Analysis of Moulin Rouge
Deidra Lyyski
ENG 225 Introduction to Film
Instructor Kenneth Newton
April 10, 2013

Analysis of Moulin Rouge
Many films use a stylistic system to structure a narrative around a main thematic idea. Baz Luhrman’s 2001 Oscar winning masterpiece Moulin Rouge (Luhrman, 2001) is one such film that contains each of these narrative elements: sound, cinematography, mise-en-scene, and editing. A more in-depth analysis requires that mise-en-scene to be broken down into the categories of setting, color usage, costume, makeup and hairstyle, and props. Through these elements, the movie’s theme of Bohemian inspired ideals of beauty, freedom, truth, and above all things: love is illustrated. Along with highlighting the prominent themes and symbols evident in the film, I will analyze how each of the above mentioned are used.
The film is set in the village of Montmarte, Paris during the pre-war era between 1899 and 1900. Christian (Ewan McGregor), an impoverished poet, comes to Paris and falls in with a group of Bohemians who want to sell a musical number to Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent), the owner of the Moulin Rouge. Zidler needs a financial backer to transform the bordello into a modern theater; the rich Duke of Worcester (Richard Roxburgh) is persuaded to back the renovations as well as a spectacular new show, written primarily by Christian, in return for Zidler’s guarantee that the Duke retains the exclusive favors of Satine (Nicole Kidman), the club’s star and infamous courtesan known as the ‘Sparkling Diamond’. But Christian and Satine fall in love and their secret, yet doomed romance plays out amidst the Duke’s advancements toward Satine, the development of the new show ‘Spectacular, Spectacular’, and Satine’s impending death due to consumption.
The musical within Moulin Rouge directly mirrors the ‘real life’ love story of the musical based film; with Christian as the sitar player and the Duke as the evil Maharajah. Marsha Kinder describes Moulin Rouge as “a brilliant celebratory pastiche of the movie musical that highlights defining characteristics of the genre.” (Kinder, 2002)
The first scene in this analysis is the opening sequence of the film. The film plays out in a non-linear form with a voice-over narration by Christian. It cannot be classified as being in chronological order due to the fact that it jumps from Christian after Satine dies to the story of their heartbreaking romance. We, the viewer, are invited to view the world through Christian’s eyes, and are as seduced and intoxicated by the spectacle as the naïve poet himself.” (Millar, 2004).
The color scheme used in the beginning sequence is in black and white that later fades into full color when we enter Christians’ apartment through the window. Once the color changes, we can see the disarray of the room and his bedraggled appearance as he clutches one of the numerous liquor bottles in the room. The audience is informed by Christian during this scene that “the woman I love is dead”, which leaves the audience with just enough information to draw them in.
The time period is set by a shot of a sepia-toned plaque stating: Paris 1900. A somber tone is established right from the start with Toulouse’s (John Leguizamo) lyrical telling of Christian’s story. The starting scene is in black and white, using a grainy look to give off an ‘old’ look to match the already established time period. An establishing shot showing the Eiffel Tower that zooms quickly through the dark streets to the entrance of the village of Montmarte lets the audience know where the story is taking place. With the use of computer generated imagery (CGI), the scene then moves past the entrance, through the dim, dirty streets populated by drunkards, prostitutes, and one of the infamous absinthe bars (which was popular at the time, thus adding another prop that helps establish the time period) until it reaches Christians apartment.
He is looking very haggard and worn, his appearance highlighted by the low-key lighting that gives off a lot of shadows; his room is dark and gloomy with the only direct light showing him in his crouched position against the wall. The blue filter used in this scene establishes that it is nighttime and further sets the depressed tone. In order to highlight the differences in Christians attitude in the beginning of the story and that of the one he had when first arriving in Paris, the cinematographer chose to use a red filter when depicting his hopeful, innocent outlook on the world. This gives the impression of happier, carefree days. These scenes show the true nature of the setting, which is at odds with Christian’s naïve rose-colored fantasy. There are two different compositions that convey the message that his life has deteriorated hugely (both at the beginning): the present time shot shows him filled with despair, un-kept, and his typewriter unused and covered with dust. When he begins telling the story, a scene of his stepping out of the train shows him neat, clean, and happy; carrying his typewriter in his hands, ready to use it. This difference is created by different costuming, make-up, and props.
The sequence in which the Argentinean tells a story of the man in love with a prostitute in Buenos Aires is the second scene I chose for this cinematic analysis. The cuts are rapid; often not lasting a whole second which heightens the tension, passion, and tempo of the scene. The lighting for this scene is more varied than that of the opening sequence; the blue and red washes are used when contrasting Satine in her tower and Christian down below. The color blue is symbolic for Satine’s sadness and the coldness of the environment in the Gothic tower during her dinner with the Duke. Christian is bathed in a red light which represents his anger and the jealousy he feels in the situation. In the rehearsal space, there is a lot of low-key lighting, highlighted by numerous shadows through the entire space. There are three places of action: inside the Moulin Rouge, outside of it in the courtyard, and the Gothic Tower.
In the rehearsal space, the music is diegetic; the performers are visible along with the singer while in the tower, although the music comes from within the film world, it is not occurring where the dinner is taking place and neither character can hear it. The pitch and timbre of this scene is a sharp contrast to the other musical numbers in the film. The harmonic ensemble of voices has been replaced by the harsh and gravelly voice of the Argentinean. Later in the song he is joined by Christian; the combination is tense, passionate, and almost scary.
All three places a lit with low-key illumination which emphasizes the stark contrast and creates deep shadows. This works well to create fear and suspense in the tower action and to augment the hard and unforgiving tone. As the Duke realizes that Satine is still in love with Christian, the sound of the sole violin creates and ominous feeling with its plucky notes. The music is used to such great effect in this sequence because of its simplicity. As the scene in the tower escalates towards violence, the Tango becomes more and more violent, and the length of the shots becomes shorter and shorter. Combined with the building music, this creates a great tension, which builds up until all you see are shots of everyone yelling, then Chocolat hits the Duke, Nini falls to the ground, and the music stops. There are major discontinuities in the shots of Satine and the Duke if you look closely- the go from eating at the table to kissing on the chaise lounge, back to the table, etc.- which inter-cut with close-ups of Christian, suggests that many of these shots may be just in his head; consumed by jealousy, he imagines her kissing the Duke as the Argentinean sings.
Moulin Rouge is an incredibly intricate example of the film musical and can be assured a place in film history because of the director’s elaborate use of all the cinematic elements in his arsenal. Luhrman’s attention to detail and respect of the musical genre gives the play its magic. He has used the stylistic elements of cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene, and editing to create a tragic love story full of life, energy, and passion.