LA VISCOSITA' NELLE VERNICI

 

Cinema, Paint and Coatings...

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During the Christmas period, in the workplace and professional environment, we tend to prepare ourselves for a more relaxed atmosphere in view of the upcoming holidays.

For this reason, I would like to propose a light digression, telling how paints and coatings are deeply present in our daily lives, even appearing in many cinematic scenes.

The relationship between cinema and paints is deeper than it may seem and reveals much about our human, cultural, and everyday background. Paints are not just technical materials: in cinema they become visual language, symbol, memory, and transformation. Their presence, often silent and secondary, is sealed in numerous iconic scenes that show how the use of paint is part of our lives and of the way we tell stories.

In everyday life, paints protect, decorate, identify, and communicate. In cinema they perform the same functions, amplified by the power of storytelling. Think of the saturated colors of auteur films, the painted walls that define a character’s identity, or industrial cities described through worn, consumed, repainted surfaces. Every layer of paint becomes time, every color a narrative choice.

Sometimes, in a cinematic scene, paint is used as a symbolic act: painting can mean starting over, erasing, rebelling, or affirming oneself.

Think of the act of painting the fence in The Karate Kid (USA, 1984): the protagonist, played by Ralph Macchio, repeatedly paints the wooden fence of his mentor Mr. Miyagi’s house. Unknowingly, he learns the karate moves that will help him rebel and achieve social redemption against the boys who bully him at school.

For this reason, paint is never just set decoration, but can become an integral part of the visual and emotional narrative.

Here are some films in which paint plays an important narrative role, going beyond decoration and transforming from a “simple extra” into a true character with a crucial role in the story.

Spartacus (USA 1960)

In Spartacus by Kubrick, Spartacus’s body is smeared with dense substances, powders, and colored mixtures that resemble real paints. They are not decoration, but a mark of slavery: color soils, erases identity, and reduces the man to an object. Symbolically, that “paint” represents the oppression the protagonist must break.

The Karate Kid (USA 1984)

In The Karate Kid, the scene in which Daniel paints the fence under Mr. Miyagi’s guidance is central. The repetitive up-and-down brush movement turns paint into an educational tool: humble work becomes discipline, muscle memory, and inner growth. Symbolically, painting means learning without realizing it, building balance, respect, and awareness.

Saturday night fever (USA 1977)

In the opening scene of Saturday Night Fever, Tony Manero walks through Brooklyn with a confident stride, holding a can of paint. It is an everyday, working-class object that contrasts with his style and the music. Symbolically, paint represents repetitive labor and the reality that imprisons him, opposed to the dream of escape and identity he seeks on the dance floor.

The equalizer 2 (USA 2018)

In The Equalizer 2, Denzel Washington plays Robert McCall, who helps a troubled young man by involving him in small jobs, including painting an apartment. The scene is simple but meaningful: manual work becomes an opportunity for dialogue and trust. Symbolically, paint represents a second coat of life—covering past mistakes, shaping a different future, and teaching that change is born from work and care.

Cars (USA 2006)

In Cars, the paint shop scene introduces Ramone, the artist car of Radiator Springs. In his workshop, Ramone uses paint as a form of expression: colors, shades, and airbrushing transform vehicles and reveal personality. Symbolically, paint stands for identity and rebirth: it does not just change appearance, but helps rediscover who you truly are. It is art that heals, distinguishes, and gives a soul even to metal.

The pursuit of Happyness (USA 2006)

In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) paints a house to survive, remaining stained with paint when he runs to the crucial job interview. Those marks become a powerful symbol: humble work, invisible effort, and the distance between who he is and who he dreams of becoming. The paint does not disqualify him; it tells a story of authenticity, dignity in effort, and the possibility of redemption

Do you know other films in which paint appears in iconic scenes?