5 Screenwriting Lessons – Moulin Rouge!

Who Wrote It?

Moulin Rouge was written by Baz Lurhman and Craig Pearce.

How Long is It?

Moulin Rouge is 122 minutes long, including credits.

What’s It About?

Moulin Rouge is set in 1899 and follows Christian (played by Ewan McGregor), an English writer who heads to the Montmartre district in Paris seeking inspiration from. Once there, he befriends a group of Bohemian performers led by the eccentric Toulouse-Lautrec (played by John Leguizamo) and gets involved in their production “Spectacular Spectacular”. Preparing to pitch the play to Harold Zidler (played by Jim Broadbent), the impresario in charge of the Moulin Rouge nightclub, Christian falls in love with Satine (played by Nicole Kidman), a performer and courtesan who works at the venue. However, the Moulin Rogue’s primary patron, a scheming Duke (played by Richard Roxburgh), wants Satine for himself, and the combination of his interference and Satine’s declining health ensure that Christian’s belief in true love will be severely tested.

5 Screenwriting Lessons – Moulin Rouge

(The Following May Contain Spoilers)

Find A Consistent Tone – After its downbeat opening, which sets up the tragedy of the third act, Moulin Rouge quickly transitions towards the comedic tone that dominates the first half of the film. One of the wackiest scenes is the introduction of Zidler. It is hard to take him seriously when he is introduced performing a rap with lines such as “Outside it may be raining/But in here it’s entertaining!” during a sequence in which “Lady Marmalade” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” are sang simultaneously by the female and the male dancers at the Moulin Rouge. However, the kitsch, camp approach of the early scenes is replaced by numbers such as “El Tango De Roxanne” which are staged in a dark and restrained manner, fitting the jealousy and distrust that begins to affect Christian’s view of Satine. The dissonance between these two approaches highlight the excesses of the period and the significance of Christian and Satine’s relationship, but also create an unbalanced tone, because it is hard to enjoy the comedy when tragedy is inevitable, and the silly nature of earlier scenes distracts from the importance of later ones.

The change from a comedic approach to a serious one is epitomised in the handling of the female lead, Satine. When she interacts with Christian in her room towards the end of the first act, she makes some rather unsubtle advances towards him, and derives a substantial amount of sexual ecstasy from hearing lines of his poetry. This is followed by a scene where she tries to hide Christian’s presence from the Duke whilst simultaneously seducing him further. These moments would be well-suited to a farce or screwball comedy, and classics of the genre such as A Fish Called Wanda have used similar set pieces to generate a considerable amount of laughs. However, after she and Christian fall in love, Satine turns into a tragic figure. Her struggles with tuberculosis (known as consumption at the time) have been established by this point, but as the disease takes its toll, the depiction of her becomes far more serious. The scene in which she tells Christian that she cannot see him again features a deception that contrasts sharply with her earlier one, as she tries to hide the fact that the real motive for her actions is to protect Christian from the Duke. In contrast to the uninhibited behaviour she demonstrated earlier on, she is very quiet and solemn, which proves that the events she has been through have had a considerable impact on her. This transformation in her character reflects the sombre nature of the second half, and the increased difficulty of sustaining the idyllic relationship with Christian.

Understand the Importance of Fairy Tales– Although it is set in Paris during 1899 and features the iconic painter Toulouse-Lautrec as a central character, Moulin Rouge makes little use of its time period. The only other reference to contemporary France is a brief mention of the French actress Sarah Bernhardt, whilst significant political events such as the Dreyfus Affair go unmentioned. This is done to highlight the timelessness of Christian and Satine’s story. Focusing too much on wider events would make the film about the time period rather than the story and messages it provides. The appeal of a compelling story and a strong message have helped fairy tales to endure centuries after their initial publication, and Moulin Rouge exploits these important aspects in order to ensure that it is just as durable.

Another way in which the story reflects classic fairy tales is through Christian’s show. He and the rest of the personnel behind “Spectacular Spectacular” improvise a story about a courtesan in ancient India, torn between a poor Sitar player and a wealthy Maharajah. The parallels to the existing love triangle between Christian, Satine and the Duke are apparent throughout, and the message that goodness and optimism will triumph reflects the worldview of the protagonists. In the second half of the film, the Duke is alerted to the similarities between the story of the play and his current situation, and decides to change the ending to one where the courtesan ends up with the Maharajah. He defends this alteration by claiming that it is more realistic, but, at the climax of the film, Christian invades the play, eventually managing to defeat the Duke and giving “Spectacular Spectacular” its happy ending. The typical fairy tale provides a fantasy that defies the harsh and cynical nature of the world to present a hopeful and idealised vision of love, in line with the views of Christian and his friends. By proving that this fantasy can triumph over the conventions of reality, the film highlights its value in the modern world.

Music is Key – Christian’s status as a writer is integral to the film’s story. Although the writing he does at the beginning is very traditional, he soon demonstrates an unusual talent for improvising songs. He earns a job as a playwright by helping Toulouse-Lautrec and his troupe write “The Sound of Music”, and wins over Satine with a rendition of “Your Song”. The reason for using songs that would not exist until decades later is to make the film seem more relevant to modern audiences whilst further distancing it from its time period. Because both “The Sound of Music” and “Your Song” fit the character singing them and the context in which he does so, they feel like appropriate songs for the situation. The incongruity between the time period and the music highlight the impact of the latter, as the songs are powerful enough to be applied to an unusual time whilst not feeling out of place. This proves that Christian and Satine’s relationship is not based on the conventions of the time, but the emotions and sensations which inspired the music they sing.

One of the most notable musical numbers in the movie is the “Elephant Love Medley”. In this sequence, Christian sings lines from a wide range of songs, including tracks by the Beatles, U2, and Dolly Parton, in an attempt to serenade Satine. At the beginning, Satine starts out with a cynical outlook, but soon the tone changes, as she begins to engage in the duet with Christian. A rendition of David Bowie’s “Heroes” represents the main turning point, as the two sing together for the first time at the chorus, instead of merely addressing lyrics to one another. Satine’s decision to embrace the defiance and naive optimism conveyed by the lyrics of “Heroes” proves that she is in love with Christian and willing to discard the pragmatic approach that had previously defined her. The gradual change in emotion makes Satine’s love for Christian seem more credible, as it indicates that her primary reason for loving him is his personality rather than his looks.

Create Memorable Characters – Moulin Rouge’s characters are mostly stereotypical – Christian is the wide-eyed innocent, Satine is a beautiful diva torn between dreams of acting and her love for Christian, and the Duke is a moustache-twirling villain. The Bohemians are defined by a handful of traits, with only Toulouse-Lautrec and a narcoleptic Argentine strongman having a substantial amount of lines. The characters are simplistic in nature, but their quirks are emphasised throughout the film, allowing them to stand out. This lack of complexity works to the movie’s advantage, as it reinforces the fairy-tale approach, with characters who are purely good and purely bad. As a result, the film is able to place more emphasis on its main selling points, namely its visuals, music and message.

Make your Visuals Colourful – Moulin Rouge opens with a scene in black-and-white, stylized like a silent movie, in which Toulouse-Lautrec sings the song “Nature Boy” whilst peering out of an open window. As the camera goes through the streets of the Montmarte suburbs, the colours, particularly the shades of red, become increasingly apparent, and by the time we are introduced to Christian, writing about the events of the movie, the visuals are now in full colour. The purpose of the sequence is to transition from the artifice of the black-and-white sequence to the reality of Christian’s story. This means that the audience become immediately involved in his tale, and, as a result, are far more engaged in it than they would be if the opening did not have such an immersive effect.

The use of colour to reflect emotional states is also apparent in “Spectacular Spectacular”, as it is staged for the first time during the climax. Bollywood musicals were a major inspiration behind Moulin Rouge, and this is indicated through the bright colours, gaudy costumes and elaborate stunts that define the genre and are in full display during the performance. Another example of the visuals matching the tone of the story occurs when Santine’s character appears in the production. In Satine’s scenes, the colour is replaced by dark blue lighting and a spotlight focusing on her. This conveys a shift towards a darker tone, as the character she plays sells herself to the Maharajah, and reflects the growing intensity of the movie, as Christian tries to find Satine in order to break up with her, whilst evading the Duke’s henchman. As a result of the ominous mood created by the colour change, the scene turns highly suspenseful, as the chances of Christian rekindling his relationship with Satine become increasingly remote.

Conclusion

Moulin Rouge is full of flaws, but enjoyable nonetheless. The characters are stereotypes, and the film alternates between over-the-top comedy and grand romantic tragedy when it should have prioritised one of those approaches. However, Moulin Rouge is focused on its visuals, soundtrack and story, and these are all very good. Whilst the visuals are unusually bright and the soundtrack is unusually modern, the basic story is inherently appealing, and, for all the excess surrounding it, is conveyed very well. Therefore, it manages to succeed in its primary purpose of being a modern-day fairy tale.