Depending on the culture, the colour red can be seen in many different ways. In china it is usually associated with good luck, it is also believed to ward of evil. This is why the traditional wedding dress in China is red, the colour is also forbidden at funerals as they believe it shows happiness. In china red is a very popular colour and can be seen especially on the Chinese new year.
In the French film Amelie the colours green, yellow and especially red are used very often, the directors inspiration being the Brazilian artist Juarez Machado's paintings. The colour red was supposed to show happiness and lift the atmosphere.
Blue
In Belgium and Catholic Germany the colour blue is associated with girls instead of boys, in most cultures blue is a masculine colour and pink is the feminine colour.
The main colour in Tim Burton's film Corpses Bride is blue, as the film is about death and decay which blue is usually associated with. As most of the film is either set within a forest or an eerie town blue creates a scary and unnerving atmosphere. The blue represents the cold and lifeless atmosphere and characters within his film.
Green
Green has many different meanings, it can symbolise both jealousy and life, it can also represent luck and hope. In Ireland it is considered their national colour and Indonesia green used to be a forbidden and in china if a man wears a green hat it means their wife is cheating on them.
In the animation film The Secret of Kells green is one of the predominant colours, it used to contrast with the violent and dangerous red and orange tones associated with the villains. Green is used to symbolise the happiness and tranquillity in the film.
Purple
Purple is usually associated with wealth and nobility, it was such an expensive colour dye that only royalty could afford it. It was extremely popular in places such as Rome, Egypt and Persia.
Depending on the culture and history of a person purple can be related to villains in classic comic books, The Joker, Magneto and Lex Luther all wear or are associated with colour purple and M Night Shyamalan uses this to his advantage in his film Unbreakable. The Hero in the film, like many from Comic books, is represented with the colour green where as the villain is usually dressed in purple.
Yellow
Associated with happiness yellow is presumed an uplifting and bright colour usually used to create a joyful atmosphere, In Islam yellow means wisdom and the Buddhist monks wear saffron yellow robes, however sometimes yellow has bad connotations such as cowardice or in American culture it can be associated with danger or even death as crime scenes are marked with yellow tape.
In the film Mr Fantastic Fox by Wes Anderson the majority of scenes have been coloured yellow or have an item coloured yellow within them. The yellow in the film is not only to show that it is autumn but to show the time period in which the film is set, the yellow combined with the style of the characters reflects the popular 1970's in England.
Orange
Similar to yellow, orange usually represents happiness and joy, in Native American beliefs orange symbolises kinship and learning. Orange is also very popular among religions, in Sikhism it means joy, bliss and letting go of what is holding you back. They believe it absorbs shock and bad past experiences which is why it is commonly used for turbans and other religions clothing.
Due to context and culture colours mean different things to different people, sometimes the association with a colour can come from a landscape or place someone may have visited in the past. Lion king is a perfect example of this, set in Africa, a hot country with bright sunsets orange is used in many scenes. It is shown to symbolise the happiness from the characters as well as the landscape setting. Even when the whole landscape is a cold blue the contrast of the orange manages to make the scene an extremely happy one.
Pink
The colour pink is seen as a calming and usually feminine colour, it creates a light and innocent atmosphere. Pink can be related to romance and love, in a scene from Pixar's Rapunzel the pink colour sets the mood for a romantic scene between the main two characters.
However in a Disney Halloween short pink can be seen in the opposite way, it creates a contrasting feeling and juxtaposes with the usual connotations thought of when thinking of pink. This scene is dramatic and frightening and the pink manages to intensify this feeling.
Black
Usually black is seen as the evil colour, symbolism for light and dark are usually a connotation between good and evil. Black is a strong, intimidating and powerful colour, this is why villains usually wear items of clothing in black. In Aztec culture black represented war as their weapons used a type of black glass, also in rural areas of mexico, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Greece widows wear black for the rest of their lives. In most cultures black is seen as an unhappy and negative colour, it is usually associated with death and mourning.
The film Schindlers list was filmed in black and white, this was to show war and depression. There is only one colour other than black and white which is the red of the little girls coat, besides this the film is all monochrome. It shows what a dark time this was for people and how it effected people of different cultures in different ways.
White
White being the contrasting colour of black usually symbolises good and happiness, in most cultures its associated with purity and authority. It can also be associated with cleanliness as most hospitals are white, however in some cultures such as India or Japan white can symbolise death and mourning.
As white and black are the equivalent to light and the dark they are used intensely in graphic novels. Sin city a film shot in a style similar to that of graphic novels shows the extremes in which black and white can be taken to, it intensifies the atmosphere giving the film a dramatic and unique look.
As white and black are the equivalent to light and the dark they are used intensely in graphic novels. Sin city a film shot in a style similar to that of graphic novels shows the extremes in which black and white can be taken to, it intensifies the atmosphere giving the film a dramatic and unique look.
