PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES

“Moulin Rouge”
THE SIMPLICITY OF STORY & THE COMPLEXITIES OF LIFE

Two significant factors influence the reason for a story's existence:-

• What the storyteller wants to say
• How the storyteller wants to say it.

These forces are strongly paralleled for the actor when creating a character. That is, the actor will inevitably have to decide:-

• What motivates the character
• How the character goes about pursuing their goals?

Essentially it is these two factors which bring truthful complexity and a sense of purpose to both character and story.

The opening line of Moulin Rouge is "This is a story about love" and from the outset Baz Luhrmann seems to have a very clear idea of how he wants to make his statement about love. He goes about telling his story energetically, musically, humorously, ironically, dramatically and colourfully. And his lavish, playful production astounds and entertains with eccentric brilliance. It has broken box office records in this country.

And of course the critical response reflects this -

• "It is dazzling, exhilarating"…
• "a cinematic joyride"…
• "distinctive and sumptuous"…
• "fantastic sets with a fluid digital style".

But assessment of performance is not so universal -

• "Kidman, in her best role"…
• "is smoldering and stunning as Satine"…
• "no chemistry between MacGregor and Kidman"…
• "Kidman seems to specialize in 'ice queen' characters"…
• " is not quite up to the lush sexpot thing asked of her"

- and this confusion is reflected in the reviews of other performances. A performance liked by one reviewer, is belittled elsewhere.

The ultimate assessment of the film as a whole is also confusingly diverse -

• "This is a great film"…
• "schmaltzy storyline"…
• "very frustrating"…
• "the film is ultimately heartless"…
• "engages your eyes more than your heart"…
• "a perfect case of style over substance"…
• "no coherent narrative".

(from reviews by Chris Gore, Julie Rigg, Paul Clinton, Peter Brunette)

It seems fairly plain that there is no disagreement that "how" the story is being told is unique and exhilarating. But the consistent comments about the lack of heart and lack of substance would suggest that "what the story is saying" is not so universally understood.

In the world of cinema when the storyteller is clear about how the story is being told the Director of Photography, the Production Designer and the Editor have clear parameters in which they can be free to work. But when the storyteller isn't clear as to why the story is being told the actors find it difficult to make cohesive and coherent decisions and there is consequent potential for the audience to be confused.

The character of Christian played by EWEN McGREGOR pursues a fairly simple path. He is the naïve young poet who falls in love with a courtesan and has to cope with the consequent difficulties of the relationship. EWEN McGREGOR makes firm but simple choices to guide his character and these keep his performance on course. But finding a pathway for NICOLE KIDMAN'S Satine is considerably more difficult for she has a number of complicated decisions to make considering the complexities of her circumstances. The critics note that "we want to understand the basis of Satine's allure" but infer the production style leaves no room for this. It is the reasons behind the character's choices that bring the audience to an understanding of "What the story is saying" and so the emphasis Baz places on style could in this instance also be the ultimate cause of the story confusion.

To expect NICOLE to find a place in the story and bring meaning to the whole on her own is a very big task. It's especially daunting considering the amount of personal turmoil it is probable she was experiencing, with what is now known of NICOLE'S private life, during the making of this film.

It is inevitable that our life informs the world of our stories as much as it is true that our stories will inform the world about our lives. So, NICOLE KIDMAN at a time in her life when one could assume she may be having some difficulty in finding the answers to questions about the nature of "love" has had to play a pivotal role in giving some focus to a story which declares its intention to explore the topic. Not surprisingly she appears to feel a little lost in the first part of the story.

However as the story is nearing its end she does find (not surprisingly if we consider her life experience of the time) real contact with a sense of confusion and angst that the loss of love and the manipulation of it can cause. This surely becomes one of the factors that contributes to the success of the film's ending. It may also provide a real contact point for the audience and contribute both to their desire to see and share the film as well as their emotional contact with the story.

But if the complexities of NICOLE'S life make it difficult for her to understand and commit to the simplistic clichés of some of the storyline these problems are largely disguised by the extravagance of the production. Jill Bilcock's brilliant editing, Don McAlpine's superb lighting and Catherine Martin's wonderful production design added to Baz Luhrmann's energetic sense of fun with the melodrama of the piece and all combine to add to the success. And there is no doubt about the success for despite the apparent confusions the film still attracts a four star rating from some critics.

Sometimes the performances are pushed to such extremes that a truthful basis is completely nullified but on these occasions Jill Bilcock keeps the shots exceptionally short, so they become a visual device rather than an exploration of character. However on many other occasions performances are extremely and successfully heightened bringing a sense of fun as well as a deliberate point of view to the characters world. This playfulness is great value in bringing another performance colour to a film which is as rich in performance textures as it is production values.

It would appear that if it is the lack of clarity in what Baz Luhrmann "wanted to say about love" which disrupts the storytelling of the film it is also the strength, clarity and energy of "how he wanted to say it" which holds the work together. He uses these elements with vigour, flair and an enthusiastic creative energy which is worth watching for its own sake.

For actors maybe the lesson appears to be that the complexities of our lives inevitably impacts upon not only the performances we are giving but also the stories we are telling. Perhaps the goal is not to keep these influences apart but (with the help of the director) to use them together to help illuminate one another.

(See Directors Notes for another view of "big").

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