The purity of love in a sordid milieu is a theme that features in both Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet. In both films, the true love of the protagonists is used to contrast/juxtapose with the vulgar environment that they are surrounded by. Their love is opposite to the lust the other characters experience. This concept, and how it contrasts with the sordid environment around the protagonists, will be discussed. Sequence 10 (where Romeo and Juliet hide from everyone, while having intimate moments) and sequence 14 (where Romeo sneaks back into the Capulet mansion, and he and Juliet have an intimate scene in the pool) from Romeo and Juliet will be discussed, as well as sequence 9 (where Christian sings to Satine) and sequence 6 (where Satine …show more content…
These sequences will form the basis of this research essay to establish, cinematically (through the use of close-up and medium close-up shots), how Luhrmann has shown the purity of love in a sordid milieu. This purity of love shows a direct contrast with the environment, causes the main characters to stand out as individuals and both films to have a fairy tale element. Both films are set in sordid environments. In Romeo and Juliet, the film is set in Verona Beach, a contemporary and futuristically urban area. Here, vulgarity and promiscuity are common. This can be seen through the medium close-up of Tybalt and Lady Capulet kissing at the party (sequence 8). This shot clearly portrays the lustful love experienced by the other characters as well as their general impurity. There is also much violence in Verona Beach, as seen through the medium close-up shot of Tybalt Capulet pointing a gun at a child (sequence 1). This shot portrays how this violence affects society as a whole and how the characters become victims of their environment, as they too start to perpetrate …show more content…
In Romeo and Juliet, the protagonists experience great intimacy and passion that the other characters lack. This can be seen through the close-up shot of Romeo and Juliet as they almost kiss in front of the elevator (sequence 10). This two shot establishes a close relationship between the two protagonists and seemingly cuts them off from their sordid milieu, therefore making them rise above it and not become victims of it. Also, them being ssemingly cut off from their sordid milieu creates the image/idea of an “out of this world” love that is a typical fairy tale type of love, therefore adding a fairy tale element to the film. It also further separates Romeo and Juliet from the other characters. The purity of their love is further portrayed through the use of a close-up of the two protagonists speaking in the pool (sequence 14). This shot emphasises the intimacy between the protagonists and the water that surrounds them is used to symbolise how pure their love