...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...
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...In our teaching of Shakespearean film adaptation to undergraduates, one of the issues that frequently arises in class discussions is the question of how the visuality of the cinematic medium is constructed in tension against the verbal nature of Shakespeare's dialogue. The tension between the visual and verbal dimensions of filming Shakespeare is created on two levels: firstly, where the poetry of Shakespeare, functioning as word pictures that stimulate and enhance the imagination of the spectator is set against the capacity of film to show rather than tell; and secondly, where the adaptation negotiates with the canonicity of the Shakespearean text through the mode of the popular.[1] One recent example is Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996) in which the play was made to compete radically with what has been called Luhrmann's 'MTV'-inspired editing, pacing and styling. [2] Another is Branagh's Hamlet (1996), where the concentrated effort to retain every single line of the play created its own burden of visualisation.[3] The creative energy of a Shakespearean film adaptation is often sustained by the dynamic of creating a visual track to 'match' the play's dialogue; in other words, by the question of what images can be used to animate or do 'justice' to Shakespeare's text. Where Shakespeare on film had once been expected to retain the traits of 'high' theatre and art, complete with 'authentic' period costumes,[4] recent adaptations have become more adventurous, liberally adopting...
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...Mid-term Paper October 19 2012 Backstage Musical Evolution The backstage musical has been around for quite some time. From Busby Berkeley and Fred Astaire to more modern like Arthur Freed and Judy Garland, the backstage musical genre will always have a place in Hollywood history. What makes the backstage musical different from the typical musical is that the plot usually revolved around the theater and therefore can lead to natural breaks into song and dance. For example in Easter Parade Fred Astaire says that he can get anyone to become a great dancing partner, therefore Fred and his dancing partner, Judy Garland can break out in dance and the logic would not be questioned. This specific type of musical is very important in the history of American musicals. Like everything else in life, things change and mature and this form of musical is no exception to this. A lot of the movies in this genre started like a straight forward love story with singing and dancing but as time went on the plots for more complicated and mature. They also experimented with different idea and themes as time went on. As time went on the backstage musical changed. While there was a lot of change, one interesting thing that doesn't really change are the people behind these movies. Fred Astaire, Busby Berkeley, Judy Garland, Arthur Freed, and many more seem to have been the go to people for these type of movies. Understandably, they are all unbelievably talented and great at what they...
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...Taylor Norton Tap Kaleena Miller/ Aleutian Calabay November 21st, 2014 Gene Kelly Born on August 23, 1912 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Gene Kelly was an American film actor and director whose athletic style and classical ballet technique transformed the film musical. In the late 1930s, Kelly made his way to the Broadway stage. He had small roles in Leave It to Me!, and One For the Money. In 1940, Kelly played the lead in the popular musical comedy Pal Joey. MGM executive Louis B. Mayer saw Kelly's great performance and offered him a movie contract with his studio. In 1942, Kelly made his film debut with Judy Garland in For Me and My Gal. In Anchors Aweigh (1945), Kelly danced a duet with Jerry, a cartoon mouse something that had not been seen before. Although he has a lengthy filmography, Kelly is remembered for his lead role in Singin' in the Rain, regarded by some as the best dance film ever made. Accompanied only by an umbrella, Kelly put together one of the most joyous dances ever filmed 1952. He explained that his inspiration for the famous street dance scene was the way children like to play in the rain. As interest in the movie musical began to fade in the 1960s, Kelly turned to television. He starred in two short-lived programs; Going My Way, an adaptation of the 1944 Bing Crosby movie, and a 1971 variety show called The Funny Side. Kelly did better with the 1967 television movie Jack and the Beanstalk, which he directed, produced and starred in. The children's...
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...Musical Theater The evolution of musical theater is the true are of telling a story. Musical theater dates all the way back to the 5th century BOE. This was a time the Romans nailed metal to shoes to create the first tap shoes, wagons were called “stages on wheels” and poetry was cited with a melody. Musical theater is presented all around the world thru history, “boots musicals”, and many popular musical films. In ancient Greece, music and dance war introduced thru staged comedies and tragedies. As early as the 3rd century BCE Romans performed in “theaters” by creating the technical part of dance – tap shoes. Now dance steps can be heard. This form of theater is a combination of songs spoken dialogue, acting, and dancing. Musical theater is often compared to opera. The only difference is musical theater targets popular music and opera focuses more on classical. They can also contain different stories from love to tragedies. Composers and singers contribute to explain each character’s feelings thru the music. Musical theater isn’t what it is without a performer who is extremely talented in dancing, singing, and acting. Since the 20th century, musical theater productions are what we know as musicals. Producing a musical contains set designing, costumes, props, lights, and sound. The three key parts of a book musical are music, lyrics, and of course a book. The story is well created full of drama. Musical plays bring songs and dances to another level so real emotions other...
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...movie that I would like to talk about for this genre discussion is The Nightmare Before Christmas I would say that it falls under two categories, animation would be its main genre and its sub-genre would be classified as a musical. The way a musical is done is exactly the way it sounds, they add musical numbers throughout the film. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOtEdhKOMgQ They do not typically sing the entire time, but usually every ten minutes or so after watching some of the acting, it will flow into a musical number. Also the songs normally have something to do with what just happened with the actors. The Nightmare Before Christmas meets its musical criteria with more than ten songs in the entire movie. Three of its most popular numbers being “This is Halloween, Jacks Lament, and What’s this?” This film was written by Tim Burton, another movie I could compare it to and that he directed would be Sweeny Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, it is also in the musical genre. “It tells the story of a serial killer. Typically, however, musicals depict lighter fare, and indeed, in each case mentioned they make what might have been more difficult material easier for the audience to relate to.” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011, Ch. 8.2). I feel that musicals are more of a required taste for movie lovers. I myself enjoy them as well as all movie genres, as the book says, they further add to the story and include more details and feelings into the movie. Sweeny Todd can also be...
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...There is no question that the vibrant comedy musical "La La Land" swept the 74th Golden Globe Award with its lightness and effortless radiance. Both Stone and Gosling performance led the film into winning various Golden Globes that night. With over seven wins, "La La Land" surpassed the record of six awards held by "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) and "Midnight Express" (1978), further making its mark in the film realm of comedy musicals from America’s golden age in the 60’s. During her speech for best actress in a musical or comedy, Emma Stone highlighted the importance of “dreaming” by stating, “I think that hope and creativity are two of the most important things in the world, and that’s what this movie is about.” Despite six...
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...fixation. Copyright laws are partially standardized through international and regional agreements such as the Bern Convention, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the European copyright directives such as the Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations. Although there are consistencies among nations' copyright laws the latter one emphasizes the recognitions of moral rights of creators, such as the right to be credited for the work. In 1902 a law in Germany adapted which said that the approval of each author is required for every public performance of the musical work. The Society for Musical Performing and Mechanical Reproduction Rights (GEMA) was established as a collecting society representing the rights of the copyright of those composers, lyricists and publishers of musical works that are organized as a member in it. The task given to the Gema contains protection of intellectual property rights of music creators and the representation of their interests to get properly remunerated for the use of Truckenbrod, Baetcher 2 their works. The Scope of their jurisdiction pertains to the German Copyright which will be covered below. The German Copyright (Urheberrecht) is the area of law pertaining to the protection of authors of creative work in the fields of literature, science, and art. Creators include writers, composers, painters, etc. In addition to protect the copyrights of creators it protects...
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...Filmmaking Analysis: An Art form in itself Robert Haskins ENG 225: Introduction to Films Hannah Judson 28 June 2010 Filmmaking Analysis: An Art form in itself The art of motion pictures have been compared to other forms of expression art, but what makes it unique is that other art forms are incorporated into motion pictures. Through moving pictures, a story can be told with fluidity and rhythm, like music. Much like a sculpture molds clay or stone into something beautiful; a filmmaker can show us their vision or perspective of a story. Motion pictures have a way of influencing us to change the world, make us laugh and make us cry. This powerful medium has altered our world and has helped shape our culture. Analysis and evaluation is only natural, as humans will always strive to understand why this form of art has made such a lasting impact. To use the techniques to analyze a film, one must first familiarize themselves with the literary elements. By recognizing what the theme is in a motion picture, it becomes easier to see the filmmaker’s intention to the motion picture. Soundtrack and musical score also has the ability to add texture and depth to the experience of watching motion pictures. Just as we place symbolic meaning to other forms of expression, we do the same for motion pictures. Each of us have a different perspective in viewing motion pictures just as no one can see the same piece of art the same way. The style and the way characters are presented...
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...Brooks was born Melvin James Kaminsky on June 28, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York. His father's family were Jews from Danzig, Germany (present-day Gdańsk, Poland); his mother's family were Jews from Kyiv, in the Pale of Settlement of the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine). He had three older brothers: Irving, Lenny, and Bernie. Brooks' father died of kidney disease at 34 when Brooks was two years old.He has said of his father's death, "there's an outrage there. I may be angry at God, or at the world, for that. And I'm sure a lot of my comedy is based on anger and hostility. Growing up in Williamsburg, I learned to clothe it in comedy to spare myself problems—like a punch in the face." In middle age, Brooks became one of the most successful film directors of the 1970s, Brooks started working in various Borscht Belt resorts and nightclubs in the Catskill Mountains as a drummer and pianist. Around this time, he changed his professional name to "Mel Brooks" (from his mother's maiden name Brookman) after being confused with the Borscht Belt trumpet player Max Kaminsky. After a regular comic at one of the nightclubs was too sick to perform one night, Brooks started working as a stand-up comic, telling jokes and doing movie-star impressions. He also began acting in summer stock in Red Bank, New Jersey, and did some radio work. He eventually worked his way up to the comically aggressive job of Tummler (master entertainer) at Grossinger's, one of the Borscht Belt's most famous resorts. Brooks...
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...ability to analyze a film. The two goals that stood out most were to learn to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and points of view and to continue to develop skills in expressing oneself in writing. I benefited from these goals because I now have a deeper knowledge of different film genres and can correctly revise my essays. In order to display the progress made in my writing abilities throughout this semester I chose to revise and analyze Take Me Out to the Ball Game. This class introduced a new aspect of writing for me because I have never been required to analyze the scenes and themes of a film prior to taking this class. The film, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, is a musical comedy about a baseball team. My initial instinct was to classify this film as a simple sports film. However, after analyzing the film it was clear that there was more to it than just a sports perspective. The film had several other themes besides sports, two of which included patriotism and acceptance. It was very interesting to analyze the different relationships among the characters in this sport musical. Despite the different personalities of each character, I found it fascinating that they were so intertwined through their love for baseball and their country. Despite the decrease in the usage of the peer editing process this semester from last semester, it still played a crucial role in the final product of my essays. When choosing an essay topic on each film, no two students were...
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...Music: Play Superman main theme audio, from live orchestra. (0:00-1:26) {Fade music out} Narrator Trevor Withers: Music has always been an important part of film. Soundtracks in Film allow the mood to be set for a particular scene, or In the beginning stages of film before the invention of “talking film” music was used in silent films to demonstrate mood, event or element. Music: {Fade in Music from Birth of the nation} Narrator TW: The first film to have a specific score written for it was Birth of a Nation. The majority of silent films were accompanied by anything from full orchestras to organists and pianists Music: {Cross layer Charlie Chaplin in The Dictator music from the globe scene} Narrator TW: The 1920’s saw the establishment...
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...things ever so slightly; it’s an organic thing. Whereas in film, you only have that chance on the day, and you have no control over it at all,” These insightful words were once spoken by actress (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace) and Oscar winner Judi Dench, and they very clearly illustrate one of the biggest differences between theatre and film. However, a small hint of bias seems to be depicted in this point of view. The quote (and many others) seem to suggest that one form of acting is more difficult than the other. It seems the opposite is true; that when taking one of these art forms (i.e. theatre) and transforming it into the other, one would come across a wide array of differences, as well as similarities. When researching a topic such as this, one must go beyond reading. One must not only dive into a script or a periodical or academic journal, one must immerse themselves into the films that have come about as a result of the transformation of turning a play into a cinematic experience. When going about researching this topic, I watched the movie Chicago (Dir. Rob Marshall, 2002) as well as looked over the original Broadway script (By Jon Kander, Fredd Ebb, and Bob Fosse 1975). The original Broadway production opened June 3, 1975, at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 936 performances. Chicago's 1996 Broadway revival holds the record for the longest-running musical revival and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history, and is the fourth longest-running show...
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...Final Film Critique: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Robert L. Forbes ENG 225 Film: From Watching to Seeing. Instructor Ebony Gibson April 29, 2013 Final Film Critique: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Everyone likes to laugh, and this film is no stranger to the call. O Brother, Where Art Thou is indeed a comical action/adventure and musical romp Directed by Joel Coen and Produced by Ethan Coen. The Cast consist of many favorites in film such as George Clooney, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson. The film O Brother, according to well-known film critic Roger Ebert (2000), “is based on Homer’s The Odyssey” (p.1), this is an epic Greek poem around 700 B.C. Although the setting is much different, the Homeric journey of three would be prisoners of the late 1930s are similar to The Odyssey and its theme of perseverance. The movie O Brother, Where Art Thou however has a comical twist accompanied by great Gospel/Bluegrass music, and scenes that play into an allegorical concept including references to repentance and salvation during the depression of that era. The storyline in this movie the collaborating efforts of the Coen brothers and cinematographer Roger Deakins bring together...
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...Music has been in movies since the first “silent films” were made, and continues to be one of the most influential factors in determining how beautiful and lighthearted, or how horrific and tragic a film is perceived by the audience. This paper will provide an analysis of Hans Zimmer’s composition of the soundtrack to the movie The Dark Knight Rises. This dark, intense and emotionally pounding soundtrack pairs perfectly with the tension between the mysterious Batman character and his latest evil nemesis Bane. We will examine the musical characteristics of two selections from this soundtrack, “Gotham’s Reckoning” which has become Bane’s primary theme music that will forever connect the audience with feeling of impending doom and “Rise” the epic closing number in the movie that connects us to the previous films in the trilogy. There is a reoccurring rhythmic pattern used throughout this soundtrack that seemingly connects each piece in the work. The chant heard throughout the score gives a primitive depth since the words are unrecognizable. Hans Zimmer uses synthesizers and samplers to create this modern score which is closely tied to the music previously written for the two prior films from this trilogy. There are even some parts of the new musical pieces that contain excerpts or samples from the prior films soundtracks. Zimmer uses this technique in order to recreate the emotions from the prior films to establish an immediate connection with the familiar characters. ...
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