The green-as-ever ogre stars in Shrek the Third.
Shrek might be able to answer this question but, really, what is this thing called…green? Sure, it’s a color, but when it comes to memorable movie creations, green is a color that connotes all kinds of conundrums. Be them the damaging result of the atomic age (Godzilla), the alienation and sadness of war orphans (The Boy with the Green Hair), or a horrifying vision of cackling menace (The Wicked Witch of the West), green is a color of power, pity and poignancy.
With the popular animated third installment of a fairy tale concerning one sweet green Ogre (Shrek the Third starring Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas and more) arriving in theaters, I further pondered the green character effect with a list of 10 of the most memorable green characters ever brought to screen. As Kermit famously stated, being green is not easy at all.
10. The Wicked Witch of the West
Green With: Evil
Green Scene: The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Long considered one of the most (if not the most) horrifying visions of our youth, Margaret Hamilton’s enduring, green-faced Wicked Witch was like a nightmare come to life. Come to think of it, she was a nightmare since innocent little Dorothy (Judy Garland) was, in fact dreaming about her memorable exile to Oz. But dream or no dream, when she hissed “I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!” or unleashed her horrifying flying monkeys or simply cackled with evil glee, kids (and I suspect many adults) were sufficiently freaked.
9. The Boy with the Green Hair
Green With: Worry, alienation, determination
Green Scene: The Boy with the Green Hair (1948)
Joseph Losey’s strange comedy-drama is a movie many film fans haven’t seen. But once you see it, you’ll never forget it. First off, there’s runaway boy Peter (an impossibly cute Dean Stockwell), a war orphan who moves in with the kindly old gramps (played by Pat O’Brien) and whose hair inexplicably, shockingly turns green. Taunted by the townsfolk, Peter runs away in sadness. But when he’s visited by other war orphans in the woods (remember, this is a strong allegory and message film) he’s galvanized and returns home to deliver the message that war is not only wrong, but bad for children. But there’s that green hair, something the townsfolk cannot accept. Really cannot accept. They chase poor Peter down. The film has remained both a cult curiosity and an intense fable regarding our nuclear program, war and the power of being different.
8. Kermit the Frog
Green With: Innocence
Green Scene: The Muppet Movie (1979)
Oh, Kermit. Who doesn’t get a little teary when the cute little frog sang “The Rainbow Connection?” In The Muppet Movie, first in a series of live-action pictures featuring Jim Henson’s famed creations, Kermit leads the story of how the Muppets found each other. Kermit, a simple boy frog, riding his bike, living an idyllic life, is discovered by a talent agent while playing his banjo in the swamp. A road trip ensues with big dreams of Hollywood but not without speed bumps along the way—one being the near spokesman for an enterprising frog leg lover played by Charles Durning. With many adventures, many close calls and one Fozzie Bear, Kermit understands that the world out of the swamp isn’t exactly like him—sweet. One of the most charming green leads in movies, Kermit is an unusual hero whose poignancy is just as potent today. And yes, I am talking about Kermit the Frog. Just watch The Muppet Movie again. You’ll see.
7. Bruce Banner (aka The Incredible Hulk)
Green With: Rage
Green Scene: Hulk (2003)
Ang Lee’s arty, over-the-top but excellent Hulk may
not be a favorite among comic book fans, but I happen
to think it’s one of the greatest comic book
adaptations ever made. Give it time. And perhaps with the
recently announced remake (with Ed Norton attached),
we’ll see if critics and viewers change their
mind. But let’s get to The Hulk. The Marvel adaptation
finds Bruce Banner, a Berkeley graduate now scientific
researcher (something to do with nanobot experiments
and gamma radiation, I don’t have time to get into
that here) who not only must contend with this pesky
little rage problem that causes him to grow into an
enormous green monster, but also his creepy
genetics researcher father, who’s been sneaking around
in the shadows. What’s great about Lee’s
Hulk is that not only does Banner’s green skin reveal
layers of extra meaning, but the color green does too.
Used artistically throughout the film, it shows beauty
in nature, but also rage and pain and the loss of a
family. Really, it does. Hulk may run through the
desert and hurl helicopters in a single blow but he’s
also a sad, sad guy. As Kermit said, it ain’t easy
being green.
6. Shrek the Ogre
Green With: Love
Green Scene: Shrek (2001)
Dreamworks’ animated Shrek and its sequels have become
near classics already, fairy tales that teach kids the
value of looking inside a person for his or her worth. Mike Myers
plays the Scottish, peace-loving but grumpy green ogre
who falls for the beautiful Princess Fiona (Cameron
Diaz), a lovely, down-to-earth lass who reveals that
There is more to her than initially meets the eye.
Literally. We’re going to assume you’ve seen Shrek,
but if you haven’t, stop reading before I remind you
that Fiona turns out to be green and ugly too. But
really, is she ugly? Or is Shrek, for that matter? As
the fairy tale teaches children, no, they are not.
Green and all, they are beautiful for who they
are.
5. Godzilla
Green With: Destructive urges
Green Scene: Gojira (1954)
OK, OK, so Godzilla doesn’t talk, he simply stomps
Tokyo and causes a lot of explosions and terror, but
since the 164-foot lizard was created by the atom
bomb, he’s actually a sympathetic symbol concerning
dangers of Cold War politics. Seriously. First seen in
the 1954 Japanese, Toho studio-made Gojira (with 28
subsequent films following), Godzilla is really more a gray
color to begin with, but turns green in later
pictures. The scaly, amphibious, monster who can
regenerate and fire massive atomic beam from his
mouth, is a marvel who later fought the famous Mothra,
Rodan and the three-headed Ghidrah. And didn’t we
always root for Godzilla? Didn’t we? I think it has
something to do with the green…
4. The Grinch
Green With: Greed
Green Scene: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
Chuck Jones' masterful adaptation of the beloved Dr.
Seuss Christmas story How the Grinch Stole Christmas
is a holiday classic, right up there with It’s a
Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story. With the dulcet
tones of famed horror master Boris Karloff (who also
played another great green one, Frankenstein's
Monster) narrating, the creepy but ultimately touching
story finds a cold-hearted Grinch ready to loot the
innocent inhabitants of Whoville on Christmas.
Dressing up as a ghastly green Santa, he steals all
their presents, only to learn (gulp) that loads of
goodies doesn’t buy happiness and that Whoville
residents are just fine. Happy, in fact. With that, his
heart grows three inches. He remains green, but a
grinning, grateful green when the denizens invite him
to Christmas dinner.
3. Yoda
Green With: The Force
Green Scene: All of the Star Wars movies except Star
Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Frank Oz voiced this green small, hunched-over,
seemingly feeble, troll-looking Jedi who not only
trained Luke in The Empire Strikes Back but kicked
some serious butt in Attack of the Clones. Yoda may be
the Grover-sounding wise one, but never forget
that in battle and armed with a light saber, he’s also
a formidable foe. And that’s all I need to say about
the most powerful Jedi in the universe.
Well, one more thing, Yoda rocks. And he’s green.
Wise, but mean green.
2. Frankenstein’s Monster
Green With: Loneliness
Green Scene: Frankenstein (1931)
Now the green Monster of James Whale’s horror classic
probably wasn’t the image novelist Mary Shelley had in
mind, but well, who cares. This Frankenstein (I’m not
counting the unfortunate Kenneth Branagh adaptation
starring Robert De Niro) is one of cinema’s first
great monsters in that he’s scary, he’s, let’s face
it, kind of funny and he’s (yes) green. Boris Karloff
stars as the legendary lonely monster whose moaning,
limited speech, black ensembles and stiff walk remains
weirdly poignant to this day. You just want to wrap
your arms around him and tell the guy everything’s
gonna be OK (especially when he was so hilariously and
touchingly re-created in Mel Brooks’ classic satire
Young Frankenstein).
1. The Gill-Man
Green With: Lust
Green Scene: The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
So he wasn’t the scariest monster ever created in
filmdom, but he’s oddly one of the sexiest. OK, I’ll
back up—he’s not necessarily sexy but he sure has a
lot of sex on that remarkably sensitive reptilian
brain of his. Lovingly directed by Jack Arnold in the
non-green scheme (I assure you the monster is green)
of black and white (check out all those gorgeous underwater sequences),
Gill-Man, as the film’s scientists coined him, was a
half-human, half- fish-headed lizard who really,
really liked the ladies. He’s a fantastic creation and
one we ultimately feel sorry for because, well, we
want him to get the girl, no matter how slimy. A great
allegory for all those nerds pining for the
cheerleader, and an unforgettable green creation. My
lord, as this list comes to a close, I really am
pondering the significance of green. Perhaps in
another column.
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