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Does the Falling Green Code in “The Matrix” Have Any Meaning?
If you've ever longed to know the secret behind The Matrix, here's a clue: Sushi. That's actually not far from the truth, as all of that background green with the odd symbols you see at the start of the film is built from a Japanese cookbook's sushi recipes. It features mirror images of Japanese katakana characters, as well as Latin letters and Arabic numerals. "Without that code, there is no Matrix," says Simon Whiteley, the production designer who created the code, which has become known as "digital rain."
In the movie, the code tells those who can read it what is happening in the virtual reality world of The Matrix. And if you pay attention, you will notice that all of the virtual reality action has a green-tinted background (which recalls the green screen displays of older monochrome computer monitors), while "real world" action has a blue hue.
"Matrix" magic:
- Lana and Lilly Wachowski, who made The Matrix, conceived it as a comic book, since they had done work for Marvel in the past.
- While street names in The Matrix are from Chicago, the entire film was shot in Sydney, Australia.
- The actors in The Matrix did all of their own stunt work after training for four months before shooting.
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![The symbols that make up the green digital rain in “The Matrix” came from sushi recipes in a Japanese cookbook.]()
The symbols that make up the green digital rain in “The Matrix” came from sushi recipes in a Japanese cookbook.
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