‘Moulin Rouge’ Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend

Satine descends on her swing in a high angles LS. In the background we see all the people at the Moulin Rouge. The use of the long shot has enabled Baz to juxtapose Satine as the singular ‘sparkling diamond’ and her masses of fans. The high angle shot has given her power and authority over these fans. They are looking up to her and admiring her. She is their idol and role model, everyone is in awe of her presence. The red curtain at the top of the shot reminds ther audience of the theatricality of the event. It is framing the action we see. Satine has her back facing to the camera to maintain the mystery of this iconic figure that everyone has been speaking about. Cut to LS from ground showing masses of men in suits looking up at Satine. This repetitive costuming gives a patterned effect when displayed using the LS. This also helps to highlight Satines individuality as she is the star in a room full of men dressed all in plain black and white. Cut to CU of Christian and Talousse. Their heads are close together in the frame, they are making conversation but their eyeline remains facing up towards Satine. They do not make eye contact with each other, again highlighting Satines ability to capture the attention of a whole room. Cut to EXU of Satines profile, she is gazing down at her fans. This eyeline also maintains the mystery but she slowly moves her eyeline up to reveal herself to the camera and the audience. Baz then fades to a birds eye CU shot of satine falling backwards. This foreshadows Satines health issues and future tragic death. The change in colour tone and use of a cross fade rather then a cut signifies to the audience that this scene is from a different point in time and not part of the linear narrative. Cut TO CU of Satine, front on facing camera. She is making direct eye contact, addressing the audience and demonstrating her strength as a character. Camera zooms on MS of Christian and the Duke. They are positioned on wither side of the frame. This demonstrates their rivalry. They are back to back which presents them as opposing characters. They are both fixed on Satine which foreshadows their future competition to win the heart of the same woman. MLS of Satine swinging on swing as she is descending from the roof. CU of the Duke staring at Satine, his face is stern. The CU captures the power in his face and represents him as a stern character who knows what he wants. This hints to the audience that he will be a antagonist. Camera zooms to MS of Christian and the Duke, they frame the shot and are both on polar opposite ends of the shot. The zoom effect helps to highlight that both men are simultaneously coming to a realization that Satine is the object of their affection. ECU of type writer. Reminds the audience that they are being told this story and that it is being narrated to them from the future. This also enables them to accept the flash forwards and foreshadowing as they know that the events being shown on screen are historic and have occurred in the past. Christian, the narrator is already aware of how the story pans out. The text spells ‘the duke’. Baz then cuts to a CU of the duke. The music gets heavier and becms more dramatic to hint that the duke will be the source of a plot twist. Birds eye shot follows satine winging round the room in a circular motion. Mid shot with the bottom half of the frame showing masses of men with their hands raised. The op half of the frame is satine swinging on the swing. This shows the contrast between Satine and the number of men with their hands raised up towards her. It highlights to the audience that she is a very popular performer. Cut to MS of other Moulin Rouge performers, they are dressed in bright bold colour and there are 4 of them in shot. By then cutting to a CU of Satine in her elaborate, sparkling outfit Baz is demonstrating that Satine is the most popular performer. She is at a level higher then the rest of the girls. This also foreshadows the problems Satine encounters with the other girls as they betray her due to jealousy of her success. LS of Satine in the center of the frame. Her sparkling silver outfit contrasts the black suits of the men who are surrounding her and framing her in the center of the shot. Quick cuts between Satine preforming, the men waving and shouting, the back up dancers and Christian and the duke. These shots are intercut at a faster pace as the pace of the music builds up. This increases the tension amongst audiences and highlights the frenzy that Satine causes every time she preforms. She is a catalyst for action and drama yet she remains calm and collected. CU of a mans hand as he holds out the diamonds. CU as Satine takes them from him. Highlights materialistic world that Satine is a part of. Where girls sell themselves in exchange for money and commodities. Foreshadows the future themes of the film including money, greed and the importance of love over valuables. MS high angle as Sating flings herself upon masses of men fanning money at her. She is surrounded, trapped in a world where she can be bought off.

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