Transcript Self-Reflexivity in Popular Culture Pastiche in Moulin Rouge Compiled

Self-Reflexivity in Popular Culture
Pastiche in Moulin Rouge
Compiled by Amitee, Sarah Steve
Brief Outline
 Introduction of Moulin Rouge
 Pastiche
A) Theme
--Orpheus myth/Carmille/Bohemian
B) Setting
--Paris/Bollywood
C) Elements
--Songs
D) Stylistic pastiche
--Cartoon/Camera/Architecture
Introduction of Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge
-- French club in red-light district in Paris
in late 19th century
 Director: Baz Luhrmann
--“Visual Stylist”
-- Uses of color and frenetic motions



Musical (pastiche)
-- Moulin Rouge used the plot of famous stories and added popular
songs and dances to make the movie a musical.
A play within a play
--Christian, as a character, told a story about Satine and himself.
Theme
 Orpheus—
--Uses music (art) to rescue woman.
 Camellia—
--A couple comes from different social levels.
--Their relationship causes financial pressure and leads
to their doom.
--The woman dies of phthisis (TB).
 La Boehem—
--The love story of young Parisian artists.
--Living with their ideals.
--The heroine dies afterwards because of phthisis as
well.
Setting
 Monmoutre—an area near Paris where
gathered artists from all over the world.
Artists accelerated the prosperity of cafés
and taverns. Dancers who were wearing
gorgeously decorated skirts, danced to
exciting music, shook their buts and kicked
their legs straight to the roof .The dance is
called “Can Can” by British people and
considered as obscene.
 Bollywood— Combine magnificent decors,
splendid settings, musical styles (songs and
dances), and India elements.
Pastiche--Song
Moulin Rouge combines the songs
from 20th century to reinterpret the
images of 19th century.
The songs were rewritten or make a
deliberate misinterpretation out of the
original lyrics to fit into the story.
The songs were parallel to the plot
when they were expressing the
feelings of characters.
Pastiche--Song
Song
Original Lyric
Lyric in Moulin
Rouge
Sound
Love of music
of music The hills are alive with the
sound of music
With songs they have sung for
a thousand years.
The hills fill my heart with the
sound of music
My heart wants to sing every
song it hears
Christian came
up with a line of
a show
Sparklin Material girl
g
Cause we are living in a
diamond material world
And I am a material girl
Description of
Satine and her
fancy world
The hills are alive
with the sound of
music
Song
Original Lyric
Lyric in Moulin Rouge
Your
song
Love for mother
How wonderful life is
now you’re in the world
1)
2)
3)
One day
I will fly
away
A girl saying goodbye
to her lover
I follow the night
Can’t stand the light
When will I begin
My life again
One day I’ll fly away
Leave your love to
yesterday
Christian confessed to
Satine with his work
Satine used the line
to persuade the duke
The duke described
his feelings inside
Satine’s regret to her life
in Moulin Rouge and her
dream to the future
Song
Original lyric
On the
Your song
elephant Love is like oxygen
house
Love is a many splendid
thing
Up where we belong
All you need is love
Lover’s game
I was made for loving you
Just one night
Pride (in the name of love)
Don’t leave me this way
Silly love song
Heroes
I will always love you
Your song (reprise)
Lyric in Moulin
Rouge
Christian tried to
convince Satine
that love is
important
Satine refused to
believe
Christian kept
persuading Satine
and giving her
promises
Sainte finally
accepted his love
and sang with him
Song
Original lyric
Like a
virgin
Confession of a girl in love
I was beat incomplete
I'd been had, i was sad and
blue
But you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
Shiny and new
Roxanne
Roxanne
The show Eager to be free from the
must go
stage
on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on
Lyric in Moulin
Rouge
Zidler lied to the
duke
in order to cover
the
fact of Satine’s
illness
The tango dance
reflect Christian’s
feeling
1)Zidler’s intension
to keep running
the theater
2)Satine was forced
to lie to Christian to
save his life
Stylistic Pastiche -- Cartoon
 Green fairy with flakes in the opining
-- representation of Tinker Bell in
“Peter Pan”
-- Green fairy represents “dream”
 pure and innocent
 follower of wonderland in Peter
Pan
 Christian and 4 Bohemians
-- Golden flakes represent “magic of love”
between Satine and Christian
Stylistic Pastiche -- Camera
 MV style
-- fast-changing scenes
 the cancan dancing (Zidler)
 show in the elephant house
 Theatrical shows
-- whirling
 romance between Satine and
Christian
 Burlesque
-- fast zoom in and zoom out
 the opining to the dancing Moulin Rouge
 Zidler peeps Satine and the Duke (Christian)
Stylistic Pastiche -- Architecture
 Gothic tower
-- the Duke’s palace
-- the dark side (black)
-- the reality
 Indian Elephant House
-- Satine’s room in Moulin Rouge
-- fantasy world (colors, red in
particular)
-- the artificial