In the award-winning 2001 film, Moulin Rouge!, Baz Luhrmann tells an unusual love story set in Paris, France between a young English writer named Christian and the star courtesan of the club, Santine. Santine finds herself in trouble stuck in a love triangle between Christian and the Duke while suffering with a terminal illness.
The film uses the color red to represent sex, and love. We see red in many areas of the movie, the title, the lights, Santine’s appearance, and overall background colors.
“Moulin Rouge” is French for “Red Windmill”. It is a famous cabaret in Paris, known as the birthplace of the can-can dance (Moulinrouge.fr). The entertainment consisted of courtesans seductively dancing. The setting of this movie is extremely relevant towards the film because of what the area is known for. Moulin Rouge is part of the “red light district”. The red light district is defined as, “a district in which houses of prostitution are frequent” (Merriam-Webster). This is shown in the movie with the color red by referencing the red light district lyrically and the strategic lighting of the scenes. The lyrics are clearly referencing the red light district and women selling their bodies for a living.
Section of the lyrics from “El Tango de Roxanne”:
ROXANNE
You don't have to put on that red light
Walk the streets for money
You don't care if it's wrong of if it is right
ROXANNE
You don't have to wear that dress tonight
ROXANNE
You don't have to sell your body to the night
It is clear that the singer is referring to the red light district and how women behave in that area. Roxanne is a prostitute, selling her body for money. In this scene, the singer happens to be wearing a red vest to emphasize the sexual message of the song.
The color red fills Santine’s elephant room with red walls, lights, chairs, bed, pillows, and more. This is where she sells her body, however, Christian wants to be more than a client and become lovers. They sing many songs in this room, such as “Your Song” and the “Elephant Love Medley”. The red in the room that used to signify prostitution and lust now represented affection and love.
Santine is head-to-toe in red with her red hair, red lips, and red dress. She is seen wearing the gown during the “Elephant Love Medley”, in which Christian is trying to prove that they should be together. During this medley, he dances around outside with a red umbrella, confessing his deep affection for Santine.
At the beginning of this movie, the color red is connected with prostitutes and sex. As Christian and Satine create a relationship, the exposure of red shows that their love is stronger than just physical interest.
"Moulin Rouge!" IMDb. IMDb.com, 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2015. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203009/faq#.2.1.11>.
"Moulin Rouge® Official Website." Moulin Rouge (Site Officiel). Web. 21 Nov. 2015. <http://www.moulinrouge.fr/>.
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