What did the color Red symbolize in "American Beauty"?

What did the color Red symbolize in "American Beauty"? - Red Rose Flower

Watching this movie, one can't help but notice the vibrant red scattered throughout American Beauty. From the red roses, to the red door of the Burnham's, to the red dress that Carolyn wears when she is caught with Buddy Kane, the color Red seems to be a rather important motif in this film, and may give viewers a deeper insight into the film's significance.

Now, I did try and do some analysis, and it's only an incomplete thought. My analysis, so far, includes the following:

  • Roses, in classic literature, are a symbol of youth, innocence, and purity. Lester fantasizes Angela bathing in roses, and she is a symbol of the youth that he had been yearning for. At the beginning of the film, Lester says he lost something, but not sure what, and he desperately wants it back. He later dreams of going back to the good old days, "when [his] life was ahead of him". When Carolyn gets caught, she is wearing a red dress, indicating that she was reliving the more sexy exciting parts of her life while she was with Kane.
  • That interpretation of the color Red is inconsistent with many things. The door of the Burnham's house was a vibrant Red, making the rest of the house seem dull and gloomy in comparison. At the end of the film, Red seems to dominate certain frames in the form of fresh blood. Now I don't know how to incorporate "youth" or "innocence" into either of these cases.


Best Answer

A general idea about the color Red:

This color holds various meanings and images. It is the essence of life and the color of blood. It represents warmth, danger, love, death, rage, lust and beauty. It can convey energy, anger, power, excitement, vitality, passion, and sacrifice. Red can stand for warmth, danger, love, sex, death, rage, lust, and beauty.

Significance in the movie:

Sam Mendes incorporated this color in movie very well. In the beginning, we see Lester in cool de-saturated colors, which suggests that he was living a boring life and lacked of energy. Later, we see that he has a new brighter outlook of life and his dressing changes to red. He acquires a red car and does a job wearing a red and white uniform.

He realizes what is lacking in his life and red clothing gives him a sense of power and control over his life. All these changes started when he first saw Angela. She is adorned with red throughout the movie, representing lust and passion of Lester.

Red is also a dominant color of all central females in the movie. We see Angela being surrounded by red roses in Lester's visions and Caroline wearing red velvet dress.

Source 1, Source 2, and there are more.




Pictures about "What did the color Red symbolize in "American Beauty"?"

What did the color Red symbolize in "American Beauty"? - Top view of delicate red Aster and purple Ramonda flowers arranged together on white marble background
What did the color Red symbolize in "American Beauty"? - Crop unrecognizable person holding colorful flag of America with stars and stripes on lush green lawn under cloudy sky in daylight
What did the color Red symbolize in "American Beauty"? - Cheerful black teenager with hydrating mask on beige background



What does red symbolize in American Beauty?

What does the color red mean in this movie? The way Ball uses it, it refers to a concept: the life force, which, by nature, tries to defy the suppressiveness of suburban life. That's why, the first time we meet Annette Benning, she's cutting red roses. She's cutting the life force.

How was the color red used in American Beauty?

Red can stand for warmth, danger, love, sex, death, rage, lust, and beauty. Red is the color used for the women's clothing, the cars, the doors and also it is the color of Lester's blood splattered across the white table at the end of the movie. Red is the central motif of the film.

What does red symbolize in shows?

But you don't have to be Scorsese to utilize red in your films. and you don't need to use the color to be nefarious either. According to Color Psychology, red has the following associations: Associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.

What color does red represent?

Red, the color of blood and fire, is associated with meanings of love, passion, desire, heat, longing, lust, sexuality, sensitivity, romance, joy, strength, leadership, courage, vigor, willpower, rage, anger, danger, malice, wrath, stress, action, vibrance, radiance, and determination.



American Beauty: The Meaning of the Rose




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Lukas, Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska, Monstera