SCENE DECONSTRUCTION
Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film, “Moulin Rouge” is vibrant, romantic and all around melodramatic, and it’s the film which I chose to deconstruct a scene from. I will exploring the Roxannne/Tango scene – one of my favourites from the film and possibly my favourite scene out of every Baz Luhrmann movie that I’ve seen, (I’ve seen all of them, multiple times).
The scene embodies a classic Luhrmann piece in every regard, fulfilling all of the characteristics you would expect from the director’s now highly distinguishable style. From Catherine Martin’s exquisite and grandiose costumes and sets to Jill Bilcock’s maniacal editing, and of course, a large emphasis on music. Josh Abrahams’ stunning edition of “El Tango de Roxanne” is performed throughout the scene by José Feliciano, Ewan McGregor, Jacek Koman and Nicole Kidman. This scene is by no means subtle or suggestive, instead, in true boisterous nature of Baz Luhrmann, every emotion is highlighted and amplified to an essentially melodramatic standard.
Within the film, the scene doesn’t necessarily serve any significant purpose in terms of developing narrative. However, it is crucial in the way it works as a tonal piece, heightening the drama towards the lead up to the final act, as the tension of the scene escalates at a rapid pace as if the film is holding its breath before finally exhaling at the end of the scene. The choreography in tandem with the musical performance of “Roxanne” work together to explore the divergence between Christian’s (Ewan McGregor) sadness and jealousy, along with the Duke’s (Richard Roxburgh) lust and terrifying anger. The dance number works to progress the scene by beginning with slow, lengthy and exploring movements, building up to sharp, electric actions that accentuate the impending doom of the characters’ situation.
Arguably, the most striking aspect of this scene is the overwhelming amount of edits that are included in the short space of time, as the cuts happen on average every two to three seconds. I am often unappreciative of directors who use so many cuts that their films seem to have been fed through electric fans. However, for Luhrmann and “Moulin Rouge”, I believe it is the right approach. He uses so many different setups and camera angles that some of the songs seem to be cut not on every word of the lyrics, but on every syllable. There is hardly any breathing room, it makes the scene feel anxious and tense in the best way possible. Shots from the same angle are rarely returned to, resulting in a scene which contains an enormity of camera set ups.
The scene features an array of shots that range from shallow, mid and deep focal lengths as well as an assortment of close ups, mid and wide shots. Medium shots are commonly used throughout the scene featuring a dancer or other supporting characters, while close ups are generally only used when Christian, the prostitute, The Duke or Satine (Nicole Kidman) are on screen. During Satine’s dinner with The Duke when he starts to become mad at her, there is a shot – not particularly groundbreaking, but still powerful in its manner of conveying status. Satine is on the ground with The Duke standing above her, and the camera placed over The Duke’s shoulder, intricately showing Kidman’s portrayal of a fearful, distressed Satine, right before the necklace is ripped from her neck and the music comes to a climax. Wide shots are also sporadically used throughout, and towards the end of the scene, wide aerial shots are used of the dancing troupe as they perform the tango and Christian walks through, clearly showing how small he feels on the inside in perspective of the large dance group.
The scene is all colour and music, sound and motion, kinetic energy and intense emotion. The brilliance of the scene comes not from small details like the framing of a singular shot or the way the light sparks in a character’s eyes in one moment. I believe the scene is a compelling one due to the way everything fits together as a whole to present an to present an enthralling piece of heartbreak and chaos, and wouldn’t wish Baz Luhrmann to have done it any other way.