The Mean Reds.

Rebel Without a Cause

Recently, I've been studying a rawther interesting subject of the use of red in films. I have to do it for a paper, but I have been observing the concept for years on my own. My whole theory is that if the protagonist in film or in literature is wearing red, generally it means that the person is set apart from the rest of society and that something horribly wrong is going to or has happened to them. I know this is not the most cheery of entries, but give it a look and hopefully you will learn something new.

West Side Story. Heck yes, there is red all over this film. The main person to look at is Maria, who is pictured here in white and red. The white symbolizes her purity "white is for babies," as she said, and the red shows there is trouble ahead. She meets Tony, the modern day Romeo, within seconds of this shot and everything goes uphill from there. Throughout the movie, she continues to wear more and more red until the final scene when her life is in shambles and she is in a vibrant red dress. Interesting stuff.

Gone with the Wind. Hello! Her name is Scarlett, enough said. Throughout the movie she changes from a flighty innocent girl to one who is completely downtrodden from the world. She is widowed twice, her third husband divorces her, and her whole life revolves around money. I would say that has the potential to taint someone's life.

No Reservations. The fact that the little girl Zoe (Breslin)'s favorite color is red in this movie is a sure indicator that she has some bouts ahead. Zoe is a very grown up little kid because she has to deal with the death of her mom and the new circumstances of living with Catherine Zeta Jones' anal-retentive character. Although there are some sad moments, the story overall is lighthearted. It just contains that bright pop of color.

Lastly, Rebel Without a Cause. This is my favorite because it is super symbolic and the usage of color was skillfully done. James Dean's character Jim goes between wearing a suit with burgundy accents and a red jacket symbolizing his confusion in being an adult or a rebelious child. Every scene that someone is wearing red, it seems that they are singled out and considered "the rebel". The final scene particularly proves this point and if you haven't seen the movie, I highly

suggest you do.

Now, here's where to go if you don't know about the mean reds.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4