Red, representing love, desire and violence, is the darling of many big directors, such as Zhang Yimou and Quentin Tarantino, who often use red as the main color of their films.
Zhang Yimouhong
Kieslowski red
Quentin Red
Wong Kar Wai Hong
Among them, several major Hollywood director David Lynch is unique and can be called a master of red. In his shots, red creates a variety of treacherous, erotic, crazy, and terrifying atmospheres. Compared with Quentin's bloody violence, Zhang Yimou's lust, and Wong Kar-wai's ambiguous temptation, Lynch uses red more abundantly. full of imagination.
Red, take you into the world of imagination
Lynch was deeply influenced by Freud's psychoanalysis, and used color to show human anxiety, panic, suspicion... Forming a distinct "Lynch-style" color charm.
Screenshot of the movie "My Heart is Wild"
Red in "My Heart is Wild" - Madness
This is a strange film that has won the Palme d'Or, and the characters in the film are all hormonal, exciting and wild. Mary is on the brink of collapse when she learns that her beloved Johnny has been killed for stalking her daughter's boyfriend. She looked in the mirror, smeared her hands and face with lipstick, like a witch with blood on her face, and would launch a mad and terrible revenge.
Screenshot of the movie "Mulholland Drive"
Red in Mulholland Drive - Dangerous
Blonde actress Betty, always dressed in red, hides murder behind her sweet smile.
The film progresses in the overlap of reality and dream. Because of the unfavorable acting career, Betty gradually became mentally ill, and she killed her jealous girlfriend Rita.
The film uses a lot of red and black elements on the two heroines, creating a dream montage that is both real and fantasy.
Screenshot of the film "Blue Velvet"
Red in "Blue Velvet" - Lust
Dark red wallpaper, red chairs and bedding surround the room with red. With the red dress, bright red nails, and full red lips on Dorothy's body, it creates an abyss of lust for her and Frank.
Red in the episode "Twin Peaks" - a collection of different pronouns
Blurred - The red curtain is a recurring and iconic prop in Lynch's films, it is the vehicle between the real world and the dream world.
In the episode "Twin Peaks", there is an extra-dimensional space called "Black Room", where the red curtain wall is a tool to separate reality and extra-dimensional space, and anything can happen behind the curtain wall. The sawtooth-shaped floor contrasts with the interior furnishings, creating a feeling of disorientation and overwhelm.
Violence - Above the grey house, the dazzling neon logo of guns hides danger and killing.
Eerie - The mysterious woman "Naido" wears a dark red velvet dress that contrasts with the dark space behind her. In this space, blindfolded eyes and weird limbs give red a weird sense of sight.
Anger - Here, red represents anger. Housewife Jenny, carrying a red bag, angrily walked towards her blackmailing husband.
Authority - Diane wears a bright red kimono-style robe, holding a cigarette and a cup, plus her blond hair, capable body and eyes, showing her authoritative and powerful side.
Restlessness - the same Diane, wearing a bright red V-neck shirt, in front of a solid black background, a prominent touch of red makes her the focus of vision, her pain and fear are particularly conspicuous.
Color, the natural inspiration for painter Lynch
David Lynch is an all-rounder who is equally adept at writing, photography, and music. However, painting is the starting point of his artistic career.
My mother was Lynch's enlightenment teacher when he was young, allowing him to paint freely. He used monochromatic lines to outline his ideas on tissues, matchboxes, and letter paper. These daily habits became the source of inspiration for his future creations.
Paintings by Oskar Kokoschka
The expressionist genius Oscar Kokoschka was Lynch's teacher as an art student. In his creation, Lynch was also influenced by British grotesque painter Francis Bacon, Russian abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky and American painter Edward Hopper.
Paintings by Francis Bacon
Paintings by Wassily Kandinsky
Paintings by Edward Hopper
These great painters influenced Lynch's paintings, making his colors extremely intense. Under his brush, red has become an iconic element:
"I Am Running Home from Your House"
In the painting, the boy running home on the red earth seems to be Lynch himself.
"Philadelphia"
As surreal as a dream, the skinny figure in the painting spit out the words "Philadelphia" and held a red heart in his hand.
In Lynch's view, images are "moving paintings". In the past, dreams were drawn, but now they are "copied" with a camera, and these colorful dreams are put on the screen.
For example, Lynch's early experimental film "Six People Sick" is a combination of painting and video , and we can see Lynch's transition from painting to video. In four minutes, the six patients go from vomiting, bleeding, and finally to the decay of their organs.
Screenshot of "Six People Sick"
The entire film is like an abstract black-and-white print, with bright red blood vomited from the mouths of the six patients, as if to overflow the picture. This intense color treatment is unforgettable like a nightmare.
Today, David Lynch is still exploring on his stylized path, and the red filter is still his way of looking at human nature and the world.
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