Cinema provides us with a lens for viewing the world around us. Its evolution from the first projection of moving pictures in 1895 by the Lumiere Brothers to the incredible technologically-advanced films we have today is amazing. (Well, technology doesn't necessarily guarantee quality movies. Read my post about action films.) It goes without saying that movies are visual entertainment and great movies stand out from good movies mainly from how well thought out each frame is. The perfect colour palette portrays emotions and effectively narrates the story by making the entire scene alive. In this new series which I'm calling 'The Colours of Cinema', I will dive into various scenes from movies and shows that used specific colours to be impactful. Stay tuned for more!
Purple: A colour synonymous with an array of emotions.
Moviemakers use this impactful colour to create a dramatic, grand scene. It is no coincidence that those films that use purple hues include scenes of strong imagery — to aptly evoke bold emotions like ambition, femininity, nobility, sensuality and value.
Safety
The Avatar franchise is well-known for its mystical, other-worldly settings. Jake and Neytiri
feel safe in this magical luminous place as they find love. In fact, whenever the place is lit up in purple and violet, the audience will immediately understand that there is no ominous threat; it is a shared haven between the characters and the audience.
Nobility and Femininity
In Mahanati (2018) — the biopic of the late iconic Indian actress Savitri — Keerthy Suresh arguably delivers her career's best performance. The introduction scene of her character is memorable because of the rich colour palette that consciously compliments themes of nobility and femininity. The movie provided an authentic lens of the '50s and '60s of South Indian cinema; this was a time when mythological and fantasy films were being produced a lot. While the movies of those times were not colourised, remastered versions have been released in more recent times that depict these classics in vibrant colours such as purple.
Evil and Darkness
Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959) is a perfect depiction of how purple can be used as a
dark colour. Although the live-action franchise (played by Angelina Jolie in the titular role) gives Maleficent an eerie black palette, it goes without saying that purple is a powerful colour. Maleficent may be a misunderstood character but in the original movie, she has the stereotypical characteristics: sharp features, tall and a dark palette.
Power and Responsibility
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Quirrel wears the infamous purple turban
which concealed his biggest secret. In the animated Spiderverse films, Gwen Stacy has a recurring purple shade in her scenes. While Quirrel is a puppet to an unstoppable power, it is Gwen who realises that with great power comes great responsibility.
Greed and Goth
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) Violet Beauregarde literally turns violet in a scene that shows her ugly greed and spoiled attitude. The director, Tim Burton uses purple again vividly in Wednesday (2022), in a gothic style. Purple does have a sinister sense to it and it was used well in the show.
Despite its versatility, it is rare to see a prominent character in films and shows be assigned a colour theme that revolves around the colours of purple, violet and magenta. However, when it's used, it does wonders!
I had a lot of fun writing this blog post, delving more into film colour theory. It has been quite a while since I last blogged and it's great to be back! I have a long summer break currently and you can rest assured that there will be a more consistent blog output from yours truly ;)
I hope you enjoyed reading the first post of this exciting series I'm starting. Please like and share this post! Comment below with your thoughts on my analysis of the colour purple. I'm eager to know about other films and shows that I missed. (Those mentioned are merely examples and they're not a part of an exhaustive list.)
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