by Nadia
We experience Life Lessons, directed by Martin Scorsese, through the perspective of our protagonist, Dobie. He is what we later find to be a very successful artist working in New York City. The story revolves around Dobie and his young assistant, Paulette, as she struggles to figure out her place in the city, and Dobie drives their conflicts into his artwork. Filmmakers often use color to portray an emotion so that the audience may subconsciously access that feeling. The color scheme in the Life Lessons consists of primarily red and blue. Each color in is roughly assigned to a location, character, or emotion drawn from Dobie’s circumstances. The use of color in Life Lessons influences the way in which we see each character and interpret their interactions through our protagonist’s perspective.
The color red is Paulette’s color, and is traditionally used to represent excitement, energy, passion, courage, and attention. Red is the color of most of Paulette’s things including books, accessories, decorations, as well as her lipstick color. This makes a lot of sense as Dobie views Paulette as young and full of energy and passion, two of the many reasons why he won’t let her go. Paulette herself has the courage to continue living in Dobie’s loft with the hopes that she may one day become a successful artist, even after telling herself she should just go back home to live with her parents. Finally, Paulette is the one thing that always draws Dobie’s attention, not to mention Paulette has the most control over Dobie, as he will pay her attention whether she wants it or not.
Throughout the movie, the color blue represents Dobie’s character, being the color of his eyes and most of the clothing that he wears. The color blue traditionally represents freedom and self expression, both traits that Dobie, being an artist, longs to achieve. Dobie gives himself a lot of freedom, (to the disappointment of others in his life) as he lives with whomever, doing whatever, and (until Paulette) having no regard for their wants and needs. This of course arguably closer to disrespect, but as we experience the movie through Dobie’s eyes, the color blue continues to represent “freedom” and “self expression” because that is how he justifies his own actions. When Dobie and Paulette go to a show starring Paulette’s ex, the performer ends the show by shattering a blue light hanging by his side. It is likely that this blue light represents Dobie, possibly foreshadowing how he is about to crack and give-in to Paulette’s demands, giving her the power. The next day when Dobie is in the diner wearing a blue shirt, he stands out from his surroundings: a predominantly warm-toned diner bustling with people in lighter-colored clothing. A final example of the color blue is in the erotic scene, where, in Dobie’s mind, he and Paulette are backlit with blue light. This is most likely because blue represents Dobie, and the scene is drawn from his mind, the place where his emotions are most readily accessible.
These colors subconsciously tell the audience what to think about each character from Dobie’s perspective. Had we not been immersed in red and blue, there would be a lack of both connection to Dobie and character development from Paulette and Dobie. We might not have had any regard for Dobie, leaving us unconflicted throughout the movie. The color in Life Lessons effectively provides the audience with fleshed out characters, subtle foreshadowing, and an emotionally complex plot, not to mention enticing visuals. With only a baseline understanding of color theory, one can begin to pick apart the intricately designed sets, costumes, and props for a further appreciation of this movie.
Comments
Post a Comment