Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! is the story of Satine and Christian, a would-be-actress courtesan and an aspiring, penniless writer respectively. It is a love story, a tragedy, a comedy, a musical, a farce, a fairy tale and a feast for the eyes and ears. It is, in a word, WONDERFUL.
The Story ========= Christian (Ewan McGregor) is an aspiring writer who goes to Paris to pursue his ambition and live the Bohemian romantic ideal of beauty, truth and love. Especially love, which he has never felt but longs for.
There he encounters a troupe of players (including Toulouse Lautrec) who rope him in to write their new play ‘Spectacular! Spectacular!’, a vehicle for the Moulin Rouge’s most famous courtesan, Satine (Nicole Kidman).
Christian and Satine fall in love, but she is promised to a rich but smarmy Duke who is to fund the play. He holds the deeds to the Moulin Rouge and will close the play and the venue down if he cannot have her for his own.
Thus begins Christian and Satine’s affair which must be kept secret. Needless to say, they are found out, and the Duke threatens to have Christian killed if Satine does not give him up.
Meanwhile, Satine is dying of consumption and does not know it.
A seemingly simple tale, but imbued by the actors and director with great depth and complexity.
The Actors ========== McGregor and Kidman are superb, and they are more than ably supported by a cast of many including Jim Broadbent and even Kylie Minogue.
McGregor captures Christian’s naivety, eagerness and passion wonderfully. And his singing voice is a revelation, soaring, whispering and holding notes to perfection. We feel his ardour, his jealousy and his pain along with him.
Kidman is a revelation too, showing sides of her ability not before seen on screen. She looks fantastic (as does McGregor), but more importantly she sings like an angel, undulates like a snake and plays both the coquette and the real woman sublimely. Her comic timing is spot-on and she is equally adept at pathos and bathos.
The unselfishness of the two leads makes their scenes together a delight with each allowing the other’s talent to come to the fore and take the limelight in turns.
The Direction ============= Unique, innovative, spectacular. The movie uses every trick in the book to great effect and we get sweeping long-shots, extreme close-ups, slo-mo, speed-up, montage, dissolves, and intercuts as sharp as a knife.
The viewer is on a roller-coaster through a greatly exaggerated, over-the-top Paris that is sumptuous, seedy and dazzling.
Moulin Rouge! is not realism. It is a wild, cluttered fantasy that mixes dark and light, ugliness and beauty, old and new.
One viewing is not enough to take in the sheer weight of imagery and the variety of textures and sounds.
The Songs ========= Songs of the twentieth century are spoken and sung throughout the film. They are used for humour, pathos, emotion and plot in equal measure.
At times they contrast with the movie’s milieu, at others they drag us right in there. Like the film’s images, the songs are often mixed and intertwined, producing multi-layered meaning and experience.
Never will I forget Jim Broadbent’s rendition of Like a Virgin, or a group of upper-class top-hatted young men giving us Smells Like Teen Spirit.
And McGregor’s rendition of Elton John’s Your Song is simply beautiful.
Conclusion ========== Moulin Rouge! is Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet taken ten steps further. It is an innovative, courageous, wildly ambitious rollercoaster of intellect and emotion that will surely prove to be a classic of all time. Don’t miss it.
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Production Year: 1999 - Music / Performing Arts - Original Language: English - Classification: Exempt - Starring: Donny Osmond, Joan Collins, Richard Attenborough
This does sound stunning, I'll have to see it on video or Front Row.
Clare_1 30.11.2001 16:04
It's a classic love it or hate it film. I loved it but so many of my friends found it unbearable. Bizarre. But then that is life! Great op. You really do the film and it's actors justice. Clare
TallTone 30.11.2001 12:35
I preferred "Romeo & Juliet" but I will still be getting this when it comes out on DVD... Good op - TT.
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...
Advantages: Great songs, direction and performances Disadvantages: Having to watch it in a cinema with people talking restlessly because they can't be bothered to pay sufficient attention!
![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)")
Nov 29th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
