The rooftop scene
The film could be broken up into two separate places – inside and outside. The rooftop scene is the first external scene.
Throughout the film, the inside scenes are used to convey the idea of confinement. The characters who rule the inside world, "the insiders" have to live by a strict set of rules. This outdoor scene, with its open framing suggests that Scott and Fran have found freedom by dancing their own steps. Lurhman uses setting to convey his idea that this restrictive society must change if individuals are to experience true personal freedom. The outdoor setting is symbolic of that freedom. |
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From a long shot of Scott and Fran dancing on the roof, the camera tilts slowly down to show Doug dancing in the spotlight in the empty studio below. The long shot allows us to see his strange dance where, unlike Scott in the earlier scene, he is afraid to leave the spotlight. Each time he steps into the shadows, he scuttles back into the spotlight.
Doug's tiptoed steps suggest he is afraid of the repercussions of the changes he wants to make. Throughout the film we are reminded that "A life lived with fear is a life half lived" and Doug has been diminished by his fear of challenging the ballroom community. Shirley calls him a 'silly little man' and he appears defeated in the background of shots. He has lost the respect of his community because he was not brave enough to evoke the changes he wanted to see. A slow tilt from Scott and Fran dancing outside on the roof to Doug dancing inside, within the confines of the spotlight creates a seamless juxtaposition that causes us to compare the two. Scott is being brave and finding freedom and happiness while Doug remains afraid and confined below. |
In the rooftop scene Fran and Scott dance around a Hills Hoist clothesline and in front of a Coca-Cola sign. Luhrmann juxtaposes the glamorous (coke sign) with the mundane (washing line). The symbols may also represent the middle and working classes from which the characters come. Regardless of the meanings you choose to assign to the symbols, the setting is beautiful in its own way. The change in Scott's attitude towards Fran has resulted in a beautiful, more diverse and interesting world where he can follow his own desires unrestricted by formal rules.
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Here you see two different high angle shots of people dancing. The rooftop scene is outdoors and eclectic whereas the indoor scene is uniform and neatly organised. In the indoor scene depicting the Viennese Waltz only some of the characters get to be the 'beautiful ones'. In the rooftop setting, it is the world itself that is strangely beautiful in a very non-stereotypical way.
When we look at these two high angle shots we see that change brings diversity and personal freedom to the world, making it a better place. |