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

"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

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

Excellent

Enjoyable film

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.

The film is pretty great, as I knew since I had already seen it in theatre. As a french speaking person I would I have liked to have the original title written in french in first place on the front of the DVD (since it is originally a french movie...) But it's ok anyway, I wanted this edition of the movie because it brought a different packaging of the other "blue" editions. No extra except for tv spots... But great film and different (good) packaging, so worth it.