Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8849 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-04-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: French, Polish
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 93 minutes

Synopsis
Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski, creator of the masterful THREE COLORS TRILOGY, presents this enigmatic, philosophical drama about duality in the modern world. Weronika (Irene Jacob), a young Polish woman, embraces each aspect of her life with zeal. She has many friendships, sexual and platonic, and a variety of interests. A serious heart ailment, however, debilitates her periodically, but she refuses to let it hold her back. On her way to a singing contest, she sees a woman who is her spitting image. Weronika tries to catch the look-alike's attention, but fails. The second woman, the French Veronique (Jacob), is also a gifted singer yet she rejects this talent to teach at a primary school. Eventually she, too, senses the presence of another force in her life, but it isn�t until Alexandre (Philippe Volter), an artist, appears that she finally recognizes this for certain. Kieslowski�s superb film is a lyrical study of the divided but inextricably linked worlds of Eastern and Western Europe, featuring two remarkable, soul-bearing performances by the gorgeous Jacob.

Customer Reviews

Memorable Kieslowski Film
I think that "The Double Life of Veronique" is not a film to be over-analysed as some reviewers seem to have done , but one simply to be enjoyed for what it is; a poetic and lyrical love story, filmed beautifully and illuminated throughout by the radiant Irene Jacobs, in the role of Weronika/Veronique. The film is in two halves; the first half is in Poland , but it then switches suddenly to Paris after the Polish Weronika has a chance encounter with her identical lookalike Veronique, with whom she shares many other similarities as well. This film,with it's lighter themes of love and fate, is somewhat more uplifting than many of Kieslowski's other ,more downbeat, films about death ,broken relationships and unhappiness and as a result is a more enjoyable one to watch.

The murky puddles of the mind.
Two countries, two women, one link... These are the clues we are given by Kieslowski in order to piece together Veronique's central mystery. It is, without question, a cinematic masterpiece, one of those rare, elliptical works of cinema that on first appearance seems to present two separate narratives unfolding in succession, with the director linking them through coincidence, chance and uncertainty. However, those familiar with Kieslowski and his work will know that this particular director would never make a film of such simplicity, and there is more information to be divulged as we wade through the murky puddles of the character's mind(s).

The story begins in Poland, where we find the adolescent Veronika singing opera with her school choir. After getting caught in a rainstorm she goes home and makes love to her older boyfriend... so already we have themes of sex, music and the passage into womanhood, three very important factors that will resurface throughout the course of the film. Later in the story, Veronika gets the chance to audition for a highly prestigious opera company, but dies on stage before the audition is over. The story now moves to France where we meet Veronique - an older, though identical incarnation of Veronika - who works as a music teacher for an elementary school. It is at this point when most viewers begin to become baffled by the strange adjustment of the character, but in reality, no change has occurred. On the night of the audition, Veronika's death is a metaphorical one, and the sense of anxiety conjured by this important event causes her to faint away, thus losing the job.

So, when we meet the same woman some time later she has remained in France and taken the job teaching music at the school. All other events surrounding the 'death' are symbolic and subjective of Veronika/Veronique's guilt and embarrassment (...note the point of view shot from within the grave and its roots in dream-logic). It is only after exploring the world as Veronique and seeking out surrogate father figures (or indeed, lovers) that the character is able to escape into one of her father's picturesque painting and find forgiveness from her family... or so it seems? This is merely one interpretation of the central events of the film, which, along with the later Three Colours Trilogy, demonstrates Kieslowski's interest in subjective realities layered upon various coincidental narrative view-points. From this, it is easy to see the director's attempt to fill his story with other stories that grow from the central narrative and either depict, or dictate, Veronique's state of mind.

Here we have the themes of the opera, the performance of the marionettes, various confessional monologues, as well as the more conventional ideas of coming of age and growing sexual awareness, alongside the assorted political ideologies at work within the subtext. It's a particularly remarkable achievement in so much that the director takes us on a cerebral and emotional journey through one woman's psyche without any of us being fully aware of quite what is happening. As a result of this, the film works on multiple levels and, although it might be something of a cliché to point out (lest we forget that a cliché is full of truth... that's what makes it a cliché) but the film offers viewers the chance to interpret the images in situations however they desire, meaning that the overall film will have a different impact on everyone who views it, marking it out as a haunting dream of a film begging to be explored.

This notion is further explored with the use of cinematography - which is spellbinding throughout - with the director and his esteemed cameraman Slavomir Idziak employing all manner of colour tints and strange optical filters (as they had done previously with A Short Film About Killing and would continue on their next project, Blue), to paint both Poland and Paris as strange, gothic, ethereal dreamscapes that manage to convey the character's inner-emotions, as opposed to simply creating a mood. Of course, none of this would be possible without the stunning and intricate performance of Irene Jacob, who, unlike most actresses of her age, is able to exist naturally in two completely different worlds, whilst simultaneously presenting us with two very different characters.

The fact that she is able to build such a subtle and invisible symbiosis between the two, whilst leaving the viewer completely oblivious to any broader sub-textual implications, is an astonishing achievement in itself. The Double Life of Veronique remains one of the defining works of European cinema in the 90's and is easily one of the greatest and most iconic films ever created by the late, great Kieslowski. Relish it now on DVD.

Another masterful film from Kieslowski
I bought this dvd after reading a review and because I already have the Three Colours Trilogy by the same director - Krzysztof Kieslowski - Three Colours Red being a particular favourite and the same actress from that film, Irene Jacob, also features here. I was not disappointed. Here, Irene plays two young women, born at the same time but one lives in France and the other in Poland. Both have links in the way their lives play out and seem to have a slight awareness of the other. The film begins in Poland with Weronika at the start of her adult life establishing herself as a classical singer but who tragically dies during her first public concert. The film then moves to France and Veronique who immediately drops her singing career and we follow her as she becomes more aware of her former double whilst falling in love.

But the plot is only part of the story. If you like your films to be easily understood and all nicely wrapped up by the end then this film is so not for you. Viewing the film is akin to looking at a work of art and appreciating its' style and imagery - it is truly beautiful to look at with some very well constructed visuals. The director seems particularly interested in reflections here. Colours are also very strong with greens especially dominating. Also, the music features prominently in a similar way to Three Colours Blue which was scored by the same composer. My first instinct after the initial viewing was to put it on again to see what 'clues' I had missed but perhaps I am trying to read too much subtext. All in all, this film is a visual delight with a strong and engaging performance by Jacob. If your taste can go beyond Hollywood action films, then I can readily recommend this gem.