Color Symbolism In "Sorry To Bother You"
I knew as soon as we started watching it that I would love this film. I paid extra attention to detail because I knew that I would love it. Here is what I came up with: the film has strong color symbolism from the very beginning.
Primarily the colors I noticed in the film were yellow and blue. Both colors were used copiously and appear in almost every single shot (I think). Generally I noticed that blue was used in settings or worn by people who care about labor unions, or are part of the proletariat, etc. Therefore blue, I think, symbolizes the working class. Cassius's computer at work is blue, the union members all wear blue, and the walls of the Regalview telemarketing office are blue. In contrast, yellow is often used to represent capitalism, luxury, or elitism. The most striking example of this is the power caller elevator, which is a brilliant gold on the inside. Additionally, Steven Lift's house is full of yellow and gold light in the background. (I am at a loss for more examples - did you notice any?)
What's more telling is how these colors interact with each other in the film. The gold is often what some character (Cassius usually) is trying to obtain, and the blue is what surrounds the character. One of the best examples of this is towards the beginning of Cassius's time working at Regalview, when he walks in and sees the brilliantly lit gold elevator. He is mesmerized by the yellow, but knows he has to take the blue stairs. Also, one of the first shots in the film is of the Regalview cubicles, in an eerie blue light, with golden yellow light pouring from the office of the manager in the back, where Cassius is sitting. The yellow is associated with status in both of these cases, though blue surrounds it. The golden light is always the money and power Cassius is reaching for, and the blue are his circumstances (there are a few shots of him with a blue background, either it's the sky or some blue light, with a bright golden sunset or an amber lamp. The golden is usually the accent, while the blue is the canvas.)
So why do we care? The colors show us that Cassius is torn. Cassius's name is Cassius Green - Green is the combination of yellow and blue. I think this is intentional, as if to say Cassius cannot choose between two lives - either live with integrity and cause his uncle to lose his house, or become rich selling slave labor.
I don't think that this color symbolism is set in stone necessarily, or I'm missing some portions of it. There are times when both colors are used in a setting which makes it hard to decode their meaning - like the blue and yellow uniforms the WorryFree workers wear or the yellow interior of the restaurant that Cassius visits towards the end of the film, where Squeeze and Mr. Blank are eating. I also think that red and orange are colors strongly associated with Detroit, possibly symbolizing radicalism. This would make sense in the second to last scene when Cassius becomes an Equisapien - he wears red pants, maybe as a subconscious hint that he will become more radical soon.
While I think there are a lot of intentional color choices made in the film, I am also the queen of reading into things too much. None of it could have meaning. Some of it could have meaning. I think in a story as full of symbolism and meaning and hints as Sorry To Bother You, some of it has to mean something.
What do you think? Am I being too attentive? Am I missing something?
Primarily the colors I noticed in the film were yellow and blue. Both colors were used copiously and appear in almost every single shot (I think). Generally I noticed that blue was used in settings or worn by people who care about labor unions, or are part of the proletariat, etc. Therefore blue, I think, symbolizes the working class. Cassius's computer at work is blue, the union members all wear blue, and the walls of the Regalview telemarketing office are blue. In contrast, yellow is often used to represent capitalism, luxury, or elitism. The most striking example of this is the power caller elevator, which is a brilliant gold on the inside. Additionally, Steven Lift's house is full of yellow and gold light in the background. (I am at a loss for more examples - did you notice any?)
What's more telling is how these colors interact with each other in the film. The gold is often what some character (Cassius usually) is trying to obtain, and the blue is what surrounds the character. One of the best examples of this is towards the beginning of Cassius's time working at Regalview, when he walks in and sees the brilliantly lit gold elevator. He is mesmerized by the yellow, but knows he has to take the blue stairs. Also, one of the first shots in the film is of the Regalview cubicles, in an eerie blue light, with golden yellow light pouring from the office of the manager in the back, where Cassius is sitting. The yellow is associated with status in both of these cases, though blue surrounds it. The golden light is always the money and power Cassius is reaching for, and the blue are his circumstances (there are a few shots of him with a blue background, either it's the sky or some blue light, with a bright golden sunset or an amber lamp. The golden is usually the accent, while the blue is the canvas.)
So why do we care? The colors show us that Cassius is torn. Cassius's name is Cassius Green - Green is the combination of yellow and blue. I think this is intentional, as if to say Cassius cannot choose between two lives - either live with integrity and cause his uncle to lose his house, or become rich selling slave labor.
I don't think that this color symbolism is set in stone necessarily, or I'm missing some portions of it. There are times when both colors are used in a setting which makes it hard to decode their meaning - like the blue and yellow uniforms the WorryFree workers wear or the yellow interior of the restaurant that Cassius visits towards the end of the film, where Squeeze and Mr. Blank are eating. I also think that red and orange are colors strongly associated with Detroit, possibly symbolizing radicalism. This would make sense in the second to last scene when Cassius becomes an Equisapien - he wears red pants, maybe as a subconscious hint that he will become more radical soon.
While I think there are a lot of intentional color choices made in the film, I am also the queen of reading into things too much. None of it could have meaning. Some of it could have meaning. I think in a story as full of symbolism and meaning and hints as Sorry To Bother You, some of it has to mean something.
What do you think? Am I being too attentive? Am I missing something?
This is surprisingly in depth, and when I think about it again I can see all your examples that you mention. I don't think you're being too attentive, its these kinds of theme connections with symbolism that people creating films like to use often. Its more rewarding for them to have people who notice them, since they put quite a bit of effort into the direction. The color themes specifically make a lot of sense, since yellow/gold has always been symbols of wealth throughout human history, and "blue-collar workers" is a term that refers to those in low class working jobs, so the two symbols are in line with normal human perception.
ReplyDeleteI had never really thought about this. When I think back on it I can see all the examples that you mention and it totally makes sense. I don't think you're being overly attentive, these kinds of hidden messages often appear in movies.The color themes specifically make a lot of sense, since yellow/gold has always been symbols of wealth throughout human history, and "blue-collar workers" often refers to those in lower working class jobs and often goes hand in hand with labor organization, so these symbolic colors make a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteWow, I normally don't look at the colors in a movie, but when you have a main character with a color for a last name maybe you pay more attention to it. The way that class is separated in this film is so multi-dimensional.
ReplyDeleteCool post! The colors do seem very important.The color themes of the golden doors and "Cash is green" are both references to the capitalist system that the characters inhabit, and that they ultimately seek to overthrow. I feel like its definitely a fair comparison to make between the colors and organization/big buisness.
ReplyDeleteWhoah! Awesome post, I learned so much just reading through it! Another color I noticed a lot of was purple – it’s the color of the movie poster, the color of the bar/nightclub that Cassius goes to, and a lot of the lighting in general throughout the film was purple. In addition, Lift was often illuminated in purple, and his home had some purple walls and accent. I googled some meanings of the color purple, and some relevant ones seem to be ambition, power, wealth, and independence.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! Thanks for writing it, it makes a lot of sense. Now that I think about it, I can remember the blue for the strike and all the gold in the elite areas but I never would have noticed it on my own. It makes sense that red is a radical color since it's associated with communism and it's cool that Cassius wears red pants in the end.
ReplyDeleteI wrote my Beloved essay about how Baby Suggs retreats to her room to think about color and the two she focused on were blue and yellow so I immediately thought about that but I can't think of any way to relate it to Sorry to Bother You. I think in Beloved the two colors are cheerful and I associated them with something like a bright sunny day.
I definitely did not pay anywhere near as much attention to the colors in film but I think that you are definitely correct in thinking the colors mean something. I especially like how you point out that Cassius' last name is a combination of the colors of either side and I think we see his struggle with making the right choice throughout.
ReplyDeleteDamn Xanth, you dug deep! I think it's important to pay attention to the visual elements of film, or they wouldn't be there. One thing I'm still wondering about is the color of his and Detroit's apartment: does white mean they live in a neutral space? Or a space of indecision?
ReplyDelete