Lights, camera, flowers! Have you ever thought about how many movies feature flowers? It makes sense. Film and flowers have a lot in common: romance, symbolism, endless variety, and star power. Plus, flowers are photogenic!
Some movies really make the most of flower symbolism, almost making them a main character. Others feature flowers in cameo roles that punctuate the story. For the latter, consider The Black Dahlia, borrowed from the name given to the infamous Hollywood serial murder case. The black dahlia connects a striking and recognizable visual image to the film. And how about the significance of the single word, Rosebud, uttered at the end of Citizen Kane, and the never-ending talk of its meaning? Neither were the feature of the story, but the mark they leave is bold and indelible. A24’s modern horror thriller Midsommar, also profoundly features bright-colored flowers and oodles of flower imagery and symbolism which contrasts brilliantly with its darker themes.
As for movies featuring flowers in a more developed way, we have a few you might recognize, and perhaps a few you didn’t know about, that you might want to check out. With a chill lingering in the air, and Valentine’s Day approaching, we can’t think of a better reason to bring some flower power indoors with a good movie or two and a Bouq. And it’s perfect timing to check out our new arrivals for the latest flower trends. Here’s some inspiration!
La Casa de las Flores: La Pelicula/The House of Flowers: The Movie
This dark comedy, from Mexican director Manolo Caro, based on the series with the same title, features a family flower shop owned by the wealthy de la Mora family for over 50 years – a wildly captivating family!
The series gained widespread popularity for the empathetic and celebratory treatment of feminist and LGBTQIA+ themed. So of course fans were thrilled when a movie followed the 2 season series, premiering in 2021. Like the series, the film is visually stunning, and the story is captivating – worth checking out, or indulging in a rewatch!
The Great Gatsby
The original novel by Fitzgerald is full of flower symbolism, so it’s no surprise that in Baz Luhrmann’s film, The Great Gatsby, flowers provide a vivid, lush, and highly symbolic backdrop. The film goes florally over the top in true Luhrmann fashion, but two flowers feature prominently in the movie: daisies, of course, and orchids.
Daisies represent youth and innocence, symbolizing the idealized image that Gatsby has of Daisy. The yellow center, however, warns of Daisy’s hard, cowardly heart. He inserts the daisy motif indelibly into the fundamental decor of his mansion, a sign of his long-tended obsession. We soon see white orchids steal the show in Gatsby’s lavish garden, also devoted to Daisy. Her cousin Nick clues us in to their meaning, describing her world as “redolent if orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery.”
Big Fish
This movie enchanted hopeful hearts with a field of daffodils. “They’re your favorite flower,” Edward proclaims to Jenny as they’re both surrounded by the golden yellow blooms. He has sworn to marry her, though they barely know each other.
Seconds later, Jenny’s (understandably) jealous fiance arrives on the scene, and some flowers are trampled in a one-way fight. Daffodils are symbolic of new beginnings, so we bet you can guess who got the girl!
Broken Flowers
Bill Murray plays an aging Don Juan, according to the latest woman in his life, on her way out the door. His character seems largely unmoved by anything until he receives a letter on pink stationery and some serious motivation from his neighbor. According to the letter, he may have a 19-year-old son, but the young man’s mother, the author of the letter, is a mystery.
At the enthusiastic urging of his neighbor, he presents a pink flower to each of his four exes, believing the mother will recognize the symbolism. You’ll have to check out the movie to see what he finds out!
Greenfingers
An unexpected and beautiful flower garden tended by inmates at a prison. This is the stark juxtaposition at the heart of Greenfingers. When Colin arrives to serve the end of his sentence at a low-security prison, a lifer named Fergus befriends him, and gives him a gift of flower seeds. Colin, not to enthused about the gift, plants the seeds anyway in the hard soil of the prison yard.
Against all odds, the effort produces a brilliant patch of double violets. The warden is impressed enough to enlist Colin to build the prison’s first garden, which again, flourished beyond everyone’s expectations, catching the eye of a gardening expert. The prison garden is presented to the Royal Gardening Society. If we reveal any more there’d be no reason to check out this lovely film, so it’s up to you to see how Colin’s labors were received by high society.
Being There
While we’re on the subject of gardeners and high society, let’s talk about Chance the gardener, alias Chauncey Gardener. Chance is left wandering the streets when his longtime employer, in whose home he has always lived, dies. Chance has been educated exclusively by TV, and his conversations reflect this with great hilarity.
The comedy escalates sharply when a business mogul mistakes him for a social equal, bringing him into the fold of his high society friends. When Chance introduces himself, Ben, the mogul, and his wife, cluelessly hear and repeat “Chauncey” and interpret his trade as his surname, Chauncey Gardener is born. The combination of social clash, TV culture, Peter Sellers, and Shirley McClaine adds up to a brilliant comedy.
Kiss the Ground
We’d be remiss in our commitment to sustainability if we didn’t give a nod to Kiss the Ground. This Woody Harrelson project takes a hard and realistic look at modern agriculture, bringing us from a current point of despair to a hopeful solution: soil.
Presenting easy-to-follow guidelines for restoring the soil we grow our plants in, Harrelson places the responsibility for sustaining our earth on us all, for the part we can do, for sustainable gardening in the future.
Plucking the Daisy
This classic stars Brigitte Bardot as Agnès, a young erotic novelist. When her father discovers her vocation, he puts her on a train to boarding school. Agnès has other ideas, though, to go live with her brother in Paris.
Needing to make money after an expensive mistake, Agnès enters a striptease contest, using daisies in her performance. There’s a romantic twist when she tries to avoid being recognized. Great for a playful Valentine’s Day movie date!
The Wizard of Oz/The Wiz
This classic story is told in two movies: the original with Judy Garland, and The Wiz, starring Diana Ross in a star-packed remake with its own distinct flavor.
In both, Dorothy and her companions are slowed down by poppies just as they catch sight of the Emerald City. In the original film, the whole gang is intoxicated by the field of poppies, and they fall asleep as they walk through the field approaching the city. The Wiz has them easing on down the road in an urban scene where they encounter the Poppy Girls, seductresses who bamboozle the Cowardly Lion.
Little Shop of Horrors
Like The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors happens in an urban setting. Mushnik’s Flower Shop is in New York’s “Skid “Row” and sales aren’t good. To draw customers, an employee, Seymour, brings in his unusual prized plant named Audrey II.
The scheme works at first, but eventually, Audrey II begins to wilt, and Seymour accidentally discovers that she needs human blood to thrive. This the horrors ensue. If you haven’t seen Little Shop of Horrors, it’s a hilarious wild ride worth watching!
Movie Night with The Bouqs
We assure you none of our flowers have a taste for blood, but The Bouqs does offer a variety of flowers and plants for delivery to coordinate with a flower-themed movie night. Or perhaps you’ll take a romantic cue from one of the films, and create your own flower epic. So many possibilities for flower-filled drama – the fun, romantic kind, don’t you agree?
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