Portrait of a Lady on Fire: how colour schemes can shape a film

A masterclass on how to intentionally utilise colour.

On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obligated to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman. (IMDB)

2019 – 15 – 2h 2m

Director: Céline Sciamma

Writer: Céline Sciamma

Starring: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami

Artist Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned to paint a portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) by her mother, who intends to send it to a nobleman to marry her off. Marianna must do this in secret, under the façade of being a companion for her, as Héloïse refuses to be painted. Eventually, she finishes and shows Héloïse, who is horrified that this is how Marianne perceives her, so Marianne destroys the painting and asks for a week’s extension, which her mother grants. Through this week, they begin to fall in love, a beautiful display of the female gaze, passion, and where the artist becomes the muse.

“Do all lovers feel they’re inventing something?”

The visually stunning piece utilises a thoughtful colour palate which allow insight into the characters. Even if the audience is unaware of colour theory and the conscious decisions made for the dress codes, they will subconsciously understand the producer’s intention, and studying it deeply allows a renewed understanding of the complexity of the film.

The two protagonists wear the same dress on their walks. Marianne’s is red while Héloïse’s is blue, illustrating the rift between the two characters as strangers and also their importance due to being two primary colours. It is equally reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, whereby the Capulets and Montagues are differentiated using red and blue costumes. Héloïse’s blue immediately connotes the deep sadness she feels at being forced into a marriage due to societal expectations, and her mother is also seen in a blue dress which highlights the fact that Héloïse must follow her instructions. Red is a warm colour, which carries connotations of the passion Marianne has for her life, and the love she possesses which she ultimately gives to Héloïse.

When we are first introduced to Marianne, she is an art teacher and wears a blue dress. This scene takes place chronologically after the film’s events, and so the blue is significant as it again connotes the sadness, now which Marianne feels reflecting on her experiences, but more importantly it evidences the fact that she has never stopped thinking about Héloïse and will forever be emotionally close to her, despite their now physical distance.

Once Héloïse decides to pose for her portrait, she is seen clothed in green. Green typically conveys growth and renewal, mirroring Héloïse’s growth as a character and her decision to be painted, which will ultimately lead to her fate. Marianne continues to wear red in these scenes, and red and green are complimentary due to being opposite on the colour wheel, which demonstrates their compatibility as characters and their newfound emotions for one another. The binary opposition creates makes the colours more intense, imitating their intense passion and how their true feelings are coming to light. This intensity is powerful further in their final visit to the beach, as they know their time together will soon be ending and the likelihood of them meeting again is incredibly slim.

During their final night, they both wear white. This signifies the purity of their romance as there are no lies between them, simply the affection they share. They finally share the same colour, and it is white. The fact that this is not a “real” colour exemplifies how their relationship, while their feelings are incredibly real, cannot truly be a real one outside the confinements of the week they spend together. White is commonly associated with weddings, seen when the Marianne turns a final time and witnesses Héloïse in her almost ethereal wedding dress, but is also linked in Eastern cultures to death and mourning. Their final night together, they mourn the inevitable death of their relationship and Héloïse’s arguable death through being married off.

Overall, colour has been utilised, seemingly effortlessly, by Sciamma to clearly convey the narrative to the audience. What may seem to the untrained eye to be a random pick of dress is in actuality an intricate design which progresses the narrative further than any words could ever convey. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is one of my favourite films and has not left my mind since I first watched it, and there are so many things I could say about this film!

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~ Grace