The Color Red in Rebel (Revised) Final Paper

Colors in film can be used to represent many things. In Nicholas Ray’s film “Rebel Without a Cause,” he uses the color red to signify sex, violence, hidden desires, and growing up. Following more specifically the relationship between Buzz and Jim, red is used to show the characters true feelings, and the desire to be adults. Violence and sex are sometimes combined and are used as stages that must be passed to reach being an adult.



The first scene including Jims and Buzz is at the Observatory. Right after the speaker points out Cancer; Buzz leans over Judy to pinch his friends nose, saying he is a crab. Seeing Buzz poke fun at the presentation, Jim wants to make his impression. So when the speaker talks about the consolation of Taurus, Jim makes a loud moo. Buzz recognizes Jims’ attempt at attention, and feels threatened. To show that Judy belongs to him, and to put Jim back in his place, Buzz puts his arm around Judy. Just as he lifts up his arm, from the inside of his jacket, there is a little flash of red. The flash represents Buzz’s violent response to Jim taking some attention away, as well as his sexual response; protect his girl from a possible predator. He also sees something he likes in Jim, and is attracted to him. He is someone Buzz could be friends with, and hang out with, but before he can accept him, he has to test him. Although the flash of the inside of the jacket is very brief, it’s noticeable and offers a glimpse into the characters true feelings. Throughout the rest of the film red pops up in little glimpses, and when followed throughout the story, it can tell the real story in the film.



After they are done in the Observatory, Jim goes to leave in his car, and he finds Buzz with his posse. They surround Jim’s car and Buzz goes towards the front tire. He pulls out a switchblade, and goes down to slash the tire. As he goes down, he pauses and looks up at Jim. As he looks up, once again there is a flash of red from the inside of Buzz’s jacket. This is a perfect example of how violence and sexuality are combined by the color red. Buzz is going to slash Jim’s tires, a very violent act. At the same time, the knife can be seen as a very phallic item and an extension of Buzz’s sexuality, Buzz wants to penetrate Jim, and substitutes that by penetrating the tire with his knife. He wants to impress Jim. He likes Jim and wants Jim to like him. Buzz is getting excited by the combination of violence and sexuality, and wants Jim to get excited. Once again the flash of red is very brief, but it says so much as to what is really going on with the characters. Every time the inside of Buzz’s jacket is shown, it’s a result of something to do with Jim. This is a visual clue to a deeper, unspoken bond between Jim and Buzz.



As Buzz states later in the film at the Chickie run, “We gotta do something.” He cannot just let Jim into his group. There must be an initiation. The first test to see if Jim is worthy is the duel between Jim and Buzz. Buzz already has his knife out, and gets another one for Jim to use. The idea is to poke at the other person causing small cuts. They stab at each other, and as they go through the motions, it very much resembles a bullfight. Buzz is going around and spinning, acting like a matador with Jim being the bull; causing his coat to fly up and throughout the entire fight his coat keeps flashing red. Now, besides just the red of the coat, the viewer can visually see how excited Buzz is getting. He is feeding his desire for violence and sex in the same motion. He is also feeding his desire to interact with Jim. If this works out, they can be friends, and Buzz can openly like Jim. The act of stabbing Jim is a replacement for sex, because once again Buzz uses his knife as an extension of himself, to penetrate Jim, this time actually penetrating his skin. With each stab a little more red appears on Jim’s shirt. Now the red that had previously been a hint of a connection between the two, is visually and physically connected to both characters.



If there was any question thus far that Buzz and Jim have an unconscious desire for each other, there is a brief moment at the end of the duel that makes it quite obvious. Jim knocks Buzz’s knife away and pins him against the ledge. It looks as though they are about to kiss and Jim is on top of Buzz. It is a very sexual position, and at the same time violent because Jim has his knife to Buzz’s throat. Jim even says at this point, “Are you satisfied or do you want some more?” As Jim has Buzz pinned, for the first time Buzz’s coat is held wide open, with the red sitting there in the open. The red in the shot and the position they are in visually connects buzz and Jim. With Jim being on top of him, Buzz’s sexuality is in the open, and for a brief moment he is exposed. Jim backs off throwing his knife down, and Buzz decides to do the Chickie run. One more test to see if he can let Jim in. It’s not quite ok to show people that he likes Jim.

As Jim sits at his home preparing for the Chickie run, he turns to his father for direction and answers. His dad being confused with his sexuality; finds a way to avoid answering Jim’s tough questions. Throughout most of the film Jim’s dad is portrayed more as a mother figure. Jim is searching for a father figure to take after and help him into adulthood. The only father figure Jim has to take after is Ray. Ray is strong, willing to fight when he needs to, but at the same time is caring, and will answer the tough questions. It’s interesting to point out that during the scene in Ray’s office, there isn’t any red. Ray has gotten through the violent and sex stages in his life. He doesn’t need red to represent any struggles he is having. The absence of the color red speaks volumes to the type of person Ray is, and the type of person Jim wants to be, a caring, but strong man.



Since his father won’t answer Jim’s questions about what to do, Jim is forced to take matters into his own hands. He has a completely red jacket that he fights putting on during the entire scene at his house. At one point he even throws it down the stairs. Jim isn’t ready to make adult decisions. The red coat represents Jim’s transition into adulthood. He isn’t ready to answer his own questions, so he turns to the only person he has, his father. His father refuses to answer his questions straight, so he gives his father one more chance to answer his questions about what a man would do. When he doesn’t get the answer he wants, he finally puts on the jacket and goes to the Chickie run. From this point on in the film, Jim makes his own choices and accepts his adult role.



When Jim gets to the Chickie run, he is the only one wearing red, aside from the inside of Buzz’s coat. Once again they visually connected. They are the two that have desires for each other, and must express their sexual desires in a violent act, crashing cars. When Jim and Buzz go off to get their cars, Buzz even tells Jim, “I like you.” This confirms the clues the color red has been giving the viewer so far in the film. At this point, Buzz seems to be ready to hand off his power to Jim. It’s almost like the red jacket proves Jim is a stronger person, and deserves to be the leader. The inside of Buzz’s coat is red, meaning it is hidden and only shown in flashes of how he really feels. Jim’s coat is pure red, and right in the open, letting everyone know how he feels.





The two then start the Chickie run. When the time comes for the two to jump out of the vehicles, Buzz gets stuck, but Jim makes it out. In a really interesting camera angle, Jim jumps out of the car and rolls directly towards the camera. With his red jacket, it seems to be screaming at the viewer, “Look at me, I am in charge!” Just like that the viewer knows that Jim is now the main focus. A few seconds later, we see Buzz’s car fly off the cliff, and explode in a flash of red, very similar to the red explosion of Jim’s jacket. The only difference being that this is the end of Buzz. Buzz’s purpose has been served. He was the object of the combination of Jim’s sexual and violent desires. Just as Jim has moved on from that stage in his life, the person in that stage, Buzz, is gone. Jim can now continue his journey to become an adult.

The next step in Jim’s journey occurs at the Observatory. Jim knows how he needs to be, and what he needs to do. He no longer needs his red jacket to speak for him. As we arrive at the Observatory, Plato is hiding. To get him out Jim gives him his red jacket. Jim understands what he is now, and what he needs to do. He doesn’t need the jacket anymore. Plato is the one that needs the attention and help. Once again the red jacket represents sex, violence, and attention. It represents a transition stage that Jim has passed. Jim is acting as Plato’s dad and caring for him. He is giving him what he needs to make it through his struggles. He is being the figure that he himself had been missing when he needed it.





When Jim convinces Plato to come outside and end everything, we cut to an image of the police lights coming on. There is a bright red light that takes up almost half the screen. All of a sudden the sudden burst of red gives sense of danger and violence. Something big is going to happen. Plato comes out, freaks out, and ends up getting shot. As the paramedics come on to take away Plato’s body, Jim zips up the jacket, and Judy puts his shoe back on, covering up the red sock again. The red jacket now acting as a body bag for Plato, it represents uncontrollable violence, and the struggle to grow up. Plato wasn’t ready to take responsibility, and him being so uncomfortable in the red jacket gets him killed.



Perhaps the most meaningful use of the color red in the film is actually the absence of the color. The shot I am talking about is when Jim’s dad puts his jacket around Jim and Judy as they are hugging. Without the color red drawing attention to something on the screen, it really draws attention to the action of Jim’s dad. He is finally there for his son. He even states, “Let’s stand up, I’ll stand up with you.” Jim has been trying to get his dad to do this the entire film. This is how things were meant to be, with Jim’s dad being the father figure Jim has been looking for the entire time. Just like Ray, there is no need for the color red anymore. Jim doesn’t need to wear the red jacket anymore. Jim’s search is over, as evident by the absence of red, and Plato leaving with the red jacket. Jim’s dad realizes the man he needs to be, and is now there to help his son, even with the difficult questions.

Red is a very important color in “Rebel Without a Cause.” It shows the true relationship between Buzz and Jim. It shows the struggle Jim is having becoming an adult and the transition period. Red is used to represent the combination of sex and violence, and show how closely they are related. The use of red is just as important as the action in “Rebel Without a Cause,” and may be even more important. It shows the real story that is going on, the struggle of Jim into adulthood.

The Color Red

Colors have always been a part of film. They can be used to represent many different things and ever say things the characters cannot. This couldn’t be more evident in Nicholas Ray’s film “Rebel Without a Cause.” The most significant color in this film is the color red. Red is used to signify sex, and violence, and at the same time connecting certain characters to a deeper bond. Besides the usual representations of red in films, red is also used to show power and responsibility. Red is used throughout the film to show the true feelings of the characters.



The first use of red in “Rebel” is right away from the beginning. The entire credit sequence is in a bright red, practically yelling to the audience to pay attention. If there was any doubt that this film was going to be boring or not worth viewing, the feeling is immediately lost when the overpowering amount of red on the screen attacks the viewer’s visual sense. The attention the title sequence demands directly correlates to the next use of red in the film. This happens during the scene in the police station. Judy’s outfit is an entirely red outfit, and she clearly stands out in the crowd. There isn’t another person that is even wearing red, so she demands even more attention. Just like the credit sequence, Judy’s outfit practically screams at the viewer to “Look at me!” When she talks to Ray the viewer finds out that her father hasn’t been paying attention to her, and he even tries to wipe off her lipstick. The viewers feelings about why she is dressed the way she is, is justified. She didn’t even need to tell us that she is craving attention; the use of red on her outfit pounds that idea into our head. Ray even asks her if she was walking around looking for company. Judy’s cry for sexual attention is also called out at this moment. She is looking for attention from her father that she isn’t getting, so she will need to fill that need with someone else.






The next time red is used happens to be very subtle, yet at the same time used to yell. At the Observatory right after James does his loud moo, everyone looks back at him, and Buzz feeling threatened puts his arm around Judy. When he lifts his arm up to put it around her, there is a little flash of red from the inside of his jacket. Buzz feels threatened by James and that he could take Judy away from him, but at the same time he feels attracted to James, and he could be someone Buzz would want to hang out with. It works out perfectly that the inside of Buzz’s coat is red because when the red is seen, its in little flashes, like we are getting little glimpses of what Buzz is feeling on the inside. The same thing occurs outside the Observatory when Buzz goes down to put a hole in Jim’s tire. As he goes down a small glimpse of the red is shown again. He knows Jim is watching him do this, and this gets him excited. He is trying to show off and look tough. Buzz’s sexuality and need for violence are simultaneously shown in one shot. He needs to cut something because it gets him excited. He is attracted to Jim, as he states later in the film he likes Jim, and when asked why they need to do a chickie run, he says, “We gotta do something.” Buzz would like to just be friends with Jim, but he can’t just let the new guy in, they need to initiate him first. The first test comes when Jim goes down to change his tire. Buzz gives him a knife and they have a duel. They stab at each other and it very much resembles a bullfight. Throughout the fight Buzz is spinning and he coat continually flashes the red and the viewer can see how happy this is making him. He is one on one with Jim, as well as feeding his need for violence. Right at the end of the fight it couldn’t be more obvious the characters desire for each other. Jim has knocked away Buzz’s knife, and pins him against the ledge. Buzz’s coat is hanging open and the red is staying right there for the viewer to see. The position looks very sexual, and Jim even asks, “Are you satisfied or do you want some more?” In this use the color red is unifying Jim and Buzz’s relationship. They are connected by a deeper desire and similar wants.



As Jim prepares for the Chickie fight and tries to find answers from his father, he fights putting on his red coat. This red coat signifies being an adult and having responsibility. Before he puts it on he keeps pressing his dad for the answers he is looking for. He dad continually avoids answering the questions and taking responsibility, causing Jim to get more upset and to eventually put the jacket on, and take matters into his own hands. At one point he even throws the jacket down, showing how hard this is for him, and he doesn’t want to start taking responsibility, even thought he has no other choice. Throughout the film Jim is looking for a father figure to take after, and since his dad can’t be that figure, he tries to take after Ray. Ray is the only one in the film that gives Jim someone that is strong, but at the same time caring and will do the right thing. After Jim puts the jacket on, he is stronger, and tries to take charge throughout the rest of the film.




At the Chickie run, Jim is the only one wearing red, aside from Judy’s shoes, and the inside of Buzz’s coat. Once again these three characters are connected by the color red. They have a deeper connection with each other besides the one being shown on screen. Like the beginning of the film with Judy’s all red outfit, Jim’s jacket seems to be screaming, “Look at me!” When he jumps out of his car he rolls right towards the camera and for a second the screen explodes with red. Then, a few seconds later, when Buzz gets stuck in his car, it literally explodes in a fireball of red. Buzz has served his purpose in the film, now it’s all about Jim, once again shown by his bright red jacket.




The next time red shows up in the film is when Jim, Judy, and Plato are at the mansion. Jim and Judy find that Plato has one blue sock on, and one red. Throughout the film Plato hasn’t belonged, and hasn’t fit in with really anyone. He also doesn’t have his parents. He tries to make Jim and Judy fill that role for him. The one red sock is his attempt to fit in, to find a connection with Jim and Judy. Yes they accept him and try to be his friend, but I don’t think that he ever is really connected with them. Once he falls asleep at the mansion, Jim and Judy leave to be alone. They escape to be alone together. As they lay down together, all of a sudden it seems Judy’s lips get redder and redder the closer they get. As she has been looking for the entire film, she has found the attention she looking for. She has found someone she loves, a man that is, “Gentle and sweet, and won’t run away when you need them.” Jim has accepted taking responsibility for his actions, and being the man in charge, which is exactly what Judy was looking for. Their connection by the color red throughout the film has been foreshadowing their ending up together, and their deeper understanding of each other.




From this point on in the film, Jim knows how he needs to be, and what he needs to do. He no longer needs his red jacket to speak for him. As we go to the Observatory again, Plato is hiding. To get him out Jim gives him his red jacket. Jim understands what he is now, and what he needs to do. He doesn’t need the jacket anymore. Plato is the one that needs the attention and help. Once again the red jacket represents responsibility and being an adult. Jim is acting as Plato’s dad and caring for him. He is giving him what he needs to make it through his struggles. When Jim convinces Plato to come outside and end everything, we cut to an image of the police lights coming on. There is a bright red light that takes up almost half the screen. All of a sudden the sudden burst of red gives sense of danger and violence. Something big is going to happen. Plato comes out, freaks out, and ends up getting shot. As the paramedics come on to take away Plato’s body, Jim zips up the jacket, and Judy puts his shoe back on, covering up the red sock again. The red jacket now acting as a body bag for Plato, it represents uncontrollable violence, and the struggle to grow up. Plato wasn’t ready to take responsibility, and him being so uncomfortable in the red jacket gets him killed.



Perhaps the most meaningful use of the color red in the film is actually the absence of the color. The shot I am talking about is when Jim’s dad puts his jacket around Jim and Judy as they are hugging. Without the color red drawing attention to something on the screen, it really draws attention to the action of Jim’s dad. He is finally there for his son. He even states, “Let’s stand up, I’ll stand up with you.” Jim has been trying to get his dad to do this the entire film. This is how things were meant to be, with Jim’s dad being the father figure Jim has been looking for the entire time. Jim doesn’t need to wear the red jacket anymore. Jim’s search is over, as evident by the absence of red, and Plato leaving with the red jacket.

The final shot in “Rebel Without a Cause” is a slow zoom out of the doors of the Observatory. The words “The End” come on the screen in the same big, bright writing as the beginning credits. They act as bookends to a story of sex, violence, responsibility, and growing up. The color red is used throughout the film to represent all of these themes. It connects the central characters and says what they cannot. Colors in this film are just are just as important as the action because they show the deeper meaning, and show what’s really going on.

Visual Essay #1

In the film Taxi Driver, there is one reoccurring shot that signifies quite a bit in the film. The direct overhead shot of the action is used throughout the film, and always when an important event is happening. When thinking of who is looking to cause this type of shot, it is a combination of the viewer’s point of view, as well as a higher powers point of view. That is not to say that we are watching the film with God, just that a higher power means that there is a certain way that things need to happen, everything happens for a reason. There are three main uses of this shot in the film that track Travis’s state of mind at each point in the film. In each instance it is clear that each event builds on one another and causes Travis a great change in who he is. The film is a great visual representation of Travis’s journey to be a Christ figure and change the world for the better.


The first image is right away in the beginning, and it’s an above shot of the cab dispatcher’s desk as Travis gets his paperwork he needs to fill out. The first thing noticeable about this shot is that it appears to be Travis’s point of view, but it is directly about the desk, and impossible to be his point of view with the big angle difference. This shot is significant because Travis is getting his job as a cabbie, and this job is what causes all of the following events in the film to occur. Without this job, Travis remains a lonely man with no real purpose in life. He would continue to spend his days going to porn theaters and riding the subways at night. In beginning his search for meaning in his life, getting the taxi job is really the start of him finding his purpose. The directly above shot is too extreme to be ignored and just passed by as a way to view the scene. It stands out and practically screams at the viewer that the following event is very important to the film. At this point in the film, Travis is only thinking about himself, he is getting this job to give him something to do during the nights he can’t sleep, and giving him extra money. When he first goes for the job, the only person he is worried about is himself.


The second instance of the direct overhead shot is when Travis meets with Easy Andy to buy his guns. By this point in the film Travis has been driving his cab for some time now, and has a very good grasp of the scum in the city that needs to be cleaned up. Betsy has rejected him, and that was really the event that caused him to stop trying to have what society views as a “normal” life. He had his run in with Martin Scorsese’s character. During that scene judging by Travis’s facial expressions he had never really thought to take matters into his own hands, and do his part to clear the streets. Before then when he had Palantine in his cab, he told him that someone needed to clean up the streets. This is the point where Travis begins to realize that he is the one that needs to clean up the streets. Then the most important event that had transpired was that he saw Iris again. He hadn’t forgotten about her because he still kept the twenty-dollar bill Sport gave him, but he hadn’t thought about her since their first run in. Now since he has decided to take matters into his own hands, she is going to be the ticket to doing the right thing. The overhead shot of the guns, immediately reminded me of the shot of the desk, and the sense that we were watching this scene from the eyes of a higher power. Travis is taking the next step in his plotted out life plan. He is getting the means to take care of his business. Without the guns he will be unable to clean up the streets. Gilberto Perez’s article Toward a Rhetoric of Film: Identification and the Spectator says a lot about how this shot makes the viewer feel. “One way of putting the difference would be to say that we identify ourselves with the young man in Nosferatu, whereas the young man in Vampyr is identified with us.” (64) I know that this is talking about different films, but the same is true with Taxi Driver. The viewer isn’t identified with Travis, he is too different and alienated to be a true hero, but rather he is identified with the viewer. He is being shown to the viewer as doing the right thing. What Travis is doing, even though it is technically murder, it is what needs to be done. Travis is being made an example of, and this is the point in the film when I get the sense that there is a God watching, and Travis is the Christ figure. Now Travis’s reasons have changed. Instead of only thinking of himself, he buys the guns for himself, but for him to do something greater. He is buying the guns to do his part in cleaning up the streets and getting rid of the scum that makes him so sick and disgusted. Travis has taken the next step in his transformation.


The third example of the direct overhead shot signifying an important point in Travis’s journey is right before he goes to assassinate Palantine. It is of the envelope containing money he leaves to Iris. This is his last deed he needs to take care of before he can fulfill his duty and purpose. By leaving Iris the money he is giving her a chance at having a normal life that he himself was never able to have. He is giving her a chance to get out of the city that he hates. He is giving all he has to Iris because he is fully expecting to not come out of what he is about to do. His journey as Christ is almost complete. All that is left is that he needs to give his life for his cause. Even though he goes to apparently try to assassinate Palantine first, the way he runs away and doesn’t give that much effort to actually kill him, I think that he really wanted to kill Sport the entire time. Palantine is talking about reaching a turning point, a crossroads, and it is time to take matter into their own hands. Travis doesn’t make his move towards Palantine until he says that it is time for the people to rule. I think Travis just decides then to kill Palantine and be an example of the people ruling. When the guy spots Travis he gives up on his quick plan and goes back to his original, to kill sport and give Iris no other choice but to retreat to a better life. The shot of the money connects it to the first two, and that Travis’s only function is to carry out his purpose. This also shows Travis’s full circle in terms of his reasons. First he only thought of himself, next he thought of other people and a greater good, but still had some selfish reasons for his actions. This time he is thinking solely of Iris, and helping her out. The only thing Travis will gain from this is presumably death.

Travis’s only purpose to give Iris the life he is unable to have relates a lot to The Searchers and Ethan’s only purpose to give Martin the life he was unable to have. Travis is portrayed as a modern day cowboy, willing to do anything to help another person. The difference between the two is that Travis was expecting to die to fulfill his purpose. More than a cowboy Travis is portrayed as a Christ figure. Travis has no other purpose besides doing his part to clean up the streets. Throughout the film even though he is hard to relate to, Travis is portrayed as doing the right thing, and the viewer is supposed to recognize that. Three overhead shots of certain events in the film signal turning points in Travis’s life even through the other overhead shots in the film represent a higher power watching down on Travis with the viewer. The three shots also document Travis’s changes in state of mind. In the beginning he did things just to gain from them himself. He didn’t think of anyone else and no one else mattered to him. Next he still thought of himself and that had a great deal to do with decisions, but now he was considering other people, and wanting to do something to help other people out. Finally as Travis has come completely around as a person, he only thinks of other people and wanting to give literally everything his has to help another person out and give them a better life.

Since Travis has not died, and he continues his journey, it is assumed that he will continue on his path until his mission is fully completed. That mission is to completely clean up the streets, and be a harsh rain that washes away all the filth of the city. The slight glitch in the end signifies that the whole process will repeat itself, but judging by Travis’s character changes from the first set of events, it will happen again, just in a different way. He will find someone to help and give them a better life, but this time he will not let another person get in the way of things or distract him. Even thought Betsy appeared to be better than everyone else, she was just like everyone else, and Travis won’t let those distractions get in the way. Taxi Driver is a documentation of a man’s journey to be Christ-like, and Travis has succeeded in that regard, and will continue to do what is right.