Critical Analysis Response

Something that stands out in the Movie Joy Luck Club is the contrast of color used in each of the four women stories. Color and exposure in a scene is important in telling what the tone or mood is. Rey Chow reiterates this when she talks about how the stories are “narrated with lush, sensuous colors, with characters and settings that stand in memorably bold contours.” The color of specific scenes emphasizes culture and also lest the viewer know when there is a redirection or a change of scenery. A specific example of this is the story of Linda and her mother. The scene where Lindo is being given away to the matchmakers is dark, gloomy, and very stagnant (21:10- 23:03). Right after Lindo is given up, the movie switches to a bright scene filled with culture, music, and that “lush, sensuous color” that Rey Chow is referring to. Along with this, Rey Chow also talks about the emotional appeal of the movie. She says that the “emotional densities of the film are most invested.” I completely agree with this statement simply because of how emotionally touched I was after each one of the mothers stories. All four of the women have sad past times that they must overcome. These hardships of their past are what brought them together. Even though they lived through hard times in China, they bring their daughters to America and try to walk them through their daughters life with a sense of hope and stability that they maybe did not have during their lives in China. Overall, Rey Chow talks heavily about the colorful scenery and the emotional appeal in Joy Luck Club. Both of these are very prevalent and make the movie stand out.