woman in Blue moves on with her friends while Adele goes home. The woman in blue meets Adele near his school and the two walk away while Adele's friends call after her. The woman does her portrait and they chat. The woman says she's into 18 year olds and older (Adele is 15). They part. Adele is confronted by her “gal pals” who now thing she's a lesbian. A “pussy eater.” She is confronted and gets into a fight and is osterized. Adele meets up again with the Woman with the Blue Hair and Adele seduces her. One of the men Adele crossed paths with in the male Gay Bar said: “Love has no gender.” That is what this movie about. It's about a 15 year old girl trying to find out what she likes with a 30 year old who can get 5-20 years in jail for kissing the backside of a 15 year old girl or just being with her totally naked. She goes to dinner at Emma's house and they have oysters. Adeles doesn't like oysters (remember Tony Curtis in Kubrick's “Sparticus”? Emma goes to dinner at Adele's house after she turns 18 and they think Emma has a boyfrieind (they don't yet know about Adele). Orgasmic! Adele becomes Emma's “muse' and poses for her painting. Even in the “gay world” Adele has a hard time being “suzie home maker ” even in the gay world while she does learn to make spagettie from her parents. Adele moves in with Emma, who is a struggling professional artist and Adele is her model. Adele is more in love with Emma than Emma is with herself and her art. Slowly they fall apart. Emma stays out late at night doing 'work'. Adele takes up with a man from the pre-school where she works. As a result of this affair Emma throws her out. Much later they meet at a restaurant. Adele is now the Alpha Dog. But the love between Adele and Emma is not let to be anymore. Later Emma invites Adele to her exhibit. There she meets a man from her past and they talk then part. She leaves. He goes after her but doesn't know which way she went. She walks home alone. He just walks. The film is about: Discovery. Confusion. Mistrust. Betrayal. Hate. There are people in this world who say Jewish people can't marry Gentiles. Whites can't marry blacks. Red Heads can't marry Brunettes. You have to decide if you side with Hitler and his Master Race concept of if you let people be what they are and love who they choose. It's up to all of you to decide and remember that others decide about YOU as well! This is a fantastic film. Watch the eyes. Watch the faces and ignore the skin and nipples. This film is about YOUR ultimate freedom and if you don't get it someone, someday might get you! Sorry, but that's ultimate reality! This film won the Palm D'Or. Cannes Film Festival's greatest award. The award the Taxi Driver, Appoclipse Now and many other great films won. This film is a great novel. It is worth reading. It is not easy reading. You have to go beyond the bare skin, nipples and moans and look into their eyes past the sub-titles. Afterall, it is a French film and they don't make films like American's make films!

This is a difficult movie in many ways. It is a small, intimate look at the maturation of high school junior Adele (Adele Exarchopoulous) into a young adult. This young lady's growth is seen primarily through her relationships with first a young man one grade higher than her, and then into a year's long, deeply passionate relationship with the older Emma (Léa Seydoux). Set in France, but feeling very universal, there are scenes here of amazing power; you are looking in on two people with deep passions and emotions, and you feel like an eavesdropper. Their conversations and their lovemaking are very real (and explicit). The characters talk over each other (like people do), they aren't always terribly articulate about their feelings (especially young Adele, which is very believable), and honestly, it often feels like the viewer has been given a glimpse of true moments in a real relationship. It's vaguely uncomfortable but often thrilling. Very little about the film feels glossy or calculated; and yet it most certainly is calculated. There are many close-ups, which help us see into the minds of the characters when their words don't suffice. The scenes often go on MUCH longer than any "Hollywood" film would tolerate. The primary reason to see the film is the incredibly work by Exarchopoulos. This actor won the top award at the Canne film festival, and I don't even need to know what the other possible contenders might have been to know she deserved it. She shared the award with Seydoux, who is also good, but I was always aware she is an actress. Exarchopoulos was something beyond that. The actress herself was not much older than her character (at the beginning), and her youth and unfinished face helped her. But this introverted character says so much with her eyes (and her hair), and the camera roams over her constantly. Amazing. The film has a reputation for its explicit sex scenes, in particular, one very long scene between the two young ladies. It is indeed quite explicit, and the two actresses were quite brave, I'd say. (I know about some of the controversy afterwards; but still trying to take the film as presented.) But I felt the scene went on too long; it actually became boring. It said what it needed to, and then just kept saying it. There are a few scenes like this in this 3 hour film (Yep, a small, intimate coming-of-age film that's 3 hours long!). In fact, while I appreciated the languid pace of the film overall, the director needed a better grasp on when this length was revelatory and when it was lazy and boring. Late in the film, we see a lot of scenes of Adele teaching class to young children. These scenes are charming, show us how competent Adele is becoming, and frankly, give the film some much needed tiny doses of humor. Yet, there's too much of it. The best scene in the film comes early on, when Adele is being confronted by her friends about whether she is a lesbian. One of the young ladies, in particular, is very angry. The verbal and then physical battle that ensue were alarming and gripping and felt very raw indeed. I gasped during the scene and at the end, felt wrung out. Other scenes throughout the film have similar heft (Adele debasing herself in her desire for forgiveness), but this one sticks with me. This film is absolutely worth seeing. While not addressing strictly unique themes nor stylistically ground-breaking, the raw emotion and strong acting are an experience. A journey worth going on. The Criterion Blu Ray, surprisingly, has no bonus features other than a couple of trailers. Not sure what happened there. They do sell it for less than usual, but honestly, I'd gladly have paid more to have some interviews and analysis.

Like a lot of people I first watched this for the sex scenes, but while they are excellent, not a distraction, and priceless aesthetically and in developing the story, the real value of this movie is the arc of its love story. Like most people I have been lost in that same arc in the real world and the acting and the writing here resonated so vividly that at times it almost had the directive feeling of a dream, where your memories are digested, reassembled and presented to you in a different symbolic form. Not many movies can do this, and I think one reason this movie had that kind of affect was because of the non-linear free format style of the presentation---something I see it has been criticized for. I love French movies and have watched a fair number of them, (this reminded me a bit of "Waterlilly's") so this pacing and direction didn't surprise me, in fact I wouldn't have it any other way as I think it is essential in creating such a deep emotional and empathetic reaction as it helps to suspend the disbelief. I didn't feel I was being "fed" a plot, I felt I was an observant actor, creating pieces of the story myself, as I viewed the events. The result was a very immersive, and personal experience. At times I felt like grabbing Emma and yelling at her to forget about her career anxiety for a second and pay attention to her lover; and I also felt like screaming at Adele to stand up for herself!--use your ammunition, point out that Emma was unfaithful first, and she was the one alienating Adele--in other words "she started it!" Yet at the same time understanding how their relationship was doomed to have major issues because of their divergent interests and personalities (which quixotically can also make a relationship heart-breakingly precious), and like pretty much all of us they weren't prepared to deal with that monster. The performances are stunning, the real vehicle that makes this a special work of art. Both of the leading actresses are revelations (I am unfamiliar with them both), The sex scenes are graphic, but beautiful...This is one of those rare movies where the sex is actually presented realistically and not soft-core porn formulaic, so that it is actually essential to the movie. All in all an extremely pleasant surprise for me. I think anyone who appreciates a good love story will appreciate this movie.

The film devours you into the main actress. Her acting, the interesting methodically developed transformation of her sexual identity, her ignition of passion towards the feminine of her choice, the love affair and the eventualities of how the love affair plays out. Reality created true to life nuanced passionate love story. True lived in character became profoundly interesting as the youthful passion became inflamed. Creation of passion was well done by the actresses and director capturing the subtleties and slowness of the developing love, the pause during the eye contract. Her awakening into a sexuality orientation and leap into her identity took dramatic alteration from who she thought she was and it seemed at the end of the movie her transformation is still somewhat being discovered. Sequels can fully explore her sexual identity whether lesbian or perhaps someone who loves the person despite their sex. Sexuality was utilized to explain and showcase the passions she felt and contrast them to her other love affairs especially the one with the male. Not everything in film needs to be imagined sometimes stark portrayals can truly take the audience into whats going on. We get to be completely immersed into the passions seeing some of the sexuality between the characters. We can therefore not only understand but feel more the character's spiritual love, her painful anguish, her desirous passions since we were allowed to voyeuristically step into the bedroom and take a peak. The relationship was unpredictable and you did not know what would happen next. The movie could have exploited this sexuality giving more of a thrill yet it remained controlled by holding back and focusing on the relationship and the psychoanalysis of love. This created more interesting characters. A world that delights in the delectable sensuality of life. Not only regarding sex but food takes on a symbol of pleasure. You see side characters not so much indulging as taking real genuine sensual satisfying pleasure in eating. The exquisite, philosophical, thought provoking, literary referenced, writing coupled with unbelievably believable acting portrayals made this possibly the best made film this year. Philosophical conversations not related to the thrust of the story but its themes such as the comparison of male vs female pleasure, gave the film another level of substance. It was very long at 3 hours and you were left with wanting to literally follow the main protagonist and find out what would happen next in her life. A sequel was suggested at end credits and it would be wonderful to see more well made explorations of these subject matters following this amazing actress. Further learning and discovering her primordial essence with her and witnessing how she will indulge in it. This Blu-Ray Is a Must Have!.

good movie 🎥

Excellent

Enjoyable film

Me llegó 24 hrs después de haberla pedido en buen estado.

enjoyable enough movie, but the normal version should do in this case, as the Criterion version has no real extras or booklet. Prepare for a long, highly emotional tour de force.

Increíble película, la quería en físico y Criterion Collection se caracteriza por la increíble calidad de sus remasterizaciones.