The Color Red In American Beauty

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The 1999 film American Beauty, written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes, focuses on the harsh reality of American families that struggle to find happiness in the search for a reachable dream. It is the cultural tendency to be all work and no play that we may lose ourselves and our families. In 2000, American Beauty was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won five. In September 2008, Empire named American Beauty the 96th "Greatest Movie of All Time" after a poll of 10,000 readers, 150 filmmakers, and 50 film critics, the fourth-highest ranked movie from 1999 (behind Fight Club, The Matrix, and Magnolia). In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked the screenplay number 38 on its list of 101 greatest screenplays.
To summarize the film, …show more content…
The billboards and advertisements for “The Real Estate King” represent Carolyn’s desire for success and eventually her sexual desire for Buddy. This is unleashed after a dinner they have together and immediately go to a hotel after and being somewhat of a relationship. For Lester, other than his lust for Angela it represents his rebellion as he buys the car of his dreams to satisfy some sort of desire for youth and satisfaction. Traditionally, the color red represents these emotions as well. The film also utilizes the color red to represent the color of desire, Lester with the red Pontiac and red rose pedals for his desire for Angela, also Carolyn with the red roses. In scenes throughout the movie when Lester desires Angela she is encased in red roses, his desire for her overcomes him in multiple scenes. In many scenes involving Carolyn, she has red roses in the scene and when she sees her love affairs billboard his background of the ad is red displaying her desire for him.
One of the more obvious uses of cinematography in American Beauty is the symbolism in the form of placement of the roses throughout the film. The roses represent desire, passion, and possibly lust. The rose is also symbolic of American Beauty. It shows up various times in the film, as well as the color red in general, which symbolizes passion, love, and
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