![]() Initially he simply holds onto her hand or her waist to keep her from walking away, but once she soars up into the rafters of the theater, he grabs onto both her rope and aerial hoop in attempts to hold onto their relationship and consequently pull her back down to earth. ![]() ![]() This act shows his growth as a character as he is now willing to fight for their relationship, b ut as a result of his efforts to keep her close for the first half of the song, he also ends up trying to keep her grounded. This time, however, he won’t let her run away and keeps pulling her back to him each time she slips out of his reach. In earlier scenes, Phillip was the first to let go of her hand or let her walk away when he saw the full scope of how people treated her when they were seen together in public. Anne, aware of her feelings for Phillip but afraid of how people would treat them both if they ever acted on them, keeps trying to escape from the situation. Once the song actually begins, the choreography functions as a chase as much as it does as a dance. For the first time in the film, these characters are completely alone with each other, a feeling emphasized by the centralized lighting that literally blacks out the rest of the world, keeping the focus on the two of them. The lighting of the scene also adds to the emotionally vulnerable tone captured by the costumes, as the spotlight that illuminates the center of the circus ring coupled with the dark shadows that engulf the rest of the theater creates an intimate atmosphere. Both costumes thus represent the major obstacles their relationship faces throughout the film: the racism and classism of a bigoted society. Phillip’s costume is a pared down version of his usual upper class attire, marking him as changed but still connected to a world that would never accept Anne. Anne goes without her pink wig for this scene and her leotard leaves both her arms and legs uncovered, thus putting her darker skin and natural hair on display. In being under-dressed by the standards of the times, the costuming communicates an intimate honesty between the characters as both are willing to bare their heart to the other.Īside from contributing to the overall tone of the scene, the costuming also illustrates the conflict that exists between the characters. Both characters are physically stripped down-Phillip is free of his usual dark suit jacket, bow tie, and top hat, while Anne has changed out of an elaborate evening dress into a simple rehearsal leotard-communicating the emotional vulnerability of the scene to come. And in the “Rewrite The Stars” scene in particular, everything we see-costumes, lighting, and, most importantly, choreography -contributes to the emotional dynamic between the characters and the narrative arc of the scene.īefore a single note is sung, costuming sets the tone for the scene. The entire film is visually stunning, with color and movement working in perfect harmony to craft a fantastical reality in which every scene is filled with tiny details. The duet expresses the conflicting viewpoints of the movie’s star-crossed lovers -Anne Wheeler and Phillip Carlyle, played by Zendaya and Zac Efron, respectively -who are brought together by the circus but kept apart by race and class as they soar above the center ring in a beautifully choreographed aerial performance.īut while Pasek and Paul’s music and lyrics do a lot to convey both the love and conflict between these characters, I want to take some time to talk about the visual storytelling happening in this scene. The Greatest Showman is full of gorgeous scenes and spectacular dance numbers, but one of the standout moments of the film is the “Rewrite The Stars” sequence. ![]() This article contains spoilers for The Greatest Showman (2017). ![]()
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