Baz Luhrmann is a filmmaker most well known for his extravagant productions, excessive techniques, and emphasis on hyper-realism. Among his most notable works is Moulin Rouge!, a movie musical set in 1899 Paris. This paper will discuss how the authentic editing techniques and stunning cinematographic visuals displayed in Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge! enhance its dexterity of musical sequences through the use of fast cuts, montages, slow motion and cross cutting techniques, as well as the elements of color, lighting, composition, visual effects, and camera angles. Scenes that this paper will analyze in terms of these features include the “Lady Marmalade”, “Your Song”, and “El Tango De Roxanne” performances.
To begin, the editing style of this film is unique and ultimately is what enhances the musical performances. Rhythmic editing is used frequently throughout the film, but one scene in particular that significantly adopts this fast-paced technique is the “Lady Marmalade” song sequence. The music begins with split-second shots of can-can dancers lip-syncing the disco song “Lady Marmalade” baffling viewers as much as the innocent protagonist Christian on his first introduction to the legendary nightclub, the Moulin Rouge. Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is improbably added to the medley as the film cuts to the outside of the club until a visual effects shot quickly returns the viewer to a montage of a mass of bodies performing to Harold Zidler, the master of ceremonies’ can-can rap. The film cuts to the exterior again to follow Zideler’s superhuman plunge back into the fray with jump cuts to illustrate his overt solicitation of the audience, showing him commanding various stages. Promptly, Zidler signals for silence, and the music, dancing, and editing resume at an even faster pace after the pause. Editor Jill Bilcock cut a three-minute musical sequence with close to two hundred individual shots here (Corrigan 197). The rapid cutting of this scene is what enhances the overall performance– without the edits this sequence would be quite average and much less thrilling. The use of slow motion in this scene also contributes to the performance, as it practically expresses how Christian and the audience are seeing the Moulin Rouge for the first time: taken aback by its energy and mass amounts of people. Christian’s face is also portrayed in slow motion as he sees the Diamond Dogs for the first time, completely entranced by the spectacularity of them and the atmosphere of it all. He adjusts and is seen performing in the crowds too having fun. The use of slow motion and the general editing of this sequence contributes to the artistry and ambience of the song, revealing the bohemian type of reality of the Moulin Rouge.
Another element that greatly influences the musical performances of this film, is the cinematography, through the composition, color, and visual effects. One scene in particular that emphasizes these components is the “Your Song” musical sequence. Beginning with the composition, when Christian starts singing there’s a close-up shot of Satine’s face as she’s taken aback by his abrupt breakout into song. These shots of her slowly realizing she may have feelings for him influence the song’s meaning and progression. There’s a shallow depth-of-field here too on the two of them in the beginning of the song, and the bokeh lights in the background of Christian adds to the tonality. Moreover, the colors in this sequence are significant in reflecting the overall mood. Red is often a color associated with love, and it’s eminently used here, especially in the background of both characters’ closeups and the structure they are in itself. As they enter the clouds, this red tone switches to blue, as if conveying a sort of dreamy atmosphere. The visuals of this sequence are what make the song, as the city of Paris lights up once Christian begins to sing, symbolizing how extraordinary he sounds. Again, when the two of them enter the dreamlike world above the city, this heightened realism depicts the feeling of falling in love, as the stars are twinkling and the moon is singing, adding to the message and clarity of the song. They are then transported back to reality, and as Christian says he’s a writer, not a Duke, the music grinds to a halt, which would’ve been less effective without that entire serenading sequence beforehand. Without the composition, colorful qualities, and visual effects of this scene, the musical performance would be significantly less entertaining and wouldn’t hold the same value or spark to showcase the two lovers’ emotions in this special moment.
A scene that accentuates both editing and cinematography is the “El Tango De Roxanne” musical sequence. Its use of rapid editing and cross-cutting, as well as the lighting, color and camera angles heavily impact the intensity of the song. Cross-cutting is a technique used here to show the juxtaposition between Christian and Satine, as the Duke “dines” with Satine and Christian faces his jealousy and anger through the Unconscious Argentinean’s performance of “Roxanne”, in which he demonstrates the situation. “Desire, passion, suspicion, jealousy, anger” are the emotions he shouts out, as they cut from him and Nini, who is posing as Satine, to the Duke and Satine. This begins the introduction to the intensity as the music builds up. The editing takes an expeditious turn during the final parts of the song, after the Duke becomes aware of Satine’s love affair with Christian. As the violin gets faster so do the cuts, until everyone is screaming their individual parts of the song. In the moment where the music briefly fades out, the camera angles capture the emotions felt by Christian and Satine. The high and low angles of Satine on the balcony and Christian down below doesn’t only orient the viewer in a direct spatial context, but it also illustrates the physical and emotional distance between Christian and Satine at this precise moment. Another prominent factor to include in the scene is the color and lighting. Each location that is seen in this sequence is very dimly lit, and the colors are either red or blue. The dark atmosphere reflects the mood of this scene, and inherently adds to the chaos that is being depicted through the music. As well, the red tinges in the beginning of the scene indicate a sort of passionate, vulgar ambience, while simultaneously representing the anger and hostility felt by Christian. A blue tinge is also shown as the scene proceeds, primarily in the shots of Satine and the Duke, conveying the sinister actions of the Duke’s advances and Satine’s vulnerability. These two colors could also be seen as a contrast to previous heartfelt scenes in the film, in which red was shown to depict the feeling of falling in love, and blue was a dream-like fantasy.
Overall, Moulin Rouge! would not be as lively and exciting of a movie musical if it wasn’t for the editing and cinematography. Its use of rhythmic editing, jump cuts, montages, cross-cutting, as well as composition, color, lighting, and visual effects is what heavily impacts the musical performances seen in this film– especially in the “Lady Marmalade”, “Your Song”, and “El Tango De Roxanne” scenes. Baz Luhrmann’s chaotically unique style of filmmaking is undoubtedly present in this film, which makes the modern era songs used in 1899 Paris work, through a wild blend of editing and cinematography and much more.
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References:
Corrigan, Timothy. The Film Experience. Macmillan Higher Education, 2017. [Macmillan].
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