In Moulin Rouge by Baz Luhrmann, the concept of fame is treated in a paradoxical way. Fame leads to wealth and high public visibility. Wealth is presented as a negative attribute, yet the poor characters in Moulin Rouge still strive to become famous. The film presents the idea that the wealthy in France and society in general should be looked down upon, while starving artists should be praised. However, this message is corrupted by the fact that artists work to become famous and rich. The best way to understand this argument is to look at each major character individually in relation to the overall story and analyze fame in relation to wealth. Even though the characters in Moulin Rouge want to become famous, Luhrmann presents fame as a bad thing because it ruins their lives. The warning to viewers is that the characters should have understood that all they need is "to love and be loved in return", rather than to become famous. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The rich and famous characters in the public eye are used as a reference point from which to determine the happiness and financial status of other characters. The most important wealthy character in the story is the Duke. At the Moulin Rouge, the Duke is a highly coveted figure. Everyone wants to know him and the club makes a huge effort both to publicize the Duke's presence and to make sure he is happy. Despite being portrayed as an advantaged person and the highest in the chain of socio-economic status, the Duke is actually supposed to be hated. He almost rapes Satine, the main female character, and fails to be loved. Even visually, he's portrayed as someone we're not supposed to like, because he sports an obnoxious mustache. The Duke is blind to the fact that the maharaja in the musical is a metaphor for himself, until one of the dancers, who knows because she is one of the poor performers, tells him explicitly. Privilege in this case is not equal to the privilege of knowledge. There are two clear news channels running simultaneously at the Moulin Rouge, and viewers feel lucky to be closer to the artists' underground channel, because it makes us aware of the other channel's deceptions. The Duke doesn't even have a name. This shows what a shell of a man he is, representing the rich, suited and famous in the public eye. The fact that the Duke is presented as the villain in the story shows that Luhrmann does not value wealth and status, but rather the goodness of the person and the ability to love and be loved. At the very beginning of the film, there is a scene where men in costumes sing about how they wanted to entertain themselves. They say, “Here we are now, entertain us.” We feel stupid and contagious. These men are representations of wealthy people who have money to spend to come to the Moulin Rouge and see a show. They are all dressed in the same classic black and white costume and look incredibly monotonous. Even though the actors who play them are creative and talented, they represent a complete lack of creativity or freedom. On the one hand, they are financially free to do whatever they want and move around the country. They may dress in expensive clothes to show off their wealth. These are luxuries that artists cannot enjoy. Artists are stuck atMoulin Rouge if they want to have a support network and the hope of making a penny. They are forced to wear costumes and look like everyone else to earn a living. On the other hand, wealthy, fun-loving men have been deprived of the fulfilling things in life. When they sing "We're stupid and contagious", it means that they may be smart in the business world, but there is no substance to their character; their intelligence is one-dimensional. They are contagious because they do not think for themselves, but rather work to fit in and be like others in their socio-economic group. Furthermore, none of them, at least in the performance during the “Can Can-can” number, is accompanied by a friend or relative. They don't know what it means to love or be loved, but simply to be rich. Luhrmann suggests that this is not a fulfilling way to live life. The other main characters are starving artist types, doing whatever it takes to make money. They are subject to the strangulation of cultural fantasy. They believe that fame is the end goal that will move them forward, when in reality it is the limit. This is particularly the case for Satine. Everyone goes to the Moulin Rouge to see her; she must therefore always stay at the Moulin Rouge. She is condemned to live and die there. Satine's death illustrates the extent to which fame is above all a limit. As soon as she finishes her biggest star role, her illness consumes her and she dies. His moment in the spotlight was also his last breath. Since their culture prevents artists from realizing that fame is a goal of destruction, Satine has gone to great lengths to achieve this. She was herself an object of desire because she was a courtesan. Christian wants her and the Duke wants her, but she only wants glory. She is willing to abandon her love for Christian for a superficial and abusive relationship with the Duke in order to gain his patronage and be famous. Therefore, the object of desire of the object of desire is fame. Satine is an extreme characterization of Luhrmann's clear opinion on celebrity. Once she has it, she dies. However, she also abandons her true love in an attempt to gain greater potential fame. His death reveals that love is the most important goal of all. If she had been satisfied with Christian's love and not turned her back on him, even temporarily, in order to be with the Duke and have fame and wealth, she could have lived. Once found with Christian, she too had to die because their love was eternal and killing her character within the walls of the Moulin Rouge was the best way to show it. As long as Christian and Satine remained within the confines of the club, their love would last forever. Although Christian will not necessarily become a famous writer, he does write the story of him and Satine, in which the viewer receives the message on different levels that it is better to love and be loved in return, than to love in return . must be famous. Directly opposed to the Duke's character is Christian. Christian is the protagonist and his character is more complicated. The Christian character is different from the Christian who writes the story we watch unfold. The latter has experienced everything, but the former is currently experiencing history and therefore does not benefit from hindsight. Christian's evolution reflects the awareness that Luhrmann is trying to create in the viewer. Christian in the film wants to become famous. He moved to France to become a famous writer, then once involved in the Toulouse theater group, he wanted to become famous thanks to his musical about the courtesan and the maharaja. Through his efforts to construct the musical, he gets everything.