Red and Blue (1968)

Red and Blue Poster

Musical short, filmed for the abandoned portmanteau film Red, White and Zero (1967).

Film Overview
"Red and Blue" is an avant-garde, short movie launched in 1968 in the United Kingdom. Directed by the much-acclaimed artist and filmmaker, Derek Jarman, the film is a nine-minute abstract collection of images, providing audiences with an interesting kaleidoscope of color and movement. The movie is mainly set to music, with little dialogue and doesn't follow a standard narrative structure, which would define much of Jarman's later work. The film uses the colors red and blue as prominent themes, exploring their symbolism in a wide variety of scenarios and feelings.

Visual Experimentation
Throughout the movie, the director artistically uses numerous film processing strategies like coloring, superimposition, and off-speed shooting to control the image, developing an enhanced visual richness. The major style is the expedition of dualities, highlighted by the dichotomy between the colors red and blue, signifying heat and cold, anger and calm, love and melancholy.

Music and Sound
The music for "Red and Blue" was supplied by a simultaneous band, "The Soft Machine". Their speculative design of music perfectly matches the striking visuals in the movie. The music integrates elements of jazz, rock, and psychedelia, matching appropriately with the expedition of a variety of moods and sensations through colors and images. It aids viewer's interpretation of the colors and their prospective meanings in numerous contexts.

Artistic Value
"Red and Blue" is an influential film for its expedition of colors, motion, and sounds, pressing the limits of what might be performed in movie theater. It foregoes the traditional aspects of plot, character, and setting, focusing instead on producing state of mind through color and music. This huge stretch of abstract images set versus the striking music provides the movie an enigmatic yet fascinating quality that's non-traditional.

Conclusion
In general, "Red and Blue" is an aesthetically spectacular, aural pleasure showcasing the power of minimal dialog and strong color composition. Especially for those thinking about checking out abstract film art, the motion picture shows certainly that storytelling doesn't necessarily have to depend on standard story. Jarman masterfully uses experimental filmmaking strategies showcasing his craft and creativity while using a canvas for viewers to interpret their own meanings. His early exploration of color and abstract visuals strongly led the way for future explorations in his illustrious profession. A real testament to cinema's unyielding possibilities, "Red and Blue" is a distinct and interesting movie that magnificently shows the interplay of visual art and music.

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