Author Topic: Color coordination  (Read 7868 times)

Offline Front-Ranger

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Color coordination
« on: May 07, 2006, 11:28:52 am »
This movie went to pretty long lengths to coordinate the colors of its leading characters. We know Jack is blue and Ennis is brown. Even the Focus Features logo that appears at the beginning has interlocking blue and brown circles! (Well the circles are orangeish-brown; I don't know what to call the color) Then during a segue in the movie, the camera cuts to a sky scene and there again, the clouds on one side are blue-black, and on the other side are tinged by the setting sun into an orange-brown color.

I just noticed one more instance of color coordination: The BetterMost bean cans, that you see in the upper right corner there, feature brown baked beans on a blue background! Now I know what to call that orange-brown color: baked beans!
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Offline silkncense

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2006, 12:48:20 pm »
Was it here or somewhere else that I read this -

Jacks mother is wearing a dress.  Over the dress is a plaid-type buttonup shirt.  Over the shirt is a dark blue button sweater.   Love that. 
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Offline Sashca1007

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2006, 07:27:40 pm »
So glad you mentioned Mrs. Twist's clothing, this has always been one of my favorite details.  I love the fact that she is wearing the 'two shirts' (actually a shirt and a sweater) over her dress.  Generally speaking, I think most women would not wear a plaid shirt on top of a floral print dress--  we would more likely just add the sweater if we were cold.  Setting aside all ideas of whether Mrs. Twist was a little chilly in her home and/or how important it was for her to present herself to MR. (F-ing) Twist in a coordinated, fashionable way (right!)......   I definitely see her 'blue over plaid' as a deliberate mirror of the two shirts in Jack's closet.  Whether it was deliberate on the part of Jack's Mom (via Ang Lee) or just deliberate on the part of Mr. Lee, I can't be sure.  Mrs. Twist is wearing her 'Jack blue' over her 'Ennis plaid' and it makes me love her even more. I always wondered if anyone else shared my feelings about Mom Twist's garment choices!

Color coordination is such a quietly dynamic element of this film--  all the (windy) shades of Jack blue and the (earthy) shades of Ennis brown, or tan...mirrored over and over in their surroundings and their clothing.  Amidst all of the brown-tones (horses...  beer bottles.....Ennis' gloves hanging out of his pocket....  his dark brown eyes...) and blues (bluebird earrings...  blue sky...  blue paint brands....  Jack's big blue eyes) and all of the natural mountain surroundings with the greens and whites.....  BBM is like a big, beautiful painting in these colors....  and accented with just the right splashes of red to make it complete.  RED--  we see it, of course, on Lureen-- but also on Alma Sr. when she's hoping to go to the Knife & Fork (she even applies red lipstick, whick makes me feel so sad for her), and later at Thanksgiving.  We see Jack's red truck...  Jack and Ennis each wear red at some point....  and sadly, they each show us some of their bright red blood.  The color coordination in Brokeback Mountain, (along with every other part of it) is absolutely glorious.

Thanks, Silk & Front, for bringing it up!
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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2006, 10:01:27 am »
I was playing the ABCs game today and it reminded me of another instance of blue/brown. When Ennis and Alma were tobaganning down the hill shortly after they were married, Ennis was wearing a blue knit cap, and Alma was wearing a brown toque with fake fur trim.
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Offline ednbarby

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2006, 10:27:35 am »
I've always seen the significance of the contrasting colors as being in line with the color spectrum.  Blue and yellow are at opposite ends of it.  Interior designers will tell you to contrast a wall with blue undertones with one with yellow ones to give you a dramatic contrast.  We did that in our master bedroom (cornflower blue on the bedroom wall and marigold yellow on the adjoining bathroom's) because one suggested it to us, and it is a stunning effect.  I think of it in the movie as showing that Jack and Ennis are opposites but opposites that need one another to bring out the beauty in each.  The yin and the yang.  Two halves of the same whole, broken down the middle.  I know Ang must have understood that, and understood at the same time the dramatic effect of the contrasts in color.

God, I love this movie.
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Offline j.U.d.E.

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2006, 12:25:59 pm »
And, if I'm not mistaken, you can see those two colours again on 9-year old Ennis (in a Flashback). Well, almost..

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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2006, 12:45:21 pm »
A bit OT, but yesterday I wore a tan-and-white shirt with faded blue jeans. Not a combo I would have previously picked, but it looked good! (Course, as I live in Chicago, the shirt was a paisley T-shirt, not a Western shirt.)

(Also, I recently ordered a pair of jeans because the catalog showed them paired with a camel-colored jacket and boots -- just like the outfit Ennis is wearing when he talks to Jack the day after Tent Scene 1. And the model's head was cut off, so you weren't reminded that it was a woman. If she'd been holding a rifle, I'd have probably bought the jacket, too.)

OK, now you are all fully updated on my wardrobe revisions.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2006, 06:08:07 pm by latjoreme »

Offline ednbarby

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2006, 01:13:08 pm »
Actually, one of my favorite color combos on the men in my office is when they wear tan khaki pants (is that redundant?) with one of those sort of cornflower (deep but not navy) blue button-down shirts.  Mmmmm - yeah.  Makes any average guy look good, and any good looking guy look great.  For me, I prefer to wear the couple of blue denim shirts I have (one sleeveless, one short-sleeved - haven't found a long-sleeved one I like yet) with black khakis.  More slimming.  ;)
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Offline silkncense

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #8 on: May 11, 2006, 03:54:06 pm »
Jude - Well at the least, 9 yr old Ennis is wearing a plaid shirt w/ a blue shirt/jacket over it.

And, we know Ennis is poor & Jack is not - but the wearability of that brown corduroy jacket Ennis wears is something!  Gotta get one:

1967  @ the river

1972  camping

1975  divorce court

1982 Lake scene
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #9 on: May 11, 2006, 05:27:41 pm »
You guys, I've never done this before, but I JUST THIS MINUTE finished writing a post on this very topic on the black/white hats thread, where a slightly OT discussion of shirt colors had sprung up. It actually seems to be more appropriate here, so I'm going to copy it. Apologies to readers of both threads for the repetition. Here goes:

I just watched the movie for the first time in two months, obsessively keeping an eye on shirts throughout. I have reached the conclusion that you're both right, Penth and Barb. The gray jacket that Ennis wears at the end is about Jack dying, but it's also about what Ennis is feeling. Here's why:

I think the color of the shirts and jackets, their style, and even the number of layers that Ennis and Jack wear almost ALWAYS mean something. Others have commented on some of this stuff elsewhere, particularly in that long-ago color thread -- that came early in my Brokeback career and it was too much detail for me to absorb at that point, so I only skimmed it. Hope this isn't too repetitive.

Now up on Brokeback, Ennis usually wears a tan coat when he's pulling away from Jack somehow -- the day they meet, when he's shy, the day after the first tent scene, when he's freaked out. He usually wears just a shirt when he's moving toward Jack -- working together to set up camp, shooting the elk. Usually the shirt is Ennis' color, tan. There are some exceptions (and a few times I forgot to notice), but that's the usual pattern. In the first tent scene, Ennis is wearing the tan jacket, but this is a transition moment for Ennis. Jack is ready to get closer to Ennis, so he takes HIS jacket off. In TS2, they've both moved another step toward each other: Ennis in just a shirt, and Jack in no shirt at all, still a step ahead of Ennis. Neither is wearing a shirt in the happy tussle -- they're equally happily into each other. Ennis and Jack are both wearing just a shirt in the angry tussle, obviously, but by the time they get back to town ther're both in jackets, separated.

During their four years apart, Ennis wears blue -- denim jacket or print shirt -- in just about every scene; a bright blue print shirt, for example, when he's spreading tar and thinking about Jack (I remember someone pointing out his blue cap in the sledding scene). Jack wears blue, too. Again, exceptions, such as Ennis in the bedroom with Alma -- but then SHE'S wearing a light blue nightgown, as if a pale substitute for Jack.

For the reunion, Ennis wears his nice blue-striped shirt. Jack is wearing a jacket -- Ennis is actually a step ahead of Jack, for a change. In the motel, no shirts for either, they're totally together. When Ennis packs for camping, he throws in all blue-plaid shirts. When they first get to the campsite: no clothes at all! Can't get much more together than that! But in the "you know it could be like this always" scene, Ennis is back in the tan jacket, pulling away. (As others have noted, in the Earl flashback, nine-year-old Ennis is wearing the famous plaid-and-denim pairing).

The pattern continues most of the time until the divorce. Ennis wears a denim jacket when away from Jack but presumably thinking about him, such as when throwing hay off the truck. Jack wears a purple shirt when he's looking for his blue parka and talking to Lureen (others have pointed out that red is Lureen's color, and that this shirt indicates a Jack/Lureen mix. Sometimes Alma wears a dull red, too, such as when she spots Ennis and Jack in the stairwell, and at Thanksgiving dinner). Both Jack and Ennis wear beige down jackets at some point; I have no idea what that means.

Then the post-divorce scene. Ennis wears that really heavy tan corduroy jacket -- a thick layer between them. Jack is wearing (what? black leather jacket?). The big news here is that FROM THIS POINT ON, Jack almost always wears gray or black. As if Jack metaphorically died at that point (a la Jake's comment).

Ennis wears blue when he's alone or with Cassie (missing Jack) and tan when he's with Jack (pulling away). He's confused: always inclined to movel in the opposite direction. (Cassie, incidentally, wears a blue denim jacket on their date with Alma Jr.) At the lake scene, Jack is wearing a tan parka (indicating he still has a connection with Ennis? note the lining is even darker brown) over a muddy-grayish-blue shirt (death). Ennis is in the heavy tan jacket, STILL pulling away. In the dozy embrace, both are wearing heavy jackets. Your guess is as good as mine: maybe a harbinger of their lifelong separation?

Then the pie/Cassie scene. As we've noted, FROM THIS POINT ON, Ennis never wears tan again. Like Jack earlier, he now always always always wears gray, the jacket buttoned almost all the way up over a light shirt. This is why I agree with Penthesilea that Jack literally died around this time and, though still unaware of it, Ennis metaphorically mourns with his clothing.

In the last scene with Alma Jr., Ennis is wearing the gray jacket over a light DENIM shirt. Mourning, but keeping Jack close to his heart.

And when he opens his closet shrine, in addition to the famous shirts there's a blue-plaid shirt hanging from closet pole (and a red-plaid shirt -- not sure why; because both wives sometimes wear red, maybe this indicates Ennis has come to think of himself and Jack as life partners? I can't imagine Ennis actually wearing the red plaid).

What do you think? I may be reaching a bit for some of these, I know. But I'm sure there's something there.


Offline silkncense

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #10 on: May 11, 2006, 08:34:43 pm »
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Jack is wearing (what? black leather jacket

Why would Jack be wearing the dark(black) jacket on his way TO see Ennis when he is happily believing they are going to be together from that point on?

I think there is something to the colors & types of clothing but I am not sure it is specific to every instance...esp since they don't always fit the scenario.  Jack has many different jackets & several different colors including brown.  Also, Ennis has a yellow rainslicker...  Would have to think of other instances.
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Re: Color coordination theories
« Reply #11 on: May 11, 2006, 09:50:23 pm »
This thread of discussion almost reminds me of the "white hat - black hat" discussion.

If the movie followed the short story line and considered the income of both of the lead characters, Ennis would have donned worn out clothing most of the time and well-worn but neat clothing when he was not working and Jack would have worn clothing like ranch boys and men who were of the upper lower income economic level.

Although Jack's folks owned a ranch, they were still almost dirt poor. Even Ang Lee's movie showed that.

In the beginning of the story, Jack, and even after he married Lureen, had a poverty level income. It was not after until his father-in-law died that he had a job with the farm and ranch equipment company. In 1967, Jack was still driving the old green pickup truck he owned in 1963.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #12 on: May 12, 2006, 12:23:09 am »
Why would Jack be wearing the dark(black) jacket on his way TO see Ennis when he is happily believing they are going to be together from that point on?

I think there is something to the colors & types of clothing but I am not sure it is specific to every instance...esp since they don't always fit the scenario.  Jack has many different jackets & several different colors including brown.  Also, Ennis has a yellow rainslicker...  Would have to think of other instances.

Well, the pattern is definitely not without exceptions, Silk. I can think of a few myself. So no, it's not specific to every instance. But there are lots and lots of times when it follows the pattern and only a handful when it doesn't, so I still think there's something there. Why would Ennis always wear blue when Jack's away, and always wear tan when he's with Jack? Not only are tan and blue Ennis and Jack's signature colors, but in this case they also express Ennis' emotions -- blue when he's in Riverton, gazing off into the sky and thinking of Jack, tan when he's with Jack and stubbornly sticking to his earth-bound rules.

Also, I don't mean to imply the characters are aware of it at all, which explains Jack's wearing dark on the way TO see Ennis. He is still hopeful at that point, but Ennis' reaction is already predetermined. Just as Ennis wears a dark-colored jacket for the first time in the movie BEFORE he knows Jack is dead, then wears it when he finds out and the whole rest of the time, Jack wears a dark jacket before he knows Ennis will reject him.

Offline Ellemeno

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #13 on: May 12, 2006, 07:50:38 am »
Why would Ennis always wear blue when Jack's away, and always wear tan when he's with Jack? Not only are tan and blue Ennis and Jack's signature colors, but in this case they also express Ennis' emotions -- blue when he's in Riverton, gazing off into the sky and thinking of Jack, tan when he's with Jack and stubbornly sticking to his earth-bound rules.

Also, I don't mean to imply the characters are aware of it at all, which explains Jack's wearing dark on the way TO see Ennis. He is still hopeful at that point, but Ennis' reaction is already predetermined. Just as Ennis wears a dark-colored jacket for the first time in the movie BEFORE he knows Jack is dead, then wears it when he finds out and the whole rest of the time, Jack wears a dark jacket before he knows Ennis will reject him.


You all are wonderful.  I'm just rolling around in your ideas like a cat in the sun.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #14 on: May 12, 2006, 04:11:58 pm »
OK, I just watched if for the SECOND time in two months (also in two days). Silk, I saw a lot of exceptions to my theory above. There are times when Ennis and Jack wear jackets even though they clearly are growing closer (the "Wha?" scene, the "You may be a sinner" scene). Ennis wears a grayish jacket on one earlier occasion, in the condiment aisle scene. He wears his jean jacket with Jack once, too: the time when Jack suggests that Ennis move to Texas. Jack wears red and other colors of shirts a few times, and although in the first half of the movie he usually wears bright or navy blue, he also sometimes wears a sort of muddy blue that could almost be called gray. In the last scene, Ennis isn't wearing a denim shirt, unfortunately, though it is light blue, almost solid, with a a faint blue plaid pattern. So there are quite a few exceptions.

Still, the vast majority of clothing choices DO match the theory. So I think there's gotta be something there. Unlike buckets or coffee pots, which only have to show up now and then to make their point, Ennis and Jack (almost) always have to be wearing clothes of some kind. Maybe it would look odd if they followed TOO rigid a pattern.

Anyway, everybody can just decide for themselves what they think.

TJ

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Re: Color coordination theories
« Reply #15 on: May 12, 2006, 05:15:02 pm »
Unless a person involved with the movie has put in writing that a particular color coordination agenda was actually used with the movie, all we can do is discuss our own theories about it.

If I still lived in North Hollywood, CA, I might ask someone whom I know would be in show business to find out for me. I did have actor friends in LA and even knew some guys who were executives in Movie Studios.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Color coordination theories
« Reply #16 on: May 12, 2006, 06:09:55 pm »
Unless a person involved with the movie has put in writing that a particular color coordination agenda was actually used with the movie, all we can do is discuss our own theories about it.

Absolutely right, TJ.

Offline silkncense

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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #17 on: May 15, 2006, 09:19:57 am »
Quote
Unless a person involved with the movie has put in writing that a particular color coordination agenda was actually used with the movie, all we can do is discuss our own theories about it.

Which IS the joy and interest in any piece of art.  Thankfully, there are still writers, directors and artists that don't find it necessary to spell out everything & treat their audience as unintelligent and/or unimaginative.
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Re: Color coordination
« Reply #18 on: May 15, 2006, 07:47:54 pm »
I am actually a professionally trained artist: that's why I was qualified to teach art classes in public schools.

In my art works, I have made realistic pictures of various types were everything as based on what I actually saw and people who had seen the same thing would know that it was a very close representation. I have created abstract art in which one or more things might be recognized in the picture but, those things were stylized representations of the real thing and did not even look like the real thing.

I have created non-objective art works, which people mistakenly call "abstract art," and there were just things I was playing around with for the fun of it or had a purpose as a gift for a friend. There were no real things in the non-object works and I just enjoyed making them. Sometimes, I might use some kind of color coordination and/or light vs. dark in those works which were related to what I had learned in color theory and design classes.

I have worked on stage play sets where everything had a special purpose and place because the script required it.

But, when I designed the stage sets for the Junior Class Play I directed when I was full-time teacher in the early 1970s, I made some modifications in some of what was suggested or written in the director's script for the play. The stage was not a full-sized one and some of the set backgrounds needed to look like there was depth to them. The name of that particular production was "Get Smart" and it was actually written by the same people who created the TV comedy series of the same name.

And in the early 1990s, I attended a taping of "Diff'rent Strokes" at Universal Studios Hollywood and I also saw how some of the rooms which appeared to be full size rooms on the TV screen were actually small set sections, too.