The Indian cinematographer Subrata Mitra, known for the subtlety of his photography once said: "I really prefer to think in shades of grey. Even when shooting in colour, this allows me to look for a more nuanced separation of tones, rather than a simple and superficial separation of colours."
On the contrary, Jack Cardiff, who was considered a masterful colourist, cherished his own version of Gaugin’s utterance: "If you see something green, don’t think too hard – paint it green. The brightest green possible.""
The colours are realistic, but the composition of the shot, which creates echoes between the colours of the characters and their surroundings, helps to create a personal universe, specific to the filmmaker’s vision.