Moulin Rouge

Question 10: Discuss the misи-en-scene in the film Moulin Rouge!

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According to Wikipedia, misи-en-scene in French literally means, "putting into the scene"; however in cinema term it refers to the positioning of the actors or actresses, lighting, setting, props, costumes, make-ups, acting, space and also time.

The movie that is about to be analyzed is Moulin Rouge! a modern musical filled with lyrical dialogue, directed by Baz Lurhman who also directed Romeo and Juliet. Baz Lurhman is very fond of directing love stories and therefore Moulin Rouge! is yet another tragic love story. The story, which is said by a few film critics and based on a Greek Methodology website this movie was, adapted from a Greek legend call Orpheus and Eurydice in the underworld. The legend was that; in short, is about Orpheus a musician (can be refer to Christian since he is an artistic writer) goes into the underworld (Moulin Rouge, which Zidler refers to as the 'underworld') to rescue his one true love, Eurydice (referring to Satine, because she is trapped in Moulin Rouge), but in the end Orpheus who was in doubt fail to save Eurydice and Eurydice dies. This scenario could be referred very well to Moulin Rouge! because Satine did die at the end of the movie.

Moulin Rouge! is a love story based strongly in a Bohemian culture on Beauty, Freedom, Truth and Love. Where Beauty comes in the form of Satine the courtesan, Freedom is referring to the freedom to love, but in this case Satine is deprived of that element at the end of the story, the Truth element of the story comes in the form when Christian finally realizes why Satine lie to him and the fact that she did love him all along. Love, which is the main element of the whole movie depicted in the relationship between Christian and Satine.

The movie starts of with Toulouse played by John Leguizamo telling or rather singing Christian's story to the audience, who in return will tell us his and Satine's story, which took place in a years time. The starting of the show was in black and white using a grainy impression to give the audience an idea that this event happen 100 years ago and give this film a very "old" feeling.

The film is set in the 1900's during the Bohemian Revolution in France, Montmartre; which is the center of the bohemian revolution. In the beginning of the film, Baz Lurhman uses what seems like the filming skills of the Lumiere's brothers. The film was in black and white, zooming and speedily bringing the audience through dimmed, narrow, dirty streets filled with street prostitutes, drunkards and also the famous absinth bars at that time. Colour was only slowly brought into the film when it reaches Christian's apartment. Here in the film it shows Christian in a very unattended state, his apartment is a mess, papers are thrown all over the floor and liquor bottles on the table and the one in his hands suggested that he had been drinking. The lighting in this scene was using the blue filter, it is also an element of hard light, cause we can see the contrast of the shadows very clearly, and the blue filter was use to give the audience the impression that this event happen during the night and to give the feeling of despair to Christian's un-shaven state. There Christian slowly move to the typewriter to tell us his story, the phrase " The greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return" which is one of the film's tagline will be repeated many times throughout the entire show. The movie and story was told in a way where Christian tells the audience the ending of the story at the very beginning. So, the audience of the movie would not be asking what would happen, instead they will ask 'Why did it happen?' and 'How did all this happen?' and the story was told using flashbacks.

Here, the film goes back to the very beginning of the show, the sign of Montmartre, however this time, the shot was more joyous, the light yellow tint gives the film a livelier atmosphere, instead of seeing drunkards and prostitutes this time, we see artisans, musicians and a joyous music fills the air; all this is depict as how Christian sees Montmartre for the very first time. Here, it is shown that Christian arriving France looking fresh, innocent and full of hope; hoping that he could be one of the Children of the Bohemian Revolution. This shows a very huge contrast of what happen to Christian before and after he met Satine. The apartment he is named L'amoure that literally means Love in French.

It is in Christian's apartment right after we met the unconscious Argetinian we were introduce to Toulouse (John Leguizamo) whose full name is Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec Monfa; Jose who played Toulouse wore amputee prostheses of a knee and a foot to play this part, besides that he was also digitally manipulated to look a little bit smaller. According to Wikipedia, Toulouse was actually a real life Bohemian Revolutionist; he suffered a genetic disorder that prevents his bones to heal properly once they are injured. Fatefully, when he was 12, Toulouse broke his right leg, and 2 years later he broke his left leg. He was only 4 Ð... feet tall when he matured, where else the rest of his body continue to grow normally. Toulouse is also an often visitor to the Moulin Rouge and he also painted several paintings of Moulin Rouge dancers, including Louise Weber and Jane Avril. Toulouse as shown in the movie was an alcoholic, he is always drinking and eventually it caused him to die of an early age of 36 in 1901. He was also a fan to the popular alcoholic drink call Absinth; as it was shown in the movie, Toulouse was always holding a cup of Absinth.

The Unconscious Argentinean was depict with dark and thick eye-brows and hair which gives him a some what sinister appearance, when later on the audience will discover that he is however a friendly person who gives Christian the advice of " Never fall in love with a woman who sell herself". Due to the narcoleptic sickness he has got, the Argentinean could be seen falling into unconsciousness throughout the entire film without any warning and could be unconscious at any time, even at the most crucial time, this one could be the referred to the time when he fainted during in the middle of the 'Spectacular Spectacular' performance.

Then Christian was suppose to stand in for the Unconscious Argentinean who has a sickness called Narcoleps, came up with the verse from 'The Sound of Music',