American Beauty (1999 film) as Lester and Angela get closer, finally taking the roses—and thus Carolyn—out of the shot. Lester's epiphany at the end of the film is expressed by rain and the use of red, building to a crescendo that is a deliberate contrast to the release Lester feels. The constant use of red "lulls [the audience] subliminally" into becoming used to it; consequently, it leaves the audience unprepared when Lester is shot and his blood spatters on the wall. Pennington argues that "American Beauty" defines its characters through their sexuality. Lester's attempts to relive his youth are a direct result of his
Carolyn Murphy Carolyn Murphy Carolyn Murphy (born August 11, 1973) is an American model and actress. In 1998, Murphy was named VH1/"Vogue"s Model of the Year. She played Dubbie in Barry Levinson's film "Liberty Heights". She was one of the "Modern Muses" on the November 1999 millennium cover of American "Vogue" and was chosen to represent Calvin Klein's perfume, "Contradiction". In 1998, during a photo shoot for "Elle", the photographer noticed her resemblance to the actress Gene Tierney and dubbed her "The blonde Gene Tierney". Murphy has shot campaigns for Missoni, Versace and Tiffany & Co. In 2005 she was featured on