Analyse how cinematic codes combine to create meaning in ‘Moulin Rouge,’ the Can Can scene
...d again adds to the sexual theme and makes the film more exciting for the audience. The range of shots is extensive, there are many extreme close-ups on the dancers’ wide, painted eyes and open mouths, these shots add to excitement as the girls perform for the men. The close-up on the mouths also instils some danger, as the audience is unsure as to what is happening around the characters. High angle long shots, which encase the whole of the Moulin Rouge, show how many people are inside, it is full to bursting with identically dressed men and hundreds of uniquely dressed dancers. These shots show the movement in the hall as the dancers move in waves across the floor and the men cheer them on. The sound takes a major part in the dance scenes and shows the preparation put into making the film work. The innovative use of sound also differentiates the film from other musicals by “wrenching itself free of musical conventions and hooking up with a range of other generic formations, most obviously the music video and MTV, but also Bollywood, television advertisements, computer animation and virtual reality.” This new approach is attractive and new for the audience and makes the film a more interesting experience. In this scene, the music is a mix of Fat Boy Slim, Christina Aguilera, and David Bowie. This unusual mixture would not go together in normal circumstances, but as we watch the period dancers in modern colour, the music fits in. It again updates the film into a new type of modern musical. The soundtrack is speeded up and this gives the scene a faster pace, making the dancing seem wilder and the visual representation more exhilarating. Lady Marmalade, Voulez Vous Couchez Avec Moi and the Can Can all combine to create an at times confusing mix; however, this shows what the Moulin Rouge was like, a place of love, sexual entertainment and action. There is also a Brass Band, which is shown at intervals, they are dressed in stereotypical uniforms and playing the instruments with passion, using exaggerated actions. This is comic but also adds to the whole effect of the different tracks playing at the same time. The sound is diegetic, as the dancers are dancing to the music and this involves the audience as they are drawn into the scene. The different pitches and tones also give the music pace and interest and you can hear the women screaming and the men roaring and shouting excitedly. The characters are full of passion and the music reflects this. Mise en Scene takes another large part in the cinematic representation of the Can Can scene. An important part is costumes; this area shows the amount of preparation that went into creating the film, as each Can Can dancer is unique. The girls all wear dresses, which have a common theme of tight corsets, which give them small waists, with wide skirts. The skirts are made of many layers with frills and ruffles and they constantly move in time to the music. As the dancers lift the skirts, they open like flowers; the skirts are bright in primary colours and reveal frilly panties, garters, and stockings. These costumes show that the girls are all of the same era, however they all have unique characters, as one dress is based on a schoolgirl and others are based on Indian belly dancing costume. The dresses are important to the sexual theme of the Moulin Rouge as the girls excite the men by lifting their skirts kicking their legs high. The Can Can girls are also unique in their makeup, which is bright, like show make up, they wear thick black eyeliner, and their eyes are painted in bright primary colours to match their skirts. This decoration gives them an almost wild quality and introduces a sense of danger. They all wear costume jewellery, some dressed in Punjabi costume, with many piercing and gold chains. This shows the glamour in the Moulin Rouge, the girls are all trying to earn money by entertaining the men, and this is why they try hard to look different from one another. Unlike the women, the men all dress identically. They wear black dinner jackets with white bow ties and black top hats, which are incorporated into some of the dance sequences. This choice of costume shows them as respectable men, in a very unrespectable club. Some of the men also carry canes and wear monocles; this sh...