In "The Revenant", how did the director design the color matching of the characters to effectively highlight the character characteristics of the characters?
Director Alessandro Guntolini's film The Revenant is a visual feast about nature, survival and solitude.
Through the subtle use of color, the film takes the audience into a breathtaking adventure, while deeply exploring the inner world of the protagonist and the relationship between humans and nature.
Next, Xiaoyu will take you to understand: In "The Revenant", how does the director design the color of the characters and effectively highlight the character characteristics of the characters?
Set in the American West in the 1820s, the protagonist is Hugh Glass, a fur hunter who survives and hunts in the wild with his companion Henry.
Hugh Glass's clothing and appearance were often dominated by dark tones, such as black or dark brown, colors that symbolized his tenacity and determination.
In addition to this, Hugh's clothing was always covered with dirt and blood, which emphasized his suffering and hardship in the wilderness.
This color scheme brings the audience closer to this strong character and feels his perseverance and desire to survive.
On the other hand, Henry's clothing was often dominated by neutral tones, such as gray or brown. This color scheme conveys Henry's peaceful and friendly character, who was an important supporter of Hugh Glass in the wilderness.
In addition, Henry's clothing also focuses on practicality, in line with his duties in expeditions.
Returning to the plot, the film begins with a warm golden tone, presenting a magnificent natural landscape, with vast snow-capped mountains, tree-lined forests and blue lakes forming a heavenly picture.
These bright colors reflect the beauty and grandeur of nature, while also lighting up the protagonist's love for nature, however, a bear attack completely changes his life.
During a bear hunt, Hugh was attacked by a giant grizzly bear, and his companions had to carry him on a stretcher in an attempt to save his life.
The main tones of this scene are dim brown and crimson, which create an atmosphere of tension and danger, leading the viewer into an extremely dangerous struggle for survival.
The dark tone of brown expresses the depth and alienation of the jungle, allowing the audience to feel Hugh's loneliness and helplessness in the wild.
The crimson color emphasizes the life-and-death duel between Hugh Glass and the bear, heralding the imminent outbreak of a fierce battle.
This use of color also reinforces the sense of tension and danger through blood stains and Hugh Glass's physical injuries. The bright red blood stains are more conspicuous against the dim background, conveying the dying state of Hugh Glass.
Hugh's life was in critical condition, and due to the steepness of the mountains and the bad weather, the companions could not continue their journey.
In order to ease Hugh's burden, the companions decided to leave him in a humble camp and hired two volunteers, one of whom was named Fitzgerald, to stay and care for him while Hugh lived and died.
Fitzgerald is a villain whose color scheme is very different from Hugh Glass.
For example, Fitzgerald's clothing often featured bright colors, such as red or yellow, that highlighted his cunning and deceitful character.
His clothing and decorations often sparkled, symbolizing his greed and pursuit of money. This color scheme allows the viewer to immediately identify the negative characteristics of the character and reinforces the opposition to Hugh.
Sure enough, Fitzgerald betrayed Hugh soon after, abandoning him in the wilderness and even burying his son alive.
At this time, the colors of the film gradually become cold and cruel, ice and snow cover everything, Hugh struggles to survive in harsh environments, and white and blue become the dominant colors, emphasizing the ruthlessness and cruelty of nature.
This use of cool tones emphasizes not only the harshness of nature, but also Hugh's isolation, who seems isolated from the world at the top of a snow-capped mountain, covered in snow.
Miraculously, however, Hugh survived and embarked on a lonely and difficult journey of survival. In the cold winter months, he travels through vast expanses of snow, in search of food and shelter, while also desperate for revenge.
The plot of the film develops the survival challenge of Hugh Glass, who is threatened by wildlife, starvation and cold, but he is determined to survive.
His journey to survive is full of hardships and dangers, but it also brings him closer to nature and experiences its beauty and cruelty.
In the end, Hugh succeeds in revenge, finds Fitzgerald, who betrayed him, and ushers in the climax of the movie.
The main tones of this scene are dull orange and red, which symbolize tension and anger, orange represents fire, passion and tension, and red conveys dangerous and intense emotions.
This choice of colors highlights the dueling duel between Hugh Glass and Fitzgerald, and Hugh's desire for revenge.
In addition, the film enhances the drama of the climactic scene through the use of contrasts of shadows and light, Hugh and Fitzgerald confront each other in dim light, and the intense action and tense plot are reinforced against this color background.
At the end of the film, Hugh has gone through several trials of life and death and finally survived.
The color design of this moment uses warm gold and orange, which symbolize new birth and rebirth, gold represents sunshine and new beginnings, and orange conveys warmth and hope.
In addition, the film emphasizes the reconciliation and serenity of the ending scene through the beautiful scenery of the natural world. Large expanses of natural scenery are illuminated by warm sunlight, presenting a magnificent and tranquil picture.
The colors of these landscapes echo the emotional state of the protagonist, expressing the cherishing of life and the beauty of nature.
The color scheme design of the entire ending scene conveys a sense of reconciliation, peace and hope, in stark contrast to other tense and dangerous scenes in the film.
This design makes the audience feel a sense of satisfaction and relief at the end of the film, and also draws a beautiful end to the protagonist's journey.
