Moulin Rouge Analysis

Keywords: moulin rouge film analysis

Nowadays we live in democratic society and all members take action in shaping our culture. From all forms of mass communication, from all types of art the cinema occupies in society unique position. Many critics take the cinema to “hot” facilities of mass-media, i.e. to such, which fully seize spectator perception and compel a spectator to be identified with the heroes of film, and sometimes and with a movie camera. Specific of cinema spectacle is in its comprehensive affecting deep layers of consciousness, in a breach to archetypes of collective unconscious. An audience that gather together even today submerge in this world of dreams, appellant to bottomless and ancient archaic character of our consciousness, affecting all strings of the soul and simultaneously reflecting the most topical problems of contemporaneity. I’d like to analyze one musical that has a title “Moulin Rouge” and I like it very much. Getting through the fashionable salons of Paris, through the fairs of beginning of age, finding a sound and color, surviving the competition of television and video, films continue to unite people, giving oneself up the magic twinkling of illusion, able to unite emotions, passions, expectations and dreams of millions together. Not a single art passes with such authenticity – exactly because of that is not a locomotive picture, copying reality, and shows by itself the product of collective creation and consumption, – our everyday life, our habits and consuetudes, doing them maximally accessible to the greatest masses. I want to say that it is too easy to be critical of things we dislike. Additionally, we tend to be cynical about things we dislike, rather than critical and for this my assignment, I will be required to employ the critical process to something that I like, of my favorite film or it will be better to say to my favorite musical.

First of all it is necessary to pay our attention on the next information that the nature of the cinema socializes people, unites them – and it has a place not only because it is the synthesis of all other arts (and in this sense has one analogy – temple action only) but also that is why, that the cinema is industry which must be covered a cost, functioning like the kind of independent “thing in itself”, but not burdening society financial dependence, compensated submissive execution of “social order”. Only the cinema is able to engulf practically all spheres of public consciousness, however much it is a sphere of mythology, i.e. cognition of the world by immersion in the difficult structures of archetypes and phenomena, by their emotional research “from within”. Putting in order and taking away individual and social myths in the sphere of consciousness, the cinema reconsiders them in a spirit every new decade, for history of cinematographic being art by a whole epoch. Intruding in a daily occurrence, the glimmered ray of projector compels us to comprehend and experience our life as nothing much more valuable and considerable, than that, how we perceived it. And herein is a true of the cinema, because it does not substitute by itself reality, but mythologized private and public life, giving every action and motion of the soul of man unique and epic scope. Much more unbelievable things happen in life, there are coincidences and chances, far more surprising, than on the screen, but the cinema offers to us problems, characters and signs in more bare and dramatized kind. It is a way of an old proverb appearance: “As in the cinema!”

I want to make my first step of critical analysis with musical description. Moulin Rouge is a romantic musical film produced by Baz Luhrmann in 2001. In accordance with Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orpheah myth and also on Guiseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata. It tells us amazing love story of a young English poet Christian (Ewan McGregor) and the star of Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman). Chriastian fall in love with this girl and as a result of it we receive wonderful musical that take away our feelings and emotions. The film won two Oscars (for direction and costume design) and was really nominated on 8 of them. In Sydney, Australia it was filmed at Fox Studios. We should mark that it is the first musical in 22 years that was nominated for the best picture.

Analyzing this musical we can say that the first half of film is a continuous furious show, dances, cancan, songs, phantasmagoria, shocking sceneries, humor and slapstick. Dynamics of development of events is quite shocking. You do not have time to regain consciousness from one most magnificent shot, as it is replaced other, yet more magnificent, chic and impressive. But from some certain moment, when all protagonists of this theatrical are certain, it loses all dynamism and grows into viscous and a few snotty melodrama. Dynamism at once is lost, the masculine half of hall begins frankly to be sad and reaches mobile telephones, to read the SMS-massages got in times of cancan, however nice ladies… Nice ladies look at this simple history not attentively, nervously pinning handkerchiefs against the charming noses. It is love story for them. An old love story! Old words of love! However, I do not have claims against that bright, magnificent and a very dynamic action suddenly whipped off steam and rolled at a speed of light carriage, spreading wheels on an asphalt old as the world story about a love triangle and about that, how harmful and it is wrong to fall in love in courtesans. In fact, it is laws of genre! It is a rule of construction of such films! Show, whirlwind, slapstick, whereupon sudden viscous melodrama.

Describing and summarizing actions of this musical I want to say that personally for me the first half of film atoned everything. Because it is the real show. Because it is perfectly taken off and looks at oneself simply splendidly. “Moulin Rouge” was filmed without the observance of some age-old canons and traditions, giving vent unrestrained flight of fantasy and allowing artists, computer designers, decorators and ballet-masters to create something new and interesting. A quite phantasmagoric spectacle went out from their hands, describing it with more details and bright images.

I like this musical Moulin Rouge very much and I want to emphasize that separate brilliant idea was to take plenty of modern hits and rehash them for this film. Thus, part of hits interlaced in magnificent pot-pourri, and some are carried out as independent works, but with quite by other accent and with quite by other serve. As you understand, to use for this film immortal “Show must go on” is a very risky step, taking into account a few specific orientation of film and awe which tests most audience to immortal and great singer. But in spite of the fact that in “Moulin Rouge” this song performance far from it due fervor, it sounds completely another faint notes and overflows span-new paints.

If to be honest and critical in this film analyzing part of audience was disappointed with this film. Almost on every session a few persons (however, quite two-bit) leave cinema hall. Probably, they expected a not musical, but melodrama and they did not simply have patience a bit to wait the same tears and sobbing… De autre part, somehow foolishly from a film with the name Moulin Rouge not to wait songs and dances. And they there are fully enough. Abort from film a love-story and it will turn out into a few quite shocking video clips. Especially as Luhrmann, as that is required by modern realities, feels free for surveys to use the clips manner of the endless changing of personnels and plans. But it does not irritate, because it done enough fairly.

This musical forced me to think about interesting eternal questions. Is it correct to behave to the cinema spectacle as to the next type of public entertainments? It depends on the term that is understood under “entertainment”. As major socially-psychological force, the cinema releases a spectator from frustrations and tension of the last day, from an existential melancholy and numerous phobias, from sense of guilt or vulnerability. It is not an “escape” from problems, but clearing of the soul and returning of individual society «resting», and sometimes and finding the new understanding of own life et al. Complexes and affects «hatch» from the psyche of audience the masses by different cinema genres. The film of horrors is cleared by a subconsciousness from fear of death or illness, a comedy takes off a conflict between society and individual; fervor of detective – not only in romanticism of city but also in proclamation of right for every human personality on protecting from any encroachments from outside. On consisting and development of such cinema genres of country it is possible effectively to define the degree of democracy of every society.

Thus, taking into account all above mentioned and my personal emotion it is possible to conclude that it is really good musical, with interesting easy plot and emotional its presentation. I can recommend this film to all my friends, but it is necessary to watch it on a large screen, because exactly big screen allows spectators to receive all necessary impressions from a brilliant show. I would recommend men to go away from the half of film, from that moment, when Kidman begins continuously to die, can however, because “Like and virgin” is carried out in the second half of film, and “Roxanne” – and quite in the end. But if you will not look these shocking numbers, it means you did not see this film. And it needs to be looked. It is satisfied unusually and very amusing. In my opinion you should remember that it is not a film but musical and wait wonderful show but not great film’s plot.