Amélie Color Analysis
The film Amélie, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet is the story of a French girl. Being raised by a cold father and a mother who is at constant stress, she has been suppressed by her parents all her life. Short after the beginning of the film, her mother faces death, leaving Amélie to spend the rest of her childhood living with her father. She grows up with lack of love and comfort. She dreams of the days in which she will get to move out of her father’s home, and have one of herself. Amélie is portrayed as a unique, odd, yet innocent girl, who faces her own isolation through the good deed she offers to the world. As Amélie notices that she takes a great joy in changing the lives of people around her for the better, she spends most of her time doing so. Along her journey, she is exposed to love, which she has never before experienced.
It looks as though the whole movie is portrayed through a singular filter. The color scheme used in the movie helps us understand the emotions that are felt by the main character Amélie Poulain. The most dominant colors used throughout the film are yellow, red and green. At the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to the setting, the location for the very first time when the streets of Paris are presented through a luminous yellow tone, which plays the role of sunlight in a very unnatural manner.
It looks as though the whole movie is portrayed through a singular filter. The color scheme used in the movie helps us understand the emotions that are felt by the main character Amélie Poulain. The most dominant colors used throughout the film are yellow, red and green. At the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to the setting, the location for the very first time when the streets of Paris are presented through a luminous yellow tone, which plays the role of sunlight in a very unnatural manner.
This baffling tone of yellow is not limited to the opening scene. As a matter of fact, it becomes a commonly used color. The bright warm color yellow is used to represent liveliness, happiness, joy, and excitement… Throughout Amélie, this element does not cease to exist. This is because the whole storyline is based on the thrilling expedition Amélie is having, as she searches for finding who she is. It is full of curiosity, and revelations. The color yellow is mainly used in representing the city through a surreal lens, which Amélie withholds. As scenes are examined, it can be noticed that it is as if yellow has taken over the usage of white. There are barely any scenes where white would normally take charge, such as walls, a fridge or even a bathroom; but rather very different shades of yellow are being used instead.
One of the first times in which the audience is exposed to red is when young Amélie is eating raspberries; the fruit itself is known to be vigorously passionate, it could have been any other fruit, but instead the importance of the color red is revealed through great attention to great detail.
Throughout Amélie, life has not shown its affection to her, therefore she is in constant search for love, which she does find towards the end of the movie. The color red is used continuously; this can represent love and passion. Amelie’s whole apartment has one major use of color, and again it is red, it is as though the film lies out and presents Amelie’s feelings not only through dialect and actions but also through the use of colors.
The most personal aspect, which is extremely distinctive to one’s self is home.The color of her home, the very place in which she resides at all times, repeatedly revolves around red. This seems to be a representation of Amélie’s soul and personality, a vibrant character, whose purity is expressed through three very dynamic colors, which don’t fail to grasp the attention of the audience during the continuance of the film.
Amongst yellow and red, green plays a key role as well. The audience is introduced to these three colors in various ways, through the use of objects, clothing, and buildings. In the exposition of the color green, it is initially seen in a glass filled with green liquid, shortly accompanied by the clothing that little Amélie wears, even to the extent in which green can be seen in the smallest objects used as a part of the background.Green is accepted and understood as a color of peace, nature, relaxation, and calmness. This attribute can be witnessed in Amélie’s identity as she remains calm, and relaxed throughout this journey she pursues. Another outstanding detail in the film is that, Amélie constantly either wears something containing the color green or red. In addition to this, it is not only the character of Amélie but including every other female character. They all have an object or have a part of their clothes in the color green or red. Everyone around Amélie seems to project her features. The aspect of love, passion contrasted with the purity, peace, and calmness within her.
Amélie is able to create a surreal, unique yet identifiable feel and aspect to the film through its expressive usage of these constant colors. Not only does it become a motif in the film but also these colors play a major role in forming and advancing the character of Amélie Poulain. The usage of these three colors can be more vividly seen as the movie develops while linking back to the very beginning of the film, as the character of young Amélie is represented to the audience. It seems as though Amélie has created a whole world of her own, with the major roles of these three colors that are a reflection of Amélie’s developing identity.
One of the first times in which the audience is exposed to red is when young Amélie is eating raspberries; the fruit itself is known to be vigorously passionate, it could have been any other fruit, but instead the importance of the color red is revealed through great attention to great detail.
Throughout Amélie, life has not shown its affection to her, therefore she is in constant search for love, which she does find towards the end of the movie. The color red is used continuously; this can represent love and passion. Amelie’s whole apartment has one major use of color, and again it is red, it is as though the film lies out and presents Amelie’s feelings not only through dialect and actions but also through the use of colors.
The most personal aspect, which is extremely distinctive to one’s self is home.The color of her home, the very place in which she resides at all times, repeatedly revolves around red. This seems to be a representation of Amélie’s soul and personality, a vibrant character, whose purity is expressed through three very dynamic colors, which don’t fail to grasp the attention of the audience during the continuance of the film.
Amongst yellow and red, green plays a key role as well. The audience is introduced to these three colors in various ways, through the use of objects, clothing, and buildings. In the exposition of the color green, it is initially seen in a glass filled with green liquid, shortly accompanied by the clothing that little Amélie wears, even to the extent in which green can be seen in the smallest objects used as a part of the background.Green is accepted and understood as a color of peace, nature, relaxation, and calmness. This attribute can be witnessed in Amélie’s identity as she remains calm, and relaxed throughout this journey she pursues. Another outstanding detail in the film is that, Amélie constantly either wears something containing the color green or red. In addition to this, it is not only the character of Amélie but including every other female character. They all have an object or have a part of their clothes in the color green or red. Everyone around Amélie seems to project her features. The aspect of love, passion contrasted with the purity, peace, and calmness within her.
Amélie is able to create a surreal, unique yet identifiable feel and aspect to the film through its expressive usage of these constant colors. Not only does it become a motif in the film but also these colors play a major role in forming and advancing the character of Amélie Poulain. The usage of these three colors can be more vividly seen as the movie develops while linking back to the very beginning of the film, as the character of young Amélie is represented to the audience. It seems as though Amélie has created a whole world of her own, with the major roles of these three colors that are a reflection of Amélie’s developing identity.