Another seemingly none-existent summer is over. It leaves us with another missed chance at Wimbledon, another set of hopes that the weather will be better next time and another lot of summer blockbusters that have done little to astound us with besides their special effects. Kind of depressing in a way but things, as they say, can only get better and Moulin Rouge leads the way to a promising post summer season.
I shouldn’t really class this as a post summer film. Moulin Rouge was set to be released in December 2000 but they decided to hold off to tweak with the final cut a bit more and get everything ‘just right’. It was then released at the Cannes film festival. The reaction was mixed to say the least. Some people fell in love with the film, heralding it as the start of musicals again. Others hated it saying once again that director Baz Luhrmann had once again neglected the story in favour of style.
It’s hard to pinpoint what drew me to this film. I haven’t paid much attention to musicals, the nearest I’ve come to one for a while was the South Park movie. However as the buzz about the film built up and I began to learn a bit more about it the more I wanted to see it. It sounded different that was for sure, it had a strong cast and from what I could see from the sets they were out of any known world. So I went in not knowing what to expect but came out enjoying the film on a level I haven’t had in a long, long time.
For the first twenty minutes or so, like it has been said before, you won’t really know what’s going on. You see a man singing out a window and a worse for wear Christian sitting in his room. The story is told by Christian as a past reflection, basically starting at the end, which is why you may seem confused as to where it’s going. Keep with it though and soon things fall into place.
In 1899 Christian (Ewan McGregor), a young poet, decides to leave his homeland in Scotland to gather inspiration and to see new life. This leads him to Montmartre district of Paris; a place of bright lights, high drugs and lots of sex. At first things go slowly until, after somewhat unorthodox events, he meets up with a little (being the operative word) guy Toulouse Lautrec (John Leguizamo). He is soon on green fairy absinthe
and to the Moulin Rouge, the local place where men go to meet pretty ladies in skimpy costumes.
The Moulin is a popular place and men come from all over Paris to view the delights, especially Satine (Nicole Kidman) who is the shining star of the Moulin. However it is apparent that all is not well, for however popular it is it still needs financial backing, as the owner Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent), knows only too well. After a comic misunderstanding Satine and Christian meet alone, and with Christian bewitched when he first laid eyes on her, its not long before the two of them are in love.
However, as always, things are never quite simple. The Duke (Richard Roxburgh) who has the money to keep Moulin Rouge running also wants Satine and he’s not willing to share her. It seems that Satine is torn between her career and her love for Christian. However as they both find out that is to be the least of their worries.
The story does seem to have a slight ring to it. It doesn’t take much to see why people like to link this to Lurhmann’s other film Romeo and Juliet because it is very similar, two people fall in love, cant be with each other etc. However Moulin Rouge is another film entirely, it pushes the boat out and a bit more for good measure, in all counts. Yes the story is nothing new but it is brought alive by the sheer style and grandness of it all, Moulin Rouge’s style is the films substance.
Baz is a very brave man indeed for releasing a musical in the year 2001. It could have easily been pushed aside but it’s held its own. Baz has made the leap of mixing old with new and done an excellent job at stamping his mark on the genre. From the very beginning its different to anything else you would have seen. Curtains pull apart from the big screen and a conductor is conducting away and soon a grainy 20th Century Fox logo appears on the screen, it then starts the film. The way this is done is so simple, yet so different that it gives the feeling that this film is set to prove its more than a little special and demands attention.
This being a musical there needs to be a mention about the music in it. Well Moulin Rouge doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. Credit has to go to Baz and Marius DeVries, the music director, for using modern songs for an 1899 film. It was another risky move because it needed to be believable as well as stylish. Luckily it succeeds on both counts. The songs used are never really out of place and they spur the characters along in terms of story and mood that they are experiencing just like any other musical except this time its songs that the audience will know very well.
The songs are also blended in well. As Kidman sings her way through Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend halfway through Material Girl also creeps its way in but doesn’t spoil the flow in anyway. The standout song of the film has to be the exceptional Elephant Love Medley. Here we see Kidman and McGregor giving it all and swapping verses of love songs. Among the songs included are Hero’s, Silly Love Songs, I Was Made For Lovin’ You and I Will Always Love You. The way each song is linked into each other is masterfully done, again each time a new one starts it never feels forced or the pace broken from the one left before. For sheer hilarity value a mention has to go towards the Like A Virgin set piece. However this isn’t sung by Kidman but by Zidler. Jim Broadbent launches himself into the song, sure he sings off key but that’s the point.
Most songs are coupled with a dance number as well. Again, Moulin Rouge, it’s at its best with these moments. When we first go into Moulin Rouge it is an orgy or colour, dancing and song. It is like absinthe for the eyes. There is so much to take on board and to see that you hardly know where to look everything is happening all around the place that you need to blink fast or miss a great deal. The dances are choreographed superbly and pretty much in perfect detail as well. Nobody who is on set at the time is wasted and they all serve a purpose.
Coupled with the songs and dance numbers another thing that makes Moulin Rouge extra special are the sets. Like both aforementioned things the sets are bold, bright and way over the top. They fit in perfectly. The Moulin Rouge itself is decorated with bright lights, bright colour and other decorative elements hanging all over the walls. Even when a set is bleak it still has a certain element of uniqueness. Indeed the Dukes Gothic Castle is like something from a fairytale, with its high towers and cold, dark façade it’s a perfect place for the villain of the film to recide in. Also the last big number sets a different style with a big Bollywood set piece, the costumes and set pouring with detail.
The camera work is also worthy of a mention. You will be rushed around like someone on drugs. This is more than noticeable where you are whisked away, in a first person view, to enter the Moulin Rouge, with the doors opening for you. A great way to introduce you to the Moulin Rouge. There are often more subtle elements of the camera work as well, whether this be just a nice drawback to view the city or a close-up for an emotional part its all there.
The cast does a first class acting job as well. Kidman can prove she can be seductive, innocent and sweet all in one go. When a scene needs a bit of over acting she does so but she also knows when to stop so it doesn’t seem to fake or forced. McGregor also plays Christian well. Despite Christian being rather soppy with the love thing McGregor still portrays him as masculine and still having a certain amount of power. It is funny to see the two characters develop their relationship. The two people are a paradox of each other. Satine is cynical and doesn’t believe in love only getting to the top of her career. However, above all things Christian does believe in love, and therefore the unlikely but plausible romance starts between them.
Luckily for the film they can also both sing as well as they can act. They do well as a duet and a solo number. Kidman’s solo of One Day I’ll Fly Away is sung beautifully. McGregor also proves he can carry a song on his own with Elton Johns Your Song. Well done for singing coach Andrew Ross for getting them up to this standard.
Jim Broadbent plays the part of Zidler magnificently. There is a fine line between being seen as overacting and being seen as just being that character. Broadbent never crosses the line and when he does camp it up and go over the top you will believe its just the character expressing himself in a very overt manner. The Duke is a fairly one-dimensional character and the typical film villain, weak, evil and always wanting his way. Roxburgh plays him so that although the audience will undoubtedly hate him they will also laugh with him with the comic relief he also brings into the film.
To be critical with this film and heck this is a review so it’s the best place for it, it’s not entirely perfect in every way. Though it comes close. The main, and really only problem with this, is that for 20 minutes or so before the climax the pace does slow down a bit and is kind of overdrawn however this is more than compensated for what you have experienced beforehand and for the show stopping number at the end.
Indeed the end of the film, although predictable because it tells you what happens at the beginning, is still dramatic enough. It is one of the only films which I have been when the audience have sat in complete silence and stayed sitting and stayed quiet even when the credits were rolling away. Powerful stuff. This wouldn’t have happened if the acting wasn’t up to scratch, making you fail to form an attachment with the two leads. It wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t such a vigorous piece of originality. It wouldn’t have happened if it were an average film. Which it most obviously isn’t?
And one plea. Don’t dismiss Moulin Rouge as a soppy romantic musical. Its for all ages (well 12 and up) and all genders, all two of them at least. The guys, as well as the girls I was with, enjoyed the film a great deal despite some of them wanting to see Fast and the Furious that night.
This really is the best film to come along this year so far and maybe for the rest of the remaining months. It’s an adrenaline rush like no other, pushing you along with the story and giving you superb songs in-between. This film is, like the show inside the film, Spectacular, Spectacular.
MOULIN ROUGE IS
A visual treat Music to the ears A musical for the 21st century
MOULIN ROUGE IS NOT
A missed hit A film to be taken lightly Like any film you have seen before
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1999 - Music / Performing Arts - Original Language: English - Classification: Exempt - Starring: Donny Osmond, Joan Collins, Richard Attenborough
Production Year: 1992 - Music / Performing Arts - Original Language: English - Classification: Exempt - Starring: Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, David Bowie, Def Leppard, Extreme, Elton John, Bob Geldof
I love, love , love this film! I have just recently been and bought the soundtrack, so i can listen to the songs from the film! My favourite is Come What May, their 'secret song'. Great op! Fiona xx
pinkprincesskt 18.09.2002 17:23
Great op!! The film made me cry loads!! I loved it to!!
belaqua 17.07.2002 12:54
Wow, this is an incredible review! The film is one of the most originallly made I've seen on major release and you more than do it justice -x-
Watching Baz Luhrmann's award-winningMoulin Rougeis a lot like falling in love. It is ... more
total immersion cinema and while you're experiencing it ("watching" is too passive a word) you can't imagine that cinema could be for anything else. In the harsh, obj...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Watching Baz Luhrmann's award-winningMoulin Rougeis a lot like falling in love. It is ... more
total immersion cinema and while you're experiencing it ("watching" is too passive a word) you can't imagine that cinema could be for anything else. In the harsh, obj...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Passion - filled poet falls for a breathtaking courtesan in this exotic musical love story ... more
from the unique and spellbinding imagination of visionary director Baz Luhrmann. Stunning performances from stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor fuel this movin...
![Moulin Rouge -- Two-Disc Set [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78237871.jpg "Moulin Rouge -- Two-Disc Set [DVD] [2001]")
![Moulin Rouge! [Special Edition] (2001)](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/97375302.jpg "Moulin Rouge! [Special Edition] (2001)")
Sep 30th, 2001
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