The Meanings Behind Hero's Colors

Rating: 9/10 (28 September 2005)

According to Robert Mackey's interview with Christopher Doyle (the cinematographer of Hero) which was pubished in the New York Times, the choice of colors for the film "Hero" was aesthetic, not symbolic. However, as viewers, we are bound to create our own meanings for the color choices based on the emotion and mood of the scene. Here are the few reasons I thought of to explain each color choice. Red was used in the first version of the story wherein Broken Sword and Flying Snow are portrayed as foolish lovers ruled by jealousy and anger. Red may have been used to emphasize the furious passion between the couple. Blue was used in the Emperor's version of the story. It complemented the subdued, more rational re-telling. Blue brings to mind "calmness" which can be used to describe the King's version as well. Blue also highlighted the gloominess evoked in the scene wherein Nameless and Broken Sword grieve for Flying Snow through a sword fight. White was used in the final version of the story which was the true version. White usually connotes purity so it is a good choice of color for the true version which is untainted, uncolored. White, a color associated with death and mourning in Asian culture, also foreshadowed the death of the key characters.
Green is usually associated with memory, with cognition. It is a perfect choice of color for the flashbacks.
Black, the dominant color in scenes where Nameless and the Emperor converse, could have been used as a strong contrast against the colored versions to differentiate the actual narration from the various stories. Notice that black is the color worn by the government officials, the soldiers, the emperor's advisers, and even by Nameless when he affiliates himself with the empire. Black may also symbolize the neutrality of the government.
These are merely my own rationalizations and should not be taken to be factual. After all, colors do not have exclusive meanings. The use of color in Hero was a really effective way of making sure the viewers understand the delineations between the different versions of the story.