The second element that Dyer presents as creating a utopian sensibility is ‘abundance’ which he relates to the conquest of scarcity and the such things as the enjoyment of sensuous material. In both films there are clearly very high levels of this, but it seems that in 'Moulin Rouge' the abundance creates something other than a Utopian sensibility. However, we will firstly examine the ‘abundance’ presented in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and the way in which this does aid a utopian sensibility. Abundance actually becomes somewhat of a theme in this film, the opening number of the film features Russell and Monroe singing about how they are ‘just two little girls from Little Rock’ who have moved up in the world from the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ to the glamour of show business, and although they are described as gold diggers in the synopsis of the film, a title which more accurately fits Monroe’s character, throughout the film they lead an already extravagant lifestyle. Life on the ship is obviously abundant and they are each seen wearing at least three different outfits a day, outfits so dazzling that the girls have an amazing affect on all men, and in addition to this once the ship docks in Paris they go on another designer shopping spree. This theme of material wealth is enhanced by a focus upon diamonds. Diamonds are the ultimate display of wealth and success but are commonplace within the film. Most people, particularly women, watching may aspire to owning maybe one diamond at some time in their life but they hear Monroe exclaiming ‘Oh I just love finding new places to wear diamonds!’ a statement one can only make if they already possess diamonds to wear in all the usual places. The most abundant scene in the film is thus appropriately when Monroe famously sings ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.’ The opening shot of this sequence is of twirling couples dancing beneath a chandelier made of show girls dressed in sparkling outfits and the camera then pans out to stage which seems far too big for the size of the bar it is supposedly situated in. The backdrop is a deep red and a dramatic contrast to the black of the set and the men’s tuxedo suits, before we even see Monroe the camera focuses on what seems like an endless number of couples dancing up and over some steps. We then see Monroe in an extravagant high fashion evening gown and draped in diamonds. As she sings the song of abundance in praise of the diamond she moves between various groups of men, in this one scene alone there must be over thirty dancers, who drape her with yet more diamonds. This is clearly a display of abundance that creates a utopian sensibility for it is, in essence, every woman’s dream!
Abundance is also evident in 'Moulin Rouge' both in representational and non- representational forms. True to it’s title the film is saturated with a wealth of reds from the brothely crimsons of Kidman’s (Satine) boudoir to the scarlet of Brodbent’s (Zidler) coat tails and this attention to the visuals of the film is one abundant feature which does create something of a utopian sensibility. The Moulin Rouge is presented as a dream world and the character of Satine is it’s dream girl, at the beginning of the film we see her descend from the rafters in spectacular fashion to give her rendition of ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Friend’ There is however an ironic overtone to this abundance, we are reminded as we sweep though the sepia streets of Paris that the Moulin Rouge offers a ‘better’ life than that which the girls would experience otherwise, but they can only achieve this if they are willing to sell themselves. Satine is a performer, a goddess, and anything else to the person who is willing to pay. The abundance that consumes the Moulin Rouge’s customers and viewer is literally consuming Satine, she is dying of consumption meaning that she will never be anything else other than Moulin Rouge’s most popular courtesan, a vision of male desire. The ultimate manifestation of abundance in 'Moulin Rouge' is of course the Duke (Richard Roxborough) who has enough money to fund the Moulin rouge’s transformation into a legitimate theatre, acquiring Satine as his property. As we see through the portrayal of his character and his stereotypical unpleasantness, material abundance in Moulin Rouge is not always utopian.
Thus we see a contrast in the result of the presentation of abundance in each of these films, in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' abundance is unambiguously presented as something to be aspired to and enjoyed, therefore helping to create a utopian sensibility. This contrasts with 'Moulin Rouge’s' presentation of abundance, in this film the happiness associated with abundance is a façade that can only be bought at the expense of other more true forms of pleasure, although initially in the film the abundant imagery may stimulate the audience into feelings of a utopian sensibility as the film progresses this is slowly eroded as the story progresses and events unfold.
The third of Dyer’s categories is that of ‘intensity’ and he argues that in their presentation of people experiencing emotion directly and authentically instead of holding back musicals create a utopian sensibility, he explains this further by arguing that musicals are able to present complex feelings in a way that makes them seem uncomplicated. Again this can be seen in both 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and 'Moulin Rouge' in different guises. In 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' perhaps the most obvious example of this is Monroe’s character’s, Laureli’s, justification for wanting to marry a rich man, ‘A rich man is like a pretty girl’ throughout the film her love for Mr Esmond is never really evident and the audience may view her in the same way the Mr Esmond senior does, however in this one simple explanation she manages to win over both the father in law and the audience and without any further complications the next time we see her she is completely content and walking down the aisle.
In 'Moulin Rouge' this intensity is perhaps more visible in the storyline itself, for it is simply a story about love, as we hear repeated throughout the film ‘This story is about truth, beauty and above all love’ However once again we see that this not fully conformist with Dyer’s critique, even at the start of the film we know that Satine is dead, a completely non utopian ending for a film. There is also evidence that the intensity of the love that Christian and Satine shares actually prevents them from escaping and consigns her to death for it results in him revealing his love for her in an argument with his rival, the Duke. However there are more Utopian elements to there intense love affair, he is the lowly writer who wins the heart of the most popular courtesan with a simple song, Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ at first defying her pimp’s claim that they are creatures of the underworld who can’t afford to love. Her love for him then grows in ways she couldn’t imagine and is willing to leave the life she had dreamed of so they can be together regardless of what should happen …… she is only unable to do so because she is informed of her fate and the threat to his life. Their separation on the night that she is supposed to spend with the Duke marks the most intense moment of the film as the company perform a tango version of the Police’s ‘Roxanne,’ dramatically lit with a virtual spotlight on the couple performing the dance the camera follows them round the dance floor concentrating on their footwork and facial expressions to convey the emotional pain of the situation.
Ultimately we see that in 'Moulin Rouge' there are many more layers behind the original utopian intensity of the love between Satine and Christian which do not fit into Dyer’s critique, in 'Moulin Rouge' the lovers probably have more to battle against than most of the audience and nor do they ultimately succeed and provide us with a fairytale ending , instead Satine dies and we are left unaware of Christian’s fate. This is of course a great contrast to 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' where we witness less visualisation of the ‘intensity’ of feeling but in general the girls want to fall in love and get married, each falls in love with the man of their dreams, one rich, one good looking and it is simply inevitable that they will have the fairytale double wedding, in the meantime all that comes between them and their goal is a stolen diamond tiara and a fiasco that is solved following some dancing in a courtroom. This presentation provides the audience with much more of a utopian sensibility than the intensely passionate but tragic love story of 'Moulin Rouge.'
The fourth of Dyer’s categories is that of ‘transparency’ which I feel overlaps quite significantly with ‘intensity,’ he argues that transparency contributes to the utopian sensibility of musicals through their depiction of relationships of a high quality and through the sincerity of the relationship between the performer and the audience. In 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' the relationship of the highest quality is that between Laureli (Monroe) and Dorothy, (Russell) the longevity and closeness of this relationship is presented to the audience in the opening song, where we are told that they came from Little Rock together and are given the impression that they plan to stick together. The solidity of their friendship is best seen in Dorothy’s character through her endless defence of Laureli’s character, ‘No-one talks about Laureli except me, she’s quite a gal’ Regardless of Laureli’s behaviour and whether or not she agrees with it she is willing to protect and rescue her, as we see when she impersonates her in the courtroom scene. She is also willing to make personal sacrifice for her best friend which we see illustrated when she finds out the man she has fallen in love with is a detective and spells out to him in no uncertain terms in the courtroom scene where her loyalty lies. Regardless of Laureli’s faults we are aware that she shares these deep feelings of friendship which manifest themselves in her search for Dorothy’s perfect match, though she seeks someone who will meet her requirement, money, we are aware that she truly feels this is in Dorothy’s best interest. The audience sees in their relationship a firm and enduring true friendship with no bickering or divided loyalties and this adds to the utopian sensibility of the film.
In 'Moulin Rouge' the highest quality of relationship is clearly that of the true love between Satine and Christian, a love which through their signature tune ‘Come What May’ they pledge will last forever regardless of what should happen to them. Even through Satine’s death this love remains and is somehow made purer, she will never not be the extraordinary Satine that he fell in love with. Throughout the film there love is established though love songs and most emphatically through a rooftop duet called ‘Love Medley’ made up of snatches from the most famous love songs of the past few generations. In doing this Luhrmann has created a ‘cultural common denominator,’ a code through which the audience can readily access the characters and the emotion of the scene, this greatly adds to the utopian sensibility of this aspect of the film as every audience member will be able to identify with at least one of the songs and their idealistic perceptions of true love. It also important to note that the love scenes between Satine and Christian and indeed her death are the most simple scenes in the film, they are devoid of the excess decoration and surrealist paraphernalia of the rest of the film, instead we see them in his simple pauper rented room lit only by the rays of the moon conveying to the audience the utopian idea that is central to one of the songs they sing ‘All you need is love.’ Thus we see a utopian sensibility in this are in both the films, however in the case of ‘Moulin Rouge’ there is an ‘incidental’ point that once again calls this into question, Christian has supposedly found the ultimate true love…. Yet he fails to notice that she is dying!
In both ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ and ‘Moulin Rouge’ we also see a transparency of relationship between the performer and the spectator. Both men and women will appreciate one of the characters of Laureli or Dorothy and although Monroe has become something of a parody now, her relationship with the audience centres on this sexual star persona and thus she is perfect for the part of showgirl come gold digger. In the case of ‘Moulin Rouge’ there has been a development since the film was made that has actually affected this relationship with the audience, that being Kidman’s private life, the result of her divorce and the way in which the she has suddenly become a ‘showbiz heroine’ means that the audience enjoys seeing her even more in a role like this and appear to be totally won over by her portrayal of Satine. McGregor’s performance as Christian is probably the most obvious case of transparency, with his boyish face and widespread grin the audience are convinced by the sincerity of him as the lowly writer consumed by love.
The final element of the musical that Dyer suggests is influential to the creation of a utopian sensibility is the way in which they present their audience with communities where everyone looks after each other and generates a constant sense of togetherness. This is perhaps an element which has become increasingly utopian as the world becomes more and more secular, people are moving away from their families and factors such as the diminishing of religion and small villages means that people now are very unlikely to feel that they are part of any given community. In 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' not only are we presented with the friendship of Dorothy and Laurelei, who appear as an almost self contained community working together to keep Laureli out of trouble, but we also see that the ship becomes the carrier for a larger community of performers. This can be seen in the first sing along choral number ‘Bye bye baby’ as everyone gathers in the one room to say goodbye to their loved ones and sing along with Dorothy we are aware that they are all in the same situation and see them interact as a community from this point on, for example ‘Is there anyone here for love,’ and the way in which Henry Stopforth Jnf covers for Laureli. There is less a sense of community than is portrayed in other musicals, for example those of the backstage kind with everyone working together to put on a show, however in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' this element is present, particularly in the way in which Laureli and Dorothy work together to get out of scrapes, and it does add to the utopian sensibility as, as described earlier, it is an experience that most of the audience will not share.
In 'Moulin Rouge' the community is clearly that of the Moulin Rouge itself and this is particularly evident as both the prostitutes and the members of Christian’s Bohemian acting group conspire to keep Satine and Christian’s love affair secret and support their romance. The play they all work on together to perform for the Duke is the materialization of this, and in this area we see elements of the traditional backstage musical with the company of show girls working together to put on a show, which is a deception within a deception, not only are they concealing their love from the Duke but they are also telling their tale in a show funded by his money. This conspiracy of cover produces one of the most amusing scenes of the film as Zidler (Broadbent) sings ‘Like a Virgin’ as a distraction so the Duke won’t notice that that Satine is otherwise occupied. It is when this community is threatened by Satine’s imminent departure that Zidler makes the decision to force her to stay but during the show’s finale even he realises what the valid ending should be. Thus we see that both films contain the element of community, in the contracted form of the girl’s friendship in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and in the more traditional group with a shared purpose in 'Moulin Rouge' and in each of these films it does aid the presentation of a utopian sensibility on the surface, however in 'Moulin Rouge' I would argue that the utopian benefits we see in the ‘community’ aspect are like ‘abundance’, ‘intensity’ and ‘transparency’ only successful within a certain remit. The community of the Moulin Rouge exists in it’s own Utopia… as long as you are willing to sell your body and soul to it, once Satine decides to leave the community she is doomed to die, and to preserve his community Zidler is willing to leave her loveless for the remainder of her life
Thus we see that musicals can create the utopian sensibility that Dyer outlines, we certainly see this in the case of 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' where the abundant lifestyle, true friendship and love and fairytale ending would instil in any audience member the ‘feel good factor’ of utopia. In 'Moulin Rouge' however we see that these elements work on another level, there is the fairytale romance, the excitement, the material abundance and the support of the community but it all comes at a price. Yes the audience member is thrilled by the opening lavish scenes and their heartstrings are pulled by the exemplary love of Satine and Christian but I doubt that they leave the cinema light hearted. The utopian sensibility is successfully created by Luhrmann and the story is indeed about ‘truth, beauty and above all love’ but it is also about the deceit, ugliness and heartbreak that can lie beneath these, a utopian sensibility turned on it’s head? Perhaps this contrast in the way in which the utopian sensibility is utilized by Hawks and Luhrmann is a sign of the times in which their films were created, 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' is a film of the 1950s, the time of the post war social and economic boom, meanwhile 'Moulin Rouge' is the one of the fist musical’s of the 21st century and perhaps in it’s timely portrayal of love in the face of corrupting commerce it provides us with the only form of utopia that the audience can remotely relate to in today’s consumerist society.
Reference:
R Dyer; Entertainment Utopia, (1976)
