Color in a Colorless World Color is a powerful tool in film making. What once was only black and white is now a full spectrum of vibrancy. But monochromatism is still an integral artistic choice in film. Blacks and whites in movies and television tend to represent the dark nature of scenes: death, evil, sadness, the macabre. Deep blacks, rich grays, and harsh whites tend to illustrate the Gothic influence of the piece as well as its tone. Adam Barkman, a writer famous for his analysis of films, explains the impact of color in film in his book A Critical Companion to Tim Burton “When we see a particular color, we immediately attach a particular set of meanings to it that is triggered by either our instincts or our memories” (Barkman …show more content…
Jack Skellington or the Pumpkin King is the protagonist in Burton’s Nightmare before Christmas. He lives in Halloween Town where he is the star, the local celebrity. This town is a world that is purely dark in emotion with a murky color palette. (Chambers 18) It is an environment where monstrosities, cruelty, and fear are celebrated. This is evident in the introduction song This is Halloween where we are introduced to some of Halloween land’s terrifying inhabitants,“ I am the one hiding under your bed. Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red/I am the one hiding under your stairs. Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair”. (Thompson) Jack has played the role of the pumpkin king for what seems like forever and he has grown bored at his lack of progress, with living the same way for all of eternity. This stagnation pushes Jack into a state of despair. The colors of his clothes and environment symbolize the emotional struggle of the pumpkin king. When he faces the vivid color schemes they motivate him to take action and take back his life, because to Jack vibrant colors represent warmth and contentment. (McMahon …show more content…
However, they have also put him in an artistic cage according to his viewers. They hear his name and they immediately associate his work with only the Gothic, only the creepy and dark. They see his twisted figures, his gloomy color schemes, his emphasis on death and then label him as an artist only able of applying the Gothic. In a way they are correct; he does employ dark and creepy details, however, he is a multifaceted artist capable of much more than the macabre. As he stresses the Gothic characteristics, he likewise applies modernistic techniques and an array of vivid colors. All of which contrasts sharply with features of the Gothic genre. Burton’s iconic dark palettes and color schemes allow him to give color meaning. In the Nightmare before Christmas he does this by creating a juxtaposition between the kaleidoscope colors of Christmas land and the Grayscale Halloween land. Both holiday realms, containing a leader and their own niche, embrace their own color palette. These contrasting hues coincide with the beliefs and tone of the holiday. Bright reds and greens highlight the joy of gift giving and being around those you love. In contrast murky blacks, cold dark colors, and the occasional orange emphasize the rapturous glee of fear and
The movie Four Christmases has two main characters are Vince Vaughn (Brad) and Reese Witherspoon (Kate). This movie is about an unmarried couple that has no plans of getting married or having children anytime soon. Every Christmas they plan an adventurous vacation for the two of them. They do this to avoid going to all of their families’ houses for the holiday. This year Kate and Brad planned to go to Fiji for vacation, but the weather took a turn for the worst and they weren’t able to go. Due to the weather, their flight got cancelled. The news caught them on live television alerting their families that they were now available for Christmas. Both Brad and Kate’s families are divorced, so there were four families to visit. They plan
In conclusion, by using the production elements of both allusion and symbolism; director Tim Burton has created the film in such a manner by making deliberate choices in order to invite a certain response. The film is constructed and given greater depth through the allusion to elements from other genres and ridicules the suburbia’s materialism and lack of imagination, which in turn enhances the invited response.
roughout the whole film. The whole of the audience will know that pumpkins represent Halloween, which is about witches and ghosts. This reference also reminds the viewers that the genre is horror. The man inside the carriage is shown again, then an unnatural sound, the drawing and slashing of a sword, and the horses braying can be heard. The audience knows that it must be the Headless Horseman outside, but all that can actually be seen is the man inside the carriage that is starting to look very scared.
Not a single individual is able to watch a Burton film without noticing the lighting effects and how it significantly contributes to the tone and mood of the entire film. In the movie Edward Scissorhands, one might be overwhelmed with the burst of extravagant colors in the scenery. Indeed this cinematic technique, high key, wholly influences the viewers perception and impression of the town. One can conclude that even though flamboyancy pervades the town, iniquity lurks in all directions and hypocrisy governs the minds of its inhabitants. Irony is harnessed in this film. How can an effulgent town harbor wickedness and Edward with a chilling and gothic complexion radiate innocence and righteousness? Burton uses these opposing conceptions brought about by the contrast of lighting to convey the message that materialism has been ingrained in the mentality of society (at least in the neighborhood in which Burton lived in the past), thus yearning for th...
In the fictional play, A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, by Israel Horovitz, Scrooge’s first impression is not very good. He refuses to donate to the poor, he dismisses family who want a relationship, and he is miserable and tries to make others the same way. When two men come to see Scrooge, they were asking for donations for the poor. Scrooge, being one of the wealthiest people in the community, is very dismissive, wrongfully so, and asks the two men to leave empty handed. When Scrooge asks if there are workhouses for the poor to go to, the men explain that most people would rather die than to go there. In response Scrooge states, “If they would rather die, than they had better do it and decrease the surplus in population.” (649) When
In this essay I will be talking about how Dickens presents Scrooge’s fear in A Christmas Carol. It is about how Scrooge’s change throughout the novel through various techniques Dickens uses to convey this.
It is hard to believe that there is anyone on the planet that hasn't heard of the story "A Christmas Carol". Although it isn't hard to believe that people do not realize that there are differences between movies and novels. In this case, that fits right into that subject. Here are some of the differences between the movie and the novel.
How can one truly be happy? According to psychologist Karyn Hall, radical acceptance of oneself is the only way to live a happy, healthy life. In Charles Dickens’s novel, “A Christmas Carol”, the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, declares that he will live in the past, present, and future. By the end of the story, Scrooge radically accepts himself, learns to love others, and copes with his anxiety. Scrooge’s declaration to live in the past, present, and future demonstrates his ability to overcome his suffering and become empathetic of the world. Although it is not possible for Scrooge to completely overcome his anxiety, he learns to radically accept it.
In "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a transformation as a result of his encounters with three ghosts and becomes a kind, happy, and generous man. His greedy, cruel, and grumpy demeanor is replaced seemingly overnight, but he doesn’t just wake up and decide to be nice. It takes three Spirits to change his outlook on life - The Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future. The Ghost of Christmas Past makes Scrooge begin to regret his selfishness, and the Ghost of Christmas Present begins to teach him about others. This second Ghost helps to make him realize that money doesn't buy happiness. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, however, teaches the most profound lesson of all: unless he changes, no one will care if Scrooge dies. Because of the Ghosts, by Christmas morning Ebenezer Scrooge is a completely different person from the man who went to bed on Christmas Eve.
A morality play, not unlike some of the popular plays I have seen. I think we all have seen this familiar theme many times over the years. As we head into the Christmas season, where reflective thinking becomes this very theme. I can compare this play with some of these seasonal plays. The play that comes to my mind immediately is, "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.
The Stranger, by Albert Camus, depicts a man who is going through life with an existential viewpoint on things that he does. The protagonist, Meursault, insists on going through life as if nothing in his life matters at all, and the point of his existence continues to escape him on many different levels. Through the death of his mother; the relationship with Maria, and the killing of an Arab; Meursault still finds that the meaning of his life escapes him. While many people believe that Camus uses symbolism with the weather and various other devices, I believe he uses a different approach. In The Stranger, Camus shows through symbolism that the true meaning of life is found when facing one’s own death.
The “Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry is a short story that has an interesting theme.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966&2000) explains not only the life of the Grinch but the Whos as well. Through the theorists of Karen Horney and Erik Erikson, viewers can learn why the Grinch’s personality is formed. Not only had it formed, but through the years it transformed.
“Bah Humbug!” was what the grumpy character Ebenezer Scrooge said about Christmas. Guess what that got him: a visit with four ghosts Past, Present, Future, and his dead partner and friend Marley. A Christmas Carol is the tale of a rude, irritable man called Ebenezer Scrooge whom loathes Christmas and anything to do with it. His encounter with the ghosts changed his perspective on how to treat people and the way he lives his life. This is shown in both the drama and the movie, but there were some parts of each that were different. However, the message of the story stayed the same.
What is color? If someone were to ask you that, what would your answer be? How do you describe yellow without saying its name? You might say it reminds you of sunshine or of school buses or of warmth, but those are all examples. It’s funny how something so integral to our daily lives could be so hard to explain. Could you imagine a world entirely enveloped in grey-scale? A permanent film noir. Color is like sound, all around us, conveying emotion, shaping our world. Without it, our world would be bland; without distinction. Likewise, film is a world of its own, transporting you into its universe, putting you in the characters’ perspectives. Ever since the beginnings of film, filmmakers have looked for ways to put color in film, expanding the