American Beauty

Given that Lester Burnham said in the opening shot of American Beauty was going to die, the ending was, in a way, already in poor condition. However, it is much more than the stock selling climax of the movie, images and music come together to form a truly beautiful and moving culmination of the various arcs of characters, without the need for an explicit dialogue or torrents of exposure .

The late Roger Ebert once said that this film:

All these emotional threads meet during a dark and stormy night, when a series of misunderstandings so strange they belong in a sitcom. And in the end, somehow, improbably, the film snatches victory from the jaws of defeat by Lester, his hero. Not the kind of victory would result in a feel-good movie, but the kind where you try something important, if only to himself.

This is perhaps the revealing feature of the image; "Beauty" American Beauty. The film is heavy in its final act, when the most part had been almost a cheerful and comic to the trials and tribulations of suburban America look. But the ease and mastery of such emotional significance is - not only a credit to the actors and director (Sam Mendes) - the mark of a script sharpness and a screenwriter really a sign of his office was given. Taking its dialogue and wonderful story out of the equation gives such statement, as history fully capable of telling the story through images alone.

Perhaps the first thing to focus first is the use of color and motif. Throughout the entire film, rose, American Beauty, was often a symbol of lust and desire to Lester and Angela. In his fantasies, the girl is wrapped in roses, covering her body, betraying the fact that these are, in fact, his passionate reflections rather than reality. When Lester however, kills the viewer can detect a bouquet of roses set on the counter beside his body. The image is striking; because the flower had been so associated with sexuality and infatuation seems a little odd to reappear in death.

What does this suggest? What does that mean? Well, it could be any of a number of things. Remember that this is not the first time the public sees these flowers are a recurring motif throughout fact. Showing them again here, in a non-sexual (and indeed, in real life) scenario you could say that symbolize the contributing factor why Lester had to be killed. It was his wish. His dissatisfaction with a worldly existence. His desire to ignore the responsibilities of a materialistic way of life, and the way they approached the job of weathering the storm there was a midlife crisis. These are the feelings and emotions of American Beauty it represents and its presence in this scene solidify the theory that these are the things that led to his untimely death Lester.

It's almost like Lester's lust for Angela lit the fuse throughout the downward spiral of events. If he had not obsessed with her, he had not started working out. If I had not started working out, Colonel Fitts would not have seen him working out naked. If Colonel Fitts had not seen him, I would not have thought that his son, Ricky, was sleeping with him. Then I would not have come out as gay and tried to kiss Lester; and if he had not, he would not have been driven to kill him. It was beauty killed the beast.

However, do not forget the meaning of the red color represents in the film - danger. Why is this so? It is because it is the color of blood? writer Jim Emerson draws attention to a quote from Jean-Luc Godard is no blood is red, "referring to his 1965 film Pierrot le fou. Maybe that's why the color works so well in that sense, it is a symbol of blood, and therefore, a subconscious indicator death and danger.

That certainly is the case of the closing sequence in American Beauty. Not only the color of the flowers, indicate the imminent demise of Lester Burnham, but yes, but hold in a number of other shots to create suspense and string along the audience subconsciously asked what character killed the protagonist. Every minor character in the aftermath of the death of Lester is using or near anything that is red. A more detailed analysis, you might even suggest that the amount of red shown in the United States each shot along strings as the identity of the murderer gradually revealed.

For example, Angela puts on red lipstick in the bathroom when the Ball. Ricky and Jane are lying on the bed sheets red. Carolyn wears a red dress - and holding a gun - which leads us to believe that he can be her. Finally, we see Colonel Fitts blood cake with the murder weapon. The color becomes more and more prominent as to the murderer inches, which could be read as growing advice as to the likelihood that these characters are the executioner (Angela at least, Colonel Fitts most).

Color and supports however, are not the only things that really progress the story and most importantly, the message. One has to think about camera angles, camera work and editing, and the ability to work together. When the gun is pressed Lester's head, the camera moves away from the gun and beyond the American beauties before the shot was fired. This will not only add to the ambiguity of the scene, but also sets the guesswork film that follows.

In a move similar camera, monitoring camera side as each character is shot here, passing by at that fleeting moment. Not only this chronicle of his reaction to the sound, which helps to clear his name of any wrongdoing. However, it also sets the flashback sequence. As the camera moves across the sky, moving through the cast of characters, their reactions and eventually moves to the identity of the murderer. This is where the issue really helps tell the viewer what is happening. Lester past scenes are spliced ​​with the current chain of events, indicated by a change in color palette to black and white. This gives an idea of ​​what it feels like Lester as his life flashes before his eyes. He is looking back on his best memories in his last moments.

However, this may say more? These minute windows in a past that have never seen or been part of so far. The only thing we have known throughout the film is the continuing dissatisfaction with the materialistic tendencies Lester of America nineties. This is what meant Ebert in his review of the film. As Lester dies, snatching the lives of those few things that make you the happiest - or most of the content. It was never about the sofa, or ass-kissing by him ( "everything is just matter," jokes earlier in the film), no, Lester it was redefining itself as something that matters, something visible but with a feeling so intangible. Like the plastic bag floating in the wind on the final shot, which refers to the only existing, were carried out in this thing called life - and he was there to enjoy the ride. Think of it as a club of the fight of the middle class.

Alan Ball and Sam Mendes had something really important to say with American Beauty - it's just amazing that they were able to do with nothing but such beautiful images.