Watershed and Odeon comparison
The city of Bristol has many cinemas of different kinds on offer that together help to cement Bristol as one of the more active cinema-going communities in the region. Two in particular that I have visited recently include the art-house cinema known as the Watershed and also a multiplex cinema under the brand of Odeon.
The Watershed is situated nearby the Bristol harbour and even gracefully overlooks the water enabling for a pleasant view. This therefore gives the Watershed a distinguished appearance that sets it apart from other cinemas due to its unique locale which is suitable considering that it is an art-house cinema. The structure of the cinema itself stretches far back along the harbour-side with an antiquated architecture that furthers the unconventional image the cinema itself presents. The foyer inside is quite small, typically there is only one person situated at the box office; there is also a stand of flyers advertising other activities and attractions within the city. Generally the main aesthetic of the interior is quite baroque with wooden flooring and panelling which gives a less commercial feel and atmosphere to the place when compared to that of a multiplex cinema. The impression is less uniform and more naturalistic which coincides with the films they have on show here that tend to be classified as ‘indie’ cinema or films that generally appeal to a more niche audience. The cinema screens themselves and cafe are located upstairs which is accessed by the staircase next to the box office. As one goes upstairs one will notice small cards pinned alongside the wall with each one having individual comments and reviews written by members of the public concerning the Watershed or the film that they saw here. This kind of feature allows for a greater sense of community within the cinema as people will feel that they are getting their own voice and opinions represented. It creates a visual manifestation of the film-loving enthusiasts that visit here regularly or those who are simply attending for the first time.
On the upper floor there are three screening rooms and a rather large ornate cafe that tailors directly to the rest of the aesthetic the cinema has on display. The screening rooms are fairly small and less elaborate in comparison to a multiplex due to the cinema retaining an authentic and simplistic design where the films are the main priority. The cafe on the other hand is quite spacious and flagships the local community to a great extent with artworks depicted on the walls detailing the imagery of Bristol. It is very apparent that the cafe gathers a large number of the locals as the atmosphere is busy and talkative. People of all ages congregate here and from different backgrounds. Small lecture classes gather round lengthy tables as the lessons unfold, usually with a laptop in the centre. This is an ideal social zone for students too, as many convene here for lunch and drinks (of which there is a large choice to purchase from). If the interior is deemed too ‘active’ then sitting outside along the pier is also an option. If nothing else one can feel welcomingly involved in a centre of culture with a community that values art to a high degree.
The other cinema I attended was the Odeon, a moderate sized multiplex, which is located within the city centre. In stark contrast to the Watershed, the interior décor is filled with blacks, blues and purples that creates a more institutionalised atmosphere. From one perspective it is as if the design is attempting to emulate the appearance of an actual theatre. There is no adjacent cafe here though, instead it functions much like a typical multiplex cinema with a highly lit box office where a variety of popcorn flavours and sweets can be purchased. The ticket prices are fairly cheap here too, especially for students, which is at least one similarity to the Watershed. Also like the Watershed the screens are upstairs but with only four available, a comparatively small amount for multiplex cinemas. Inside, the screening rooms are large and spacious, especially in comparison to the Watershed. The seats are even on raised flooring here although they do lack an ideal amount of leg room and also cup-holders which subverts the norms for typical multiplexes.
Whereas the Watershed predominantly exhibits art-house independent films, the more mainstream multiplex cinemas, such as the Odeon, show films that likewise conform to its venue. This can include the latest comic-book blockbuster such as Joker (2019) or even the newest entry in the Star Wars franchise. To accommodate these more demanding films, the cinema integrates a higher level of technology to enhance the cinematic experience. This includes (when in comparison to an art-house cinema) bigger screens, better sound technology etc. Generally the crowd here consists of an audience that can be described as the ‘mass audience’ as it caters to all people regardless of their identity. Overall these two cinemas help represent two different kinds of the movie experience.
Exploring how cultural capital enriches the viewing experience in Moulin Rouge! (2001)
At its core, Moulin Rouge! is channelling a greatly romanticised view on life, as evident by the prominent bohemian subject matter that exalts unconventional artistic endeavours and morals. Conforming to this idea, the film’s construction presents the overall style and tone of the film in an eccentric manner that requires, to a certain extent, a broad range of cultural capital from its audience relating specifically to popular culture within film and music. The text functions as a bricolage that engages the audience through a familiar narrative by featuring pre-existing works bestowed upon in a new and interesting style. “Moulin Rouge! remains thoroughly and self‐consciously intertextual from the moment that its opening credits start rolling” (Larson). A spectator whom understands these references will undoubtedly have a more enriching viewing experience than a spectator who does not, thus reinforcing the concept of cultural capital.
As a musical, Moulin Rouge! encompasses a diverse selection of songs that were mainly written prior to the production of the film. Coinciding with the turn of the millennium during the pre-production phase, Luhrmann decided to reflect the contemporary world within the setting of 1900 Paris by using existing and familiar songs in an innovative approach. Luhrmann described this by saying that “the world was moving forward into a new time and back into an old time” (selinakyle). This demonstrates how the film seamlessly weaves together older songs with newer songs in an overtly stylistic form that represents the binary opposite of old and new. Furthermore whilst many of these selected songs will be antecedent to the audience, the majority of the tracks are anachronistic within the world that is established within the film. Such examples include Nat King Cole’s Nature Boy (1948)which is introduced at the start of the narrative, sung by Toulouse-Lautrec, a supporting character. This particular song serves as one of the film’s primary themes throughout the narrative with the lyric: “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return” maintaining a prominent presence amidst the character’s dialogues and motivations. Luhrmann’s thought process behind selecting these specific tracks was that “every song had to help tell the story” (selinakyle) and it is clearly evident from the lyrics within Nat King Cole’s classic hit that Luhrmann took great inspiration from them for the protagonist. Even though the song was written decades before the film was made, it provides a perfect summation for Christian’s character (played by Ewan McGregor). Additionally it fulfils the cyclical technique that Luhrmann was aiming for due to the song being anachronistic within the film’s own setting, thus establishing this constant blend of chronology in relation to the film, both internally and externally. For audience members already familiar with the song, they will likely have a preferred reading of the text as they will have subsequently experienced a new perspective of the song and how the film has constructed it’s core narrative around it.
According to Luhrmann “hundreds of pieces of music” (selinakyle) were scanned in order to achieve his vision for the film. As mentioned earlier a wide range of artists spanning multiple eras were chosen with the intent that their songs would help to dynamically illustrate the story and reinvigorate the concept of a musical. Some of these artists include David Bowie, Madonna, Elton John, Nat King Cole, Kiss, T-Rex, Queen, Nirvana, The Police and DeBarge to name just a few. Songs from these respective artists repeatedly feature throughout to help progress the plot whilst also developing an elaborate musical spectacle. Often songs will regularly overlap or be presented in the form of a medley that is congruent to the frenetic and ostentatious theatrics shown on-screen. This builds a fantasy illusion that isolates the world of Moulin Rouge! into its own unique space and time as the subversion of regular musical conventions creates an imaginative and overwhelming experience. Complementing this bohemian approach is the rapid and occasionally disorienting editing that resembles the style of a contemporary music video. As this film was made during the late 90s to early 00s, the growth of music video consumption was accelerating mainly due to the popularity of MTV during this era which is further evidence of cultural capital amongst the mass audience being reflected within the film via the editing. It is due to this representation of mass culture being so explicit in Luhrmann’s unorthodox take on the musical that has led to some criticism from critics labelling his films as relying too heavily on style over substance. The emphasis on what is viewed as mass culture within the film is one of the reasons why Luhrmann’s artistic choices has incited some critical reception. It is viewed as not conforming to the ‘higher’ levels of cultural capital. Whilst the film’s soundtrack does feature popular songs from a contemporary period it would be unfair to wholly denigrate the production as lacking any sense of culture. On the contrary, the film required extensive hours of research during pre-production in order to capture the look and feel of an authentic turn-of-the-century cabaret club. This was captured in the mise-en-scène via the costumes and sets thus grounding the film within this periodic setting.
Another significant element of the film’s construction that embeds a higher level of cultural capital is the invocation of operatic conventions amidst the cyclone of other cultural allusions. Predominantly there are three operas from which Moulin Rouge! draws inspiration from namely Puccini’s La Bohème and Verdi’s La Traviata. This is evident from the “central focus on the creed of “truth, beauty, freedom, and love”” (Hudson, 258) which applies strongly to Bohème and the bohemian lifestyle that the film conveys. Effectively, this demonstrates the merger between a perceived lower class of cultural capital with a higher class as operatic elements are infused with contemporary pop songs. The originality of this combination helped spark a reinvigoration of the musical genre which simultaneously allowed audiences of different tastes to both like and dislike the artistic mediation of encoded cultural capital. The film has many playful and engaging characteristics which means that there is something in it for everyone to enjoy, consequently this would also deter some spectators who could find this amalgamation distastefully lavish.
The operatic inspirations from La Traviata are arguably even more apparent although references to both merely remain superficial and don’t conjure up the “more essential aspects of an operatic genre” (Hudson, 260). It is the relationship between Satine (Nicole Kidman) and Christian that echoes the characters within La Traviata and audience members, specifically those acquainted with knowledge on opera, will have an enriched viewing experience as they will recognise familiar narrative ideas. Luhrmann has utilised former operatic narratives to help establish his own take on the genre and, like all great story-tellers, reintroduces them to new audiences. Even viewers already familiar with these stories will be able to appreciate what the director is attempting, perhaps even more so than those unfamiliar due to their higher level of cultural capital allowing them a greater understanding of the narrative structure that is unfolding.
Luhrmann also draws upon what he considers to be the film’s most “fundamental narrative” (Hudson, 260) with the overt parallel to the Orpheus myth. Every character and action within the narrative has its own direct parallel to what occurs in the Orpheus myth. The character in the myth is described as extraordinary which relates to Christian in Moulin Rouge! who is frequently touted by other characters as being “talented”. Luhrmann reflects this by having Christian sing songs that were written after 1900 which connotes that Christian was ahead of his time. By following the structure of this tragic myth the film elevates the level of intertextuality to a more prestigious degree. It therefore requires a greater depth of cultural capital from the viewer in order to for them to understand the higher cultural source that has been mediated in the creation of this film.
Ultimately, Moulin Rouge! accomplishes in dazzling the audience with a garish and layered spectacle that can be enjoyed with ignorance but can also be appreciated further with a prior understanding of the extraneous texts that Luhrmann has fastidiously embedded within. The film fuses together both lower and higher forms of cultural capital that will indisputably enrich a spectator’s viewing experience of the film.
Bibliography:
- selinakyle. “Backstory – Moulin Rouge! Part 1.” YouTube, uploaded by selinakyle, 8 December 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZNqUXA1Nk
- Moulin Rouge!. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, 20th Century Fox, 2001
- Hudson, Elizabeth. “Moulin Rouge! and the Boundaries of Opera”. The Opera Quarterly, vol . 27, Number 2-3, Spring – Summer 2011
- Larson, Katherine R. “Silly Love Songs: The Impact of Puccini’s La Bohème on the Intertextual Strategies of Moulin Rouge!”. The Journal of Popular Culture, 2009.
Group Reflection:
Working as a group definitely proved beneficial for each one of us as it allowed for a group collaboration that helped strengthen each of our individual aims for our own essays. Ideas were shared and discussed between one another where we would suggest improvements for each other’s work if necessary to ensure the best possible result. In order for this collaboration to manifest we would convene either in the library or in a workshop, additionally further communication ensued online via a group chat. Despite this, we did encounter a minor setback early on where one of group members left our group but we managed to prevail nonetheless and the work remained unaffected.
For the overall design of the blog, again, we collaborated to confer on the presentation of the blog. The online application we used was WordPress which none of us had any prior experience of using before so that initially proved a challenge, especially as we each had to upload our work onto the same WordPress account. It took some time for us to implement a tab feature which could separate each of our individual works in an organised fashion but eventually after persisting with the plethora of functions and design options available on the website we managed to gain a reasonable understanding of how the website worked. Conclusively we determined that a simple, yet professional, appearance was what we were striving for and that is ultimately what we settled with.
There was an equal output of contribution from each of us in terms of task allocation and no particular aspect was designated specifically to an individual. We each had an equal level of knowledge on both the work involved and how to present it. From this, it was easier to share ideas and contribute equally. We could have organised our time-management better however as perhaps we left the blog design a little close to the deadline.
For my own film essay and cinema recount I felt could have, again, planned better and organised everything earlier allowing me more time to structure a more cohesive essay. Regardless, the work was completed on time and the help I received from the other members of my group proved highly effective and allowed my work to reach a greater level than if I was working individually. I feel this sentiment is something we each shared altogether. In summary, the work was an interesting learning experience that required online blog skills, group skills, library skills and an in-depth knowledge of film analysis. Within the blog there is each an individual voice of filmic knowledge that covers a wide range of topics that will hopefully make for absorbent reading. Taking everything into consideration the process went smoothly and we each ended up producing a uniquely intriguing online film blog for those likewise interested in film.
The Movie Experience Film Blog 