So apparently I've had some trouble getting this started. I have about three blog posts languishing in my draft section, just waiting to be finished. Closing up a writing assignment has always been difficult for me. Having a format or prompt seems to make things easier, which is why I bring you this today: my entry for The Film Experience's HMWYBS series for Moulin Rouge!.
As this is one of my favorites, I figured this would be an easy task. No such luck. It's hard to pick a single shot from something that never stops moving. Not only is this a musical naturally full of feverishly fast dancing, but the camera and cuts also dance in their own way.
Christian screaming in anguish because of Satine's betrayal during "El Tango De Roxanne".
Why this shot in particular? It's very quick (so much so that it was hard to get a clear screencap!) while the scene is so very complex. This climactic shot just seems to boil everything down to its simplest point.
I've been reading other peoples' submissions for this and it's interesting to see just how many have chosen other shots from this song in particular. It's an extremely powerful sequence. I'd even go so far as to call it my favorite of all time. In any movie.
