Moulin Rouge free essay sample

Tango de Roxanne† scene which is in fact three scenes intercut contributes to the overall success of Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge in several ways. Specific techniques, including lighting and music, are vital contributors to the effect of this scene. The long shadows and the cold, blue light in the tower are captured by a PAN across the room prior to Satire’s dramatic entrance a la Marlene Dietrich. An ECU of her face shows the minute diamond shapes of which her veil is made, suggesting both her entrapment in the Moulin Rouge and the diamonds she is being offered. The light falls in diamond shapes which can also be seen in the window panes and the back of Satire’s chair. A motif throughout the entire film, diamonds symbolise Satine’s public persona as a courtesan and arc therefore associated with the Duke, as is the use of blue light. We will write a custom essay sample on Moulin Rouge or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Both diamonds and blue light are used in the â€Å"Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend† scene where Satire makes her first appearance and establishes her public persona as a courtesan. This relates to the theme of the commerciality of women, of women selling themselves to make a living, linking the use of lighting to the overall success of the film. In these scenes, there is a strong use of chiaroscuro, as well as a contrast between the blue lighting in the tower and the red light used in the dance to suggest sex, prostitution and jealousy. Cross-cuts to the tower emphasise the tower lighting; this redness links with the tower when the camera cuts back to Satine beside the fire. Other links between the tower and the tango include the use of black and white. The shadows of the tower relate to the black costumes of the dancers, as do the lights on the white skin of Satire and the Duke. These links emphasise the relationship between the dance and the events in the tower which follow the progression of the tango. At the beginning, a woman’s sexuality is shown to enslave a man, as when the Duke agrees to let Satire have her â€Å"fairytale ending. † However, it is also made explicit that ultimately the woman is powerless; the Duke is physically violent towards Satire and attempts to rape her. This is relevant to the theme of the treatment of women, and demonstrates the Duke’s possessiveness of Satire as well as his jealousy. She is a commodity to him. Both the Duke and Christian want Satire exclusively and are linked by their desire for her; the Tango also symbolically represents the passions of the three main characters. The Duke’s passion and jealousy are represented in the Tango by the Argentinean, whose voice is a gravely baritone, common to that of the villain in the opera. Christian, on the other hand is a tenor, the voice of the hero in opera. The songs of the Argentinean (â€Å"Roxanne†) and Christian, who sings of what he imagines is happening between the Duke and Satire, shift against each other constantly. The music in this scene is an amalgamation of pop, Latin American and opera. Beginning with a simple, plain piano chord and featuring a tremolo in the violin to initiate gypsy sounds, the Tango music explicitly links the two scenes (dance and tower) and the two stories. In the tower, a single violin plays to the tune of the Duke’s voice and suggests the devil. However, to reflect her moment of power, the violin picks up Satire’s tune as she says â€Å"No! † after singing Christian’s song to him with a key change to symbolise their distance. The power reverts to the Duke when he attacks her, and the tune of the violin changes again. Near the end of the scene, during the attempted rape, although all songs are present, the violin soars over the top of everything, because the devil is in control and Satire is powerless in the face of violence. Again, the theme of the treatment of women is touched upon, and the cruel, violent and possessive nature of the Duke revealed. Luhrmann’s use of lighting and music throughout the â€Å"Tango de Roxanne† scene depicts the passion and emotions brilliantly, making the scene intense and dramatic. Its approach and techniques encapsulate and reflect the basic complex and dramatically vibrant approach throughout. The scene provides the dramatic climax to the second act, and spins the film into darker waters, with the implicit threat of violence associated with the Duke becoming overt. Satine is attacked, and the Duke shows his displeasure by threatening Christian’s life. The visually and emotionally stunning scene shows how Moulin Rouge was able to revitalise the moribund film musical. Moulin Rouge free essay sample A timeless ideal adopted within the Orpheus myth is the damsel needing rescuing; Satine in the Moulin Rouge parallels Eurydice’s. Both characters are imprisoned in the underworld. In the Moulin Rouge Christian has the ability to bring Satine out of her cage through his selfless love which is conveyed through his voice. This is seen in the in Christian rendition of Elton John’s classic â€Å"Your Song† which appeals a modern audience. Christian captivates her with his music, his voice similarly in the Orpheus myth lit up Paris just as Orpheus was able to stones on the earth with his music. He takes Satines breath away as she drops her shoulders the red blanket fall from her shoulders covering her. Christian music uplifts her and takes her up onto cloud 9 the setting reflects the cliche of love, spinning in each other’s hand in the city of love taking her out of a place of incarceration and protecting her in the outside world symbolised through the pink umbrella. We will write a custom essay sample on Moulin Rouge or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Similarly in The Orpheus Myth, the sounds of Orpheus’s music bring Eurydice out of her incarceration. Allow both damsels break social boundaries in order to seek freedom through love. â€Å"El Tango de Roxanne† is a gripping scene contrasting love, performed by the Argentinean it is tango version of Sting and the Police’s â€Å"Roxanne†. The tango is a very passionate and sexual song at this point Christian and Satine are madly in love. However he is not the only one who loves the Duke selfishly loves her, as well as holds the deed to The Moulin Rouge. So Satine decides to seduce him one night, the scenes show jealously as Christian begins to realise his jealously for Satine. The Argentinian screams â€Å"The jealously will drive you Mad† as he begins the raw and sexual tango, fuelled with lust and desire. Christian sings his own part, demonstrating his own jealously as he is filled with passion and the deepest righteous love for Satine. Christian looks angelic in contrast, to the Argentinian who sings rough and dirty vocals to juxtaposing between the two men love for Satine. This is intercuts the scene between Satine and The Duke. The scene is very dark only lit with several candles. Satine and The Duke and Christian are all wearing black symbolic of a funeral. The lighting makes Satine face corpse, creating a very cold feeling, however Christian is warmly lit, showing the difference the two men have on her, when Satine is with Christian she is free as shown in loose clothing and untied hair. Showing her freedom, and happiness whilst in true love with Christian. Montage is a editing process that allows the viewers to develop a meaning form a sequence of shots without actually seeing the actors and juxtaposition and super imposing quick cuts of scenes to create meaning The love story portrayed by Lurhmann filled images of death and danger. The Duke a powerful rich villain whom selfishly loves Satine in the story of the Moulin Rouge threatens to end the production of the play as well as kill Christian for loving Satine â€Å"l will have the boy killed†. The theme of love is a key motif in the both The Orpheus legend and The Moulin Rouge. Christians obsession with love leads his to say â€Å"Love is like oxygen and all you need is love an idea from the Orpheus myth , where Orpheus decides to go the underworld to bring Eurydice back to life Love is stronger than death itself . In the myth Orpheus goes to the underworld, and plays music to from Hades where he evokes he feelings of Persephone which begs to Hades to lets Eurydice’s go. Hades makes a deal with Orpheus where he is to return to the normal life without looking back to see if she is following or he will loses her forever. But unfortunately he looks back and loses her forever. In contrast Christian goes to the Moulin Rouge to unveil the truth â€Å" l will go the Moulin Rouge one last time†, Lurhmann uses a series of camera angles to captivate a modern audience, the uses of tunnel vision through use of a hand held camera adds suspense and drama from Christian eyes and the placement of props including fire which is symbolic for danger as the only lighting highlights The Moulin Rouge as the underworld. In addition Lurhmann uses dramatic piercing music with the combination of cymbals the clashing of the cymbals add suspense and to heightens the drama , the high pitched choral vocals juxtaposed against a deep bass sound to add suspense and excitement into the scene. Lurhmann stage directions, create suspense adding drama into the story as Christian creeps through a side window and is heard entering the Moulin Rouge who has to sneaky evade the Dukes’ man servant in order not to be killed. The finale of Spectacular Spectacular and the rendition of Come What may shows just like The Orpheus Myth, Christian looks back after he resolves with Satine Thank you for curing my ridiculous obsession with love leaving the Moulin Rouge, and looks back as Satine beings to sing â€Å"Come what may† showing the power of her music as song, consequently he loses her for ever just like in the Orpheus whom look back to see if Eurydice is following losing her forever . Lurhmann use of song shows a balance in the love between Satine and Christian which is an adoption to appeal to a modern audience as they walk out in song together. Lurhmann adopted the idea from the Orpheus myth that there is no purpose to life as Orpheus says â€Å"Since she is dead there is no more music, l will break my liar â€Å". Similarly Christian struggles to write spectacular â€Å"Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, he has grown beard showing his loss of purpose, and remorse for and without Satine. Baz Lurhmann ability to adopt ancient Greek Mythology in the storyline as well as intertwine timeless modern music allows for a spectacular rendition of a story of freedom and love portrayed through modern music. Both heroes offer the individual emancipation from the confines of a materialistic and hierarchical society as seen in the Damsels. Juxtaposing love through the use of lighting and costuming and typifies the power of music to enchant and seduce as well, unify the lovers together.