The Moulin Rouge
The Postmodern Dream
By Chris Simmons
Introduction
In this essay I shall be looking over key parts as to what I believe helps define this film as postmodern. The film “The Moulin Rouge” is a colourful masterpiece of culture mash ups and untraditional filming styles. Chaotic pretty much from the beginning, this beautiful film divulges immediately into a complex storytelling technique as the lead character Christian takes us into his world to tell us the story of his one and only love as he writes his book, which is quite obviously based within a story already (the movie itself). Within this also is another tale of which the actors of the Moulin Rouge immerse them self on stage for other characters within the film to enjoy. This deep, indulgent way of visually telling the tale to the audience is the base of what helps to drive this story into unusual territory, whilst amongst the somewhat Circus/Nightclub appearance of the Moulin Rouge we witness the passionate romance between two forbidden lovers. We discover their flaws, their determination and just how far they will go to hide their love. It covers a variety of emotional cocktails, by thrilling you with a rollercoaster of enchantment in the beginning, to a blossoming love story mid film, to an intense action packed ending where the film slows down to a halt. As we find out at the start of the film, the main story is based on Christian’s dead lover; there is always an undeniable sense of anxiety as we know to expect certain death
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“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return”
Unknown. (unknown). Moulin Rouge Script - transcript from the screenplay and/or Baz Luhrmann movie starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. Available: http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/m/moulin-rouge-script-transcript-luhrmann.html. Last accessed 5th November 2010.
This heart-felt statement is used throughout the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film “Moulin Rouge” from beginning to end. Its repetition is not a mistake, the words resonate the films true moral to the audience, willing them to understand a simplistic notion throughout a film which to the eyes of many may seem chaotic. The audience is thrown into a world where logical “systematic” rules are broken, a world that compares to that of our dreams, to the reflection of the hearts inner desires. Therefore, this film truly speaks as a pillar of the Avant-garde – it represents the pushing of acceptable boundaries that we are familiar with, or which people are comfortable with. This somewhat abstract approach is even implied from the very beginning of the film, where we see the Orchestra Conductor of the Moulin Rouge conducting the 20th Century Fox music before the film itself has started.
(Quote on Art Critic “Hal Foster” about the modern interpretation of the Avant-garde)
In his article "Whos Afraid of the Neo-Avant-Garde?" Hal Foster reminds us that "to pose the question of repetition" in twentieth century cultural history is to pose "the question of the neo-avant-garde" (foster 1996:1).
Unknown Author/Group wrote (2005). Avant Garde/Neo Avant Garde. Amsterdam - New York: Rodopi. 346.
This quote taken from a book based on modern directions of the Avant-garde being used within Cinematic and alternative media. This gives an insight into the changing world, how futuristic endeavours can scare majorities of the social structure, how as humans we are comfortable in our untouched surroundings which support our daily lives as we know them. In the film “The Moulin Rouge”, we see Ewan McGregor’s character “Christian” portraying reaction to exactly this sort of situation. The year is 1899 - the turn of the century - people are gaining more rights and understanding of the environments they live in. As Christian has travelled from London to get away from the regular, gritty dull life of bricks and closed minds he steps into the revolutionary world of the Bohemian lifestyle in Paris. Due to Christians reaction to his new surroundings earlier within the film, we can clearly see his characters culture shock and confusion; yet willing to become a part of something refreshing to society as he knows it. At the time this film is set within this was often widely looked unaccepted by most outsiders. Also as Foster mentioned “the question of repetition”, this could be compared to how the term “love” is used many times within this film. This word is a symbol for mankind’s will to be able to move forwards, to show how society cannot be forced into something its not ready for.
It’s about walking carefully into the unknown, the things we are sceptical about for something to become familiar, a paradoxical situation the human race has seemingly come across since the beginning of our existence.
“In the United States a show on public television called Freestyle demonstrated to adolescents that it was all right for girls to explore non-traditional jobs such as automotive mechanics rather than, say, baby-sitting.”
Cheris Kramarae - editor, Dale Spender - editor. (2000). Routledge International Encyclopaedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge. Volume: 3. Approaches to improving a Woman’s image. 3 (unknown), 1719.
The quote above shows clear indication of attempts to observe change to the stereotyped attitudes towards Women in society however proved unsuccessful when the teenagers in question responded in gender controlled order.
“The audience understood this lesson and also expressed attitudinal support for less gendered occupations, but their response to a behavioural question-“Would you apply for a non-traditional job or hire a girl as a car mechanic?”-was negative.” (taken from the same page of quotation as above)
This helps therefore conclude that it is a natural behaviour to expect less from Women, perhaps due to their physical stature or domestic tendencies. Therefore, before the introduction of “identity politics” in the early 1900’s, Women were subjected to the dangers of such behaviour. This makes it perfectly clear why in “Moulin Rouge”, Satine was subjected to a life of giving herself up to pleasure men, often to seduce them for the Moulin Rouge’s ring leader Harold Zidler’s (Jim Broadbent) advantage. Other films hit on this subject in a different manner, purposefully making the female characters appear strong without effort, for example “Charlie’s angels”.
“Charlie’s Angels works on the premise that an overload of style and kitschy intertextuality is liberating—these gals are not burdened by a history of sexual oppression. This text is so flattened as to suggest a surface with no underpinning: a surface of limitless play. Here is postmodernism at its most emblematic.”
Jodi Ramer. (2004). Postmodernism and (post)feminist boredom. Available: http://www.synoptique.ca/core/en/articles/feminist_boredom/. Last accessed 6th Nov 2010.
Another key point to highlight is how the film merges modern day musical compositions in with an environment suitable to the early 1900’s. This is a genre “mash up”, further pushing the boundaries of the films logic and our understanding of knowledge about the films time period. Such artists as Christina Aguilera, Fatboy Slim and David Bowie perform fused musical compositions of modern pop music with the elegance of the grand and theatrical musical sounds of the early 1900’s.
“Japonism, a movement of Far-Eastern inspiration which used Japanese influences in French art, was at its height. Toulouse-Lautrec, with his famous Japanese engravings, was one of its most famous disciples at that time. The atmosphere fitted perfectly the appearance of the first cabarets, such as the Moulin Rouge in 1889.”
Alain Well, David Price, Maurice Joyant, Jacques Pessis, Henry Jacques. (unknown). History.
Available: http://www.moulinrouge.fr/index_gb.php#/histoire/. Last accessed 6th Nov 2010.
As with most films of Historical context, the Moulin Rouge is actually based on a real function where events of a similar nature to the story took place. The film uses this as a reference to its art direction, however somehow spews over a drunken, trip like state within itself due to the addition of clashing anomalies. The exaggerated designs of the buildings and other environments in this film deliver further the dream like state of Christian’s memories, whilst brightening up the architecture used within the era itself. Even the Moon is depicted to have a human face, as if it is another onlooker looking down onto its own perspective of the story. This helps to make the film “come to life”. Rather than making this film uncomfortable to watch, it somewhat helps the heart warming nature, as the characters therefore are still dwelling amongst an environment subtly familiar to the audience of modern day. This provokes further questions such as why do we feel an essence of uncanny-like intent within a film of which we should be find familiar to ourselves and mankind’s history? How can this story get away with using so many layers of narrative as a result?
To answer these questions the theory of postmodernism comes into play:
“What is specifically postmodernist, however, is not the critique of tradition itself--for such a critique was central to the Enlightenment project of modernity as well--but rather the more far-reaching claim that truth and rationality are always socially and discursively constructed and their validity and applicability are necessarily limited to their particular contexts or situations. They have, it is claimed in principle, no general or universal import.”
Satya P. Mohanty (1997). Literary Theory and the Claims of History: Postmodernism, Objectivity, Multicultural Politics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. 270.
This puts across that postmodernism isn’t designed for rules or boundaries, its point claiming that everything around us is not there for a particular reason, that things don’t have to be definitively a certain way. The streets of 1899 Paris do not have to look like the streets of Paris in 1899 in a modern day movie, further more it could be argued as there isn’t anyone alive today who witnessed this period of time that there is most defiantly no rule to its appearance. The film gives the audience the sense that Christian’s home and lifestyle in London was far too formulaic, dull and still held within the confines of modernism. In times of an industrial revolution there was bound to be more curious minds headed towards the ways of the enlightenment movement. This is comparable to a previous quote stating how humans instinctively label their lives into certain categories. As humans, we slowly follow on when things change; we adapt to our surroundings and presume we are following the correct approach.
Kevin J. Vanhoozer (2003). The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. 295.
In relation to the film, these individual “rules” of postmodernity implies several things which the Moulin Rouge captures: The characters all have a sense of themselves and what makes others around them who they are, each personality sparkles with underlining moral that fits the story. In the case of the two main characters, Christian and Satine, they both describe how their love feels for one another. In their two very different approaches to society, the response each deliverance gives from these characters indeed shows a lot about their individual approaches to an Avant-garde lifestyle. The “Villain” of the film, otherwise known as “The Duke” (Richard Roxburgh) is seemingly teamed up with Harold Zidler, which hopefully would prove to benefit the Moulin Rouge. Again, The Duke most likely sees the Moulin Rouge in a totally different fashion to the bohemian eyes of Harold, yet in the name of money he feels the pressure to sign a contract. Furthermore we see Harold indulging in propaganda to help keep his deal sweet, this begins to conclude what side of the fence Harold is actually on – yet according to post modernity technically he would be on neither side. None of the characters seem closed to what occurs within their lives, as they flare the bright energy of the bohemian people. However, we do see within the characters their underlying gut emotion, and when questioned of whom they really are each cannot really answer, as it reflects that their lives actually shadow in the negativity of the “real world” outside of their revolution. As the above quote suggests “there is no such phenomenon as postmodernity.” There are only postmodernities” therefore linking into making this layered maze of different concepts somewhat understandable, and seemingly normal.
Overall I find the Moulin Rouge to be an interesting work of art, touching and rich with strong content. Its deliberate attack on traditional film making helps to sell it, but also helps to make it a film you can watch over and over again to find out new things you never noticed before.
References
Pictures
· Moulin Rouge front cover picture
Images: Rachygirl. (2010). The best chick flicks of the decade. Available: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://filmpopper.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Moulin-Rouge.jpg&imgrefurl=http://filmpopper.com/the-best-chick-flicks-of-the-decade/&usg=__mFGPiR7SNJpWZ12nhCLH1. Last accessed 8th Nov 2010.· Moon
unknown. (2001). unknown. Available: http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/nicole_kidman_ewan_mcgregor_moulin_rouge_002.html. Last accessed 8th Nov 2010.· Dancers
unknown. (2001). Moulin Rouge Premiere Photos. Available: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1804133346/photo/premiere/192615. Last accessed 8th Nov 2010.Book quotations
Unknown Author/Group wrote (2005). Avant Garde/Neo Avant Garde. Amsterdam - New York: Rodopi. 346.
Cheris Kramarae - editor, Dale Spender - editor. (2000). Routledge International Encyclopaedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge. Volume: 3. Approaches to improving a Woman’s image. 3 (unknown), 1719.
Satya P. Mohanty (1997). Literary Theory and the Claims of History: Postmodernism, Objectivity, Multicultural Politics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. 270.
Kevin J. Vanhoozer (2003). The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. 295.
Online quotations
Unknown. (unknown). Moulin Rouge Script - transcript from the screenplay and/or Baz Luhrmann movie starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. Available: http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/m/moulin-rouge-script-transcript-luhrmann.html. Last accessed 5th November 2010.
Jodi Ramer. (2004). Postmodernism and (post)feminist boredom. Available: http://www.synoptique.ca/core/en/articles/feminist_boredom/. Last accessed 6th Nov 2010.
Alain Well, David Price, Maurice Joyant, Jacques Pessis, Henry Jacques. (unknown). History.
Available: http://www.moulinrouge.fr/index_gb.php#/histoire/. Last accessed 6th Nov 2010.
