Symbolism and Colors in the Movie "Departed"

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Departed- The Movie Symbolism & Colors
The Departed is one of Martin Scorsese's best works. The film features unmistakably in all lists of best movies of the century. With top acts such as Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Martin Sheen, one expects a spectacular performance. And the movie lives up to it. Several audiences are not aware that The Departed is a remake of the Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs. While the original film is rigid and stingy in its narration, the remake serves as a wholesome meal for the Hollywood fanatics. As usual, Scorsese sticks to his filmmaking methods, especially when it comes to coloring. But in this particular movie, he departs a little bit from the norm with plenty of symbolism.
The Departed revolves around the character of Matt Damon. The director wants the audience to see who Colin Sullivan is and how his hubris and cunning nature leads to his undoing in the end. The person Sullivan becomes after he meets Frank Costello is the opposite of who he is. There are hints that Sullivan could be gay (BohatALA). But the behavior and attitude he has acquired by being Costello's protégé lead him to live in denial. The aspect of being gay is symbolic of Damon's character as a whole. He knows the kind of person he is, yet he does not want to reveal it to himself and those around him. Just like unopenly gay men and women fear society's response, Sullivan fears how others around him will view him, especially Costello. But the issue is not about being gay. It is about being an uncorrupt and honest officer.
Another symbol used in the film is the gold dome of the Massachusetts State House. When Sullivan chooses his new apartment, he picks it because it overlooks the Massachusetts State House. The gold dome represents the political ambition of Sullivan (BohatALA). By being deeply embedded in Costello's criminal activities, Sullivan is convinced that he can become a person of influence in the city. He ignores that even as a criminal disguised as a police officer, he could still be caught.
Finally, the most crucial symbol in the movie is shown at the end of the film. The symbol is that of a rat walking by the window outside Sullivan's apartment. The apparent allusion to this is that it represents Sullivan's role as Costello's "rat" in law enforcement. However, a keener look at the film's plot shows how rats were chasing and killing each other (BohatALA). This is the same meaning being passed through the symbol of the rat outside Sullivan's apartment. Although having eliminated Billy Costigan, his most significant threat, Sergeant Dignam, eventually catches up to him and kills him to end the movie.
Color is essential to filmmaking. In silent films, black and white were not used plainly (Filmscalpel). Tinting and toning were applied to add color to grayscale images. Tinting was done by bathing black and white colors in colored dye. Toning was accomplished by employing a chemical process that allowed the conversion of black and white silver images to other metallic elements that changed the color. Tinting and toning resulted in a colored print that did away with the monotonous black and white. Eventually, color r...