American Beauty: The Meaning of the Rose

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We look at the meaning behind the rose imagery of American Beauty.

Works Cited & Consulted:

* Leica, Desmond (Aug 24, 2008). “The Modernization of a Postmodern Humbert: Lolita and American Beauty – Part 1.” Desmondleica. WordPress.

* Fonder, Sarah (Sep 8, 2014). “Fifteen Years Later, ‘American Beauty’ Is Just A Bad, Pretty Movie.” Decider.

* Fretts, Bruce (Mar 15, 2000). “”American Beauty” revives the Lolita syndrome in Hollywood.” Entertainment Weekly.

* Khamis, Mohamed (Dec 11, 2015). “A Comparison Between Lolita and American Beauty.” Voices 360. Blogspot.

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Transcript provided by Youtube:

00:06

Who or what is the real American Beauty according to Sam Mendes film we have to look closer to find out

00:14

One of the first images Mendes presents us with is the perfect red rose

00:19

Cut from its stem an image of growth snapped away from its life source

00:23

Within the film this cut Rose becomes a symbol of false surface beauty with nothing inside

00:29

The Rose is almost always present in the film

00:32

Mendes is careful to include it in key shots

00:35

like when Lester first gets the chance to kiss Angela and even the moment of his death a

00:42

Cliched symbol of romantic love the flower is expensive and sought-after yet commonplace obvious an

00:49

unimaginative choice

00:51

Mendes is bold roses imagery

00:53

repurposes that obvious flower to remind us to look past

00:57

Superficial appearance and avoid being brainwashed by the wrong values the most memorable imagery in American Beauty is used to show what beauty isn’t

01:08

Stuff and it’s become more important to you than living

01:12

The most overt use of the rose in the film is to accompany Lester’s fantasy of sleeping with his teenage daughter

01:18

Jane’s best friend the sexy blonde cheerleader Angela note the symbolism of the word deflowered as Lester fantasizes about

01:25

deflowering the virginal nymph

01:28

American Beauty features thematic echoes of Lolita

01:31

Nabokov story of Humbert Humberts pedophilic obsession with the twelve-year-old Lolita. I’m used to guys drooling over me

01:40

Started when I was about 12

01:42

Lester Burnham whose name is an anagram of Humbert learns Falls for the teenage Angela Hayes

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