The mood changes very quickly when the Argentinean falls through the ceiling. Luhrmann does this to give us an insight into what the film is about. It also adds to the comedy of the film, it is unrealistic. This mood change is emphasized by the change in colour and music as well. The speed in which the story is told quickens up. The clothes that the characters are wearing are very unreal to relate to the ‘fairytale’ story. Luhrmann uses musical lyrics that combine musical influences. The audience know the songs, which makes them more involved in the film. When Kylie Minogue appears dressed as a fairy she invites the characters into the world of the Moulin Rouge, this is very unreal. She is used, in my opinion, as she is seen as a sex symbol by many and would persuade them into going into the Moulin Rouge and therefore they will feel like they are the people in the film. The taking of the Drugs and Alcohol by the male characters adds to the fantasy of the film.
The contrast in the costumes in the Moulin Rouge suggests that it is busy, hectic and a wild place to be. The Diamond Dogs’ costumes are all very different. They are all in bright colours but incorporate old-fashioned designs this adds to the historical context of the film. The prostitutes are not synchronized when dancing, whereas the men are. This suggests that the men are all the same and is very typical of Broadway and Hollywood musicals. The men are all wearing tuxedo’s, which also suggests that they are all the same and after the same thing, sex. The music at this point is very up beat. Fat boy Slims remix of the Cancan, Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ and ‘Entertainer’ are all used to get the audience aware and involved in the film, as they know the songs.
When Satine makes her entrance the dance hall falls silent. Her entrance is very important as the audience look up at her as if she was an icon such as Madonna and Kylie Minogue are today. She is dressed very different to the other courtesans. Her clothes are covered in diamantes and she has her hair down. Her outfit is very sparkly and not as ‘slutty’ as the other prostitutes. This relates to her ‘Sparkling Diamond’ title, she is much more classy. She wears a top hat, which is very masculine. Satine falls onto the men and crowd surfs, there is a birds-eye view of this shot. This sequence is both similar and different to typical musicals. The synchronized dancing is very typical of Hollywood musicals. Whereas the modern music isn’t typical of musicals so this makes it different. Also the voiceovers and conversations, which interrupt the musical, too are not typical of old musicals.
The ‘Like a Virgin’ sequence is set in the tower, which suggests fairytales but it also suggests a place of terror. The arched windows are dark suggesting evil. The Duke and Ziegler look directly into the camera, which shows that it is a performance and that we are meant to realise that it isn’t real. The synchronized dancing is typical of a musical of the 1920/30’s but it is also comical. The music used is a modern Madonna song I think Luhrmann uses this as the audience will be able to recognise it and this adds to the comicalness of the sequence. The Duke is wearing a long coat, which along with his English accent gives him a typical ‘baddy’ image.
The tango is a slow and passionate South American Ballroom dance. The movements of the dancers represent the emotions of the dance on one hand they are passionate and on the other hand they are violent as the grabbing of her arms suggests. The dancers are synchronized which is typical of musicals. The dance movements are violent, very sudden jerky movements unlike most tangos. The movements represent the main themes of the play, jealousy, desire, suspicion and violence. They are mirroring what is happening in the tower between the Duke and Satine. For example when the Duke becomes violent towards Satine so too does the dance. The camera starts flicking between the dancing and the events in the tower very fast and this suggests violence.
The final scene of the film is a contrast to the rest of the film as it is much slower in tempo. There is a somewhat sombre mood and is a lot more serious due to the darkness, and lighting. This adds to the emotions of the characters and is a huge contrast to the previous scene as there is virtually no music. This is very stereotypical as when, in general, something tragic happens in the world the coverage is shown in slow motion to emphasize the tragedy, for example the footage of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York.
There is a high angle aerial shot of Satine once the curtains close and they show Satine dying, becoming very weak. This is used as when you look down on someone/something it is seen as be weaker than you. The camera however looks up on Christian, which suggests that he survives. The extreme close up shots of Satine’s face show her eyes face and mouth but when she dies darkness fall over them which shows that she has died.
The curtains closing on the ‘play inside a play’ is similar to the beginning of the film, which suggests the ending of a theatrical performance, which was typical of stage shows. This also suggests that you are leaving the world of the Moulin Rouge. The actually leaving of the Moulin rouge is much darker than the beginning, which symbolises death. The typewriter is far slower than when it was used in the beginning sequence. Which suggests that Christian is still grieving over Satine’s death. Luhrmann has done this to give a sense of leaving a fantasy world and so that you are aware that you are watching a performance. The credits of the film are in Sepia which similar to the beginning sequences adds to the historical context of the film, the music is not as loud s that at the beginning which shows that something tragic has happened at the end of the film. This is different from typical musicals, which usually end happily with the two main characters falling in love or something along that line.
In conclusion Luhrmann uses many techniques throughout the film. The sepia in the opening sequence and the credits at the end gives the impression of the film being historical. The big red curtains opening and closing suggest that you are entering a dream world, the world of the Moulin Rouge. The fact that throughout the film many of the characters look directly into the camera shows that they are putting on a performance. All the close up shots of the characters adds emotion to the film, the lighting creates moods for example when Satine and the Duke are in the tower the lighting is dark which suggests that something bad is about to happen.
The film is similar to typical musicals of the 1920’s and 30’s as in many of the dancing scenes the dancers are synchronized; also the men in the Moulin Rouge wear the same. The fact that the ‘baddy’ of the film is portrayed as being English is similar. The Moulin Rouge is all about putting on a show which is what musicals are all about, especially Broadway musical. There is a huge element of romance throughout the film.
The film on the other hand is different to typical musicals as there isn’t a happy ending. Typical musicals end with, for example, the two main characters getting married or driving off into the sunset, however Moulin Rouge ends with the death of the main female character and love interest, Satine. The sepia is different to typical musicals. The prostitutes in the Moulin Rouge itself wear different clothing, which isn’t seen in musicals, which adds to the films diversity.
