The Poetics of Costume and Color in Cinema: Visual Dramaturgy in the "Mood For Love" And "Hero"
The Poetics of Costume and Color in Cinema: Visual Dramaturgy in the "Mood For Love" And "Hero"
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51473/rcmos.v1i2.2025.1403Keywords:
Costume design; Color; visual dramaturgy; Mise-en-scène; Cinema.Abstract
This article discusses the role of costume design and color use in cinema as narrative and symbolic devices. Through an analysis of Wong Kar-Wai’s in the Mood for Love (2000) and Zhang Yimou’s Hero (2002), it examines how clothing and chromatic palettes exceed mere aesthetics, functioning as extensions of desire, repression, and spiritual transformation. Drawing upon theories of mise-en-scène and film semiotics (Barthes, Xavier, Bordwell), the study highlights how costumes and colors shape visual dramaturgy, creating atmospheres that embody inner conflicts and emotional intensity.
Downloads
References
BARTHES, Roland. O sistema da moda. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2004.
BAZIN, André. O que é o cinema? São Paulo: Cosac Naify, 2014.
BORDWELL, David; THOMPSON, Kristin. Film art: an introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997.
HIGSON, Andrew. English heritage, English cinema: costume drama since 1980. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198182931.001.0001
MONACO, James. Como ver um filme. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 2009.
SOBCHACK, Vivian. Screening space: the American science fiction film. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1999.
XAVIER, Ismail. O discurso cinematográfico: a opacidade e a transparência. 3. ed. São Paulo: Paz e Terra, 2005.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Alexandra Castro Conceição (Autor)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means you are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
The use of this material is conditioned upon proper attribution to the original author(s), providing a link to the license, and indicating if changes were made. The license does not require permission from the author or the publisher as long as these conditions are met.
The Creative Commons license logo is displayed permanently in the footer of the journal.
The copyright of the manuscript can be retained by the authors without restrictions and can be requested at any time, even after publication in the journal.
