Mise-en-sence and Setting Evaluation: Moulin Rouge Body paragraph

The use of mise-en-sence in the opening scene of Moulin Rouge was used to enhance the emotions portrayed by the main character, Christian. The beginning of the scene was shown in a dark sepia, creating a gloomy tone to the film, however at Christian's flat as he begins writing, the scene turns to colour as if he was coming out of the darkness and a cold blue tone coming from the outside showing the audience that it is sad and cold. As the scene progresses to the Moulin Rouge, the colour red is dominantly used to show the audience that Christian believes that the Moulin Rouge is dangerous. Christian's emotions are further supported by the combined use of props and setting. For instance, in Christian's flat, coats and alcohol are scattered across the floor and desks implying that Christian has seemed to have “lost hope” in his day-to-day actions. Christians “five o'clock beard” and formal but dirty clothes also suggest this. In addition to these three aspects, Ewen McGreggor portration of Christian hevely effects the audience's view on the character. When Christian first arrives in Paris, his facial expressions and the way he hold himself show the audience that Christian is absorbing every detail of Paris. This contrasting the present where his style of acting and voice-over show the character's struggle to talk or even think about the Moulin Rouge. All the aspects of mise-en-sence in this scene show and enhance the emotions of Christian at both the start of his journey and the end, bringing a successful start to the film.