Analysis+LK

1) Costume/color When we first see Amelie as a small child, she wore mostly white or neutral-colored garment, particularly during the scene where Amelie's father wrongly diagnoses Amelie with what he thinks is a heart defect. Her father's assumption about Amelie's heart condition will ultimately shape Amelie into a shy, quirky adult, since this mus-diagnosis led to the segregation of her from other children. The white blouse worn by Amelie in that particular scene can be seen as a metaphor to a blank canvas, being "painted on" by her parents, as her parents' choices are largely responsible for her personality. This idea of painting on a blank canvas plays with the idea of predetermined fate: Amelie is destined to be lonely and unable to directly approach some people and will continue to be this way because of her parents. However, this statement will come into question in the latter part of the film, as Amelie takes it upon herself to alter the "fate" of the people around her, and in the process, starts to change her own fate. After her childhood, two colors become apparent in Amelie's wardrobe: Green and red, two colors opposite from each other on the color wheel (actually, not just her clothes, but walls and doors appear to be in red and green too, putting us in Amelie's point of view). The paring of green and red is typically unusual, which serves to emphasize Amelie's unique view of the world and her quirkiness. The pairing of green and red can also serve to hint at Amelie's passion about the lives and well-being of people (despite her inability to directly approach the people she helps), as green usually symbolizes life and fertility, and red is considered the color of passion.

2) Blocking/Staging There are several instances in the film where the character of Amelie is shown in an extreme closeup, or positioned very close to a camera, which serves to tell the audience that they are seeing the world from Amelie's point of view, and are, figuratively speaking, inside Amelie's head. The proximity of Amelie's position to the camera serves to explain the unusual happening seen on screen as fragments of her imagination and also symbolizes Amelie as an important, "larger-than-life" entity in control of the fate of others. Nino, Amelie's eventual love interest, is also framed very similarly to how Amelie is framed, and unusual occurrences are also present in scenes involving Nino.The similar framing of these two characters hint at their relationship, and explores the idea of destined, or "star-crossed" relationship and lovers. When Amelie and Nino first on screen together, they are mostly placed very far apart from each other, especially during the scene at the park and phone booths: While Nino is at the phone booth at one end of the park, Amelie is at a phone booth all the way at the other end, nervously talking on the phone (as apparent by her tense composure). The first time Nino and Amelie appear in proximity to each other was in the cafe, with Nino seated at a table and Amelie standing over him, watching the back of his head from behind a glass panel. Amelie's elevated position over Nino symbolizes Amelie's alteration and control of events and fate to "manipulate" Nino closer to her. Despite their proximity, Amelie is still separated from Nino by a panel of glass; while she can see him up close, she is still too afraid to reach out to him. This supports Amelie's need in the story: her need to take charge of her own destiny and to be able to confront people directly.

3) Props The photo booth and the photographs it produces are two of the most important props in the film. Throughout the film, Nino has been collecting discarded photographs at the photo booth and attempting to decipher the mystery of a bald man whose photograph keeps showing up. The ripped photos and the photo booth becomes a common source of interest for both Amelie and Nino, with both characters trying to figure out who the bald man is. When Amelie finally deciphers the mystery, leads Nino to the bald man, and Nino pieces together the information, the mystery comes full circle and is solved, bring Amelie and Nino closer together. The piecing together of ripped photographs symbolizes the piecing together of Nino and Amelie's relationship.