Color is one of the most expressive of visual elements, and its expressiveness is unparalleled. Almodovar's "All About My Mother" embodies a modern constructivist color concept, which boldly uses a large number of high-purity colors, and combines various points, lines, surfaces and colors in a simple way. Formed in a picture, according to the director's own emotions, a very aesthetic visual structure is established. Among them, the most obvious color red is the most expressive element.
In a sense, red has become Almodovar's "label". In "Tell Her", red is a kind of love that does not need to be said to others. In "Return", red is left after being hurt Scar, in "Pain and Glory", red is a process of recognizing and returning to people. The red in "All About My Mother" is the deepest ode to mother and mother's love.
Control of red purity is integral to the rhythm of the color structure, and even the rhythm of the entire picture. In the film, the high-purity red represents a kind of sparkle within itself, it controls the important rhythm in the picture, it is like a kind of accumulated energy. It is not difficult to find that women in pure red clothes are the main body of the plot. From Manuela, who first experienced her son's car accident, to Ayue, who happened to meet in the city park, and Rosa, who was looking for in the volunteer center. , and then the red smoke that finally met in the theater, and finally the appearance of Lola. They both advance the plot through their symbolic red coats, through precise timing. At the same time, they did not radiate too much energy, it was more like a calm burning.
Generally speaking, the color sequence of the movie picture will be established by the same or similar colors, so that the overall picture is in order. The same goes for most of the picture controls in All About My Mother. However, from the subjective perspective of Manuela's son Esteban after being hit by a car, in the only slanted composition in the whole film, Manuela, who rushes in from a distance, is dressed in red and undertones. The difference between black and grey tones is huge. It is completely separated from the color red of the color arrangement, making the subject of Manuela appear more "independent" in the picture. Deliberately weakening the color arrangement is an important means of strengthening a particular color. To a certain extent, it highlights "the mother is worried about the child", and its red color represents an anxious mood.
The special relationship formed by complementary colors is particularly noteworthy. When the structure of complementary colors only appears in a part of the composition, it will highlight a certain independence and autonomy. When Manuela brought Ayue home, the pure green shade and the pure red shade formed a complementary balance of colors. At the same time, because the structure of its complementary colors appears in a part of the composition, the complementary colors frame the visual center, which is the scene where Manuela and Ayue are talking. The complementary balance of the color red and the color green, and the special combination relationship is beneficial to guide the audience and obtain important visual information in the picture.
The contrast of warm and cool colors highlights the shocking moments of the plot. Managing the rhythm of cool and warm colors in a picture is an effective way to establish a harmonious color structure. However, cold and warm colors are not absolute contrasts between cool and warm colors, but rather a contrast of drops formed in relative terms. In the last two "tear moments" of Lola's appearance, Lola's red hair and red clothes are in stark contrast to the Manuela-centered picture in the sparring shot. Rolla's reds are arranged completely independently of their opposing buffs, whose buffs form a set of cool and warm contrasts with the primary red of red. And the warm tone part has a visual impact of "rushing forward", which is why when Lola was crying, the lines and pictures reached the climax of emotion. At the same time, the characters and the dominant plot appear on the "color center" with the highest purity, and everything outside the color system is strictly controlled.
The interweaving of cool and warm colors means that the active and quiet, forward and backward of the colors are combined in a relatively dense way, which strengthens the relationship of dependence and union between you and me and you, rather than the relationship of contrast. Colors like these feel very rich, vibrant, moisturizing and clear when applied.
As Kandinsky said: "There are cold colors and warm colors in the world, but no color has the intense heat of red." Red is mostly seen as a stimulating and exciting color. To a high-purity red, it is more emotionally active than other colors. The color red in "All About My Mother", through its purity's control of the overall picture rhythm, independent color arrangement, guidance of complementary balance, and interspersed with the contrast of cool and warm colors, makes such a constructivist color concept unique. Belonging to the beauty of Almodovar.
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