1. In the film, Moulin Rouge!, director Baz Luhrmann uses lighting to develop the story without being too explicit. The first example of this intentional lighting is in Christian’s attic. He has his head buried in his hands. He is shot in side lighting causing half of his face to be a shadow conveying his depression over the death of Satine. This point is further reinforced by casting him in blue light. Blue obviously symbolizing his deep sadness. Also at the end of the film when Satine dies there is heavy use of backlighting. There are big black shadows and Christian’s face is very dark. This demonstrates the impact of her death.
2. A dark scene and light scene from Moulin Rouge can be both found in the Roxanne scene. The Moulin Rouge is a dark and shadowy place with low key lighting, which creates a secretive and seductive environment. The light has a red tint to it which may hints to Christian's anger at his and Satine's situation, and also his love for Satine. The Gothic Tower uses high key lighting making it bright also giving the scene a blue tint. The blue lighting gives Satine a sickly look, building on the knowledge of her illness making the viewers tense. The use of these color schemes and lighting patterns gives a good contrast between the scenes.
3. Moulin Rouge definitely has both light and dark scenes. Without analyzing the movie however one might be fooled into thinking it is a dark movie because of the lighting, colors, and particular events of the story. However, the theme of Moulin Rouge is a very light one. Love overcomes all obstacles. I think the reason why it isn’t so clear cut as to whether it is a dark or light film is because the director wants the viewer to dig deeper and really analyze the story rather than just see the surface.
4. The story is told after the events took place. It is narrated by Christian and is told through flashbacks from his perspective. The filmmaker uses the