Tags
2000's, Baz Luhrmann, Ewan McGregor, Jim Broadbent, John Leguizamo, Moulin Rouge, Musical, Nicole Kidman, Richard Roxburgh, Romance
Film Title
Moulin Rouge
Director
Baz Luhrmann
Starring
- Ewan McGregor as Christian
- Nicole Kidman as Satine
- Jim Broadbent as Harold Zidler
- Richard Roxburgh as The Duke
- John Leguizamo as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
An utterly fantastical, spectacular musical romance, Moulin Rouge is a marvel to behold. With artistic flair and daring panache, Baz Luhrmann crafts an ambitious and boldly mounted extravaganza combining humour, passion and music.
The time is 1900 and young dreamy poet Christian moves to Montmartre, Paris to be among the burgeoning Bohemian writing movement. It isn’t long until Christian comes into contact with the eccentric Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and his artistic circle. After seeing Christian’s deep talent for words, Toulouse and his friends persuade him to help them finish writing their new show that they want to sell. They take Christian to the decadent dance hall Moulin Rouge, were the dancing is frantic, the atmosphere charged and the sexuality is through the roof as it also doubles as a bordello. It is a place where the rich folk of Paris mingles with the underworld in gaudy business, boozy antics and seedy dealings. The plan is to sell the play to the garrulous owner and impresario Harold Zidler. The star of the Moulin Rouge is a beautiful courtesan named Satine who is a talented singer and wants to be an actress.
Upon meeting her after a series of mishaps when she believes he is someone else, Christian is instantly in love and his way with poetry and genuine emotion soon makes these feelings reciprocated by the stunning Satine. The hitch to their flourishing romance is when Harold gets an investor for the play in the form of the unscrupulous Duke, who wants to be bound to Satine and slowly comes to see that Satine has feelings for someone else which causes his anger to considerably rise. As Christian and Satine conduct a concealed affair, there is also the secret matter that Satine is tragically dying of consumption. As the day of the show nears, love, jealousy and tragedy collide in spectacular fashion as the show must go on.
As soon as the movie starts with something akin to a fanfare, you just know that Moulin Rouge is going to be something special. Baz Luhrmann launches us into an intoxicating world of artistic flourishes and grand passions that benefits from and soars because of stunning set design, costumes and visuals. The way he shoots the scenes within the title dance hall are fantastic with quick cuts and a kinetic pace mixing as colourful skirts are lifted in the can can, decadent joy comes alive and a promise of love emerges for Christian in an exotic atmosphere. Moulin Rouge is nothing short of a feast for the senses and ears and Luhrmann knows how to engross us in a spellbinding fable with a tragic heart at the centre of it all. I especially love how the musical numbers are songs that are modern and transported into the old-fashioned setting with cheeky panache and chutzpah. I can’t explain why but I really get a kick out of hearing these contemporary numbers being performed in an archaic environment. Now there are those that will argue that Moulin Rouge is nothing more than grandiose style over substance. I can see where people may be coming from with that accusation, but I for one was too swept up in the movie and found that while the style was overwhelming in parts, there was still interesting characters and a love story in it that left me moved. The romance between Christian and Satine has a feeling of magic to it, they are really meant to be together but ultimately fate my have other plans for these designs and won’t let it be an easy ride for either.
Ewan McGregor is ideally cast as the naive poet Christian, who believes with all his being that love is essential to life. McGregor has a really genuine and earnest way about him here that we sympathise with Christian as his love for Satine is threatened by other forces. One should also note his excellent vocal skills that are mightily impressive to hear. The same can be said of Nicole Kidman, whose singing voice can be described as heavenly. She exudes such a vibrancy, joy and ultimately desperate sadness as the showgirl Satine slowly dying but finding her one true love. Kidman gives her all to the part and shows a flair for seductive comic scenes as well as deep emotional ones that show her incredible range. The ever-reliable Jim Broadbent steals every scene he’s in with his gusto, sense of humour and outrageous look as the showman Harold, who watches over his stars of the show but in particular Satine. Richard Roxburgh has a snake-like quality that he cloaks his character of The Duke in that makes him a very nasty piece of work indeed. John Leguizamo is an utter delight as the impish Toulouse who brings Christian into his circle of artists and writers.
Bold, breathtaking and impressively splendid, Moulin Rouge is simply put a wonderful musical brimming with life.
What is one of the movies you most like?
And, regarding in the category of comedy, which one you most like?
If you want to answer that is.
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My favourite movie is The Godfather. If I had to choose my favourite comedy, it would be Bridesmaids. Love how outrageous it gets.
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Gonna check out the Bridesmaids
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It’s such a funny film, I was nearly in tears laughing at it.
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Oh dear. Sorry to have to say this on the 1st of January post, but I really hate this film mate.
I cannot honestly think of a single thing to say in its defence. It is complete pony.
Watch this one instead. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moulin_Rouge_(1952_film)
It really is so much better.
Cheers, V. And Happy New Year. (Again…) Pete.
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Hi Pete, every reviewer is entitled to his or her opinions. I like this movie but you don’t, that’s the joy of movies. I’d hate for everyone to agree and like the same things. And once again Pete, Happy New Year.
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Cheers, V. I could go on at length about why I don’t like it but won’t bother, as Baz has many fans, not including me of course. The 1952 film is very good though.In a different league.
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I’m curious about the 1952 film Pete, I never knew there was another movie about the Moulin Rouge.
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Jose Ferrer plays Toulouse Lautrec, the famous painter, with special knee pads to simulate stunted growth. He paints the dancers and singers, and struggles with his alcoholism, his short stature, and aristocratic background. It’s not a musical, but has the music and dancing of the Folies Bergere included. Here’s a DVD link.
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Thank you for the link Pete, you’re always so reliable with links to good stuff.
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In that case, here are some more!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moulin_Rouge_(1928_film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moulin_Rouge_(1934_film)
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moulin-Rouge_(film,_1941)
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You’re the link King.
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There are others too.
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I quite like this film. One of my favourite songs in it is El Tango de Roxanne. Nice review.
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That is a strong musical number, love the ferocity in it.
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I really like this one. Great songs and performances, my favorites are Your Song and The Show Must Go On.
Happy New Year Vinnie!
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Happy New Year Marta. It’s one of those movies that has you tapping your toes when you hear some of those tunes. And I always think Nicole Kidman looks so beautiful in this movie, like an old fashioned movie star.
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She does indeed. Ewan McGregor is perfect as romantic hero.
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They have a wonderful chemistry here and it radiates from every scene their in. I’m signing off for sleep now, will catch up with you soon Marta.
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It’s strange that I should love Moulin Rouge so much when, in general, I find the entire ‘Musicals’ genre bizarrely jarring. Go figure. 😉
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We’re all entitled to a rogue film that we love from a genre that is usually not our cup of tea.
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If I wanted to, I could not have stated that more perfectly or graciously. I tip my hat to you. 🙂
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Cheers dude, hat tipping is always a valued thing.
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This movie literally made me sick. I get motion sickness at times looking at a movie on a large screen with a lot of movement. I recall this movie changed scenes every 10 seconds. I had to leave I was getting dizzy so!
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I’m sorry to hear that this movie had that effect on you. You are right that it does change scenes at a very rapid rate.
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I love everything about this movie, including Nicole Kidman’s nipple appearance.
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I read about that on a trivia page.
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I rewind it and re-watch the part usually 😀
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I happen to enjoy this film very much. I have it on DVD and have watched it countless times. By the way, I caught wind of your review over at beetleypete.
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Thanks for your comment, I always have a good time watching this movie.
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This isn’t one of my favorite film musicals, but I did enjoy it. Great review Vinnie. You certainly did it justice. 🙂
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Thanks for your response Kim. I am always blown away by the visuals of it.
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I think the visuals are the best part about it!
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They’re so opulent and full of splendour, the technical department did a stellar job that’s for sure. And the direction from Luhrmann is splendidly full of life.
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Great review, I plan to give it a watch today. I recall when it came out, the critics raved about it for the most part. Thanks for writing this, I enjoyed your photos in it as well as your writing style. I’ll be back!
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I hope you enjoy the movie then and I’m pleased my review has made you want to do that.
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Great review! Better than the film, as I remember it; I was disappointed: I wanted more dancing, all the dance sequences seemed to be cut before they really got into it – I wanted more! more!
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I’ve found when discussing the movie that it’s one of those movies that people either love or hate.
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I really enjoyed the 2 times I have seen, “Moulin Rouge,” Vinnie. I could not imagine enjoying this more on a live stage since this fantasy world was met do well in a movie form. I liked both the main characters, too. Smiles, Robin 🙂
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You make an excellent point about the way the movie transports the audience into this nighttime world of exotic fantasy.
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I got my lovely wife a boxed set of DVDs of Luhman’s stuff, and I just could not get to this film. I dunno. It’s pretty, but I just couldn’t care. Guess I’m not the target audience!
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It’s a movie that people either love or Hate. I think it all depends on whether you can buy into it or not.
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So many people loved this film, and I just don’t get it. I hated it, was bored out of my gourd the whole time.
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It’s a definite love it or loathe it movie. I don’t think there’s a middle ground with this one.
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Oh dear, I think I may be the only person on the planet who hasn’t watched Moulin Rouge… Netflix has let me down, it isn’t listed, so I have added it to my to watch list. Jim Broadbent is hilarious, I’d watch him read the phone book to me. Thanks for reminding me that I’m in an exclusive club of one Vinnie…
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Jim Broadbent is so talented, I love it when he pops up in supporting roles and steals it. I have a feeling you’ll see this movie soon.
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Love this movie, you can’t go wrong!
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It’s a full on extravaganza.
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Awesome review Vin! This is my fave Baz Luhrmann’s movie and one of my fave musicals ever. It’s SO rewatchable and the music is a staple in my house and even in the car!
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I really like the mixing of old-fashioned setting and modern music. Something about it is really thrilling.
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Yes, the anachronism works really well here and it adds a touch of whimsy. But the love story is wonderful as well.
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The love story is really tender and beautiful. And Nicole Kidman is gorgeous in this film, the camera just frames her so wonderfully and her performance is excellent.
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Love the new style to your blog- very sleek!
This is one of my all time favourite films! The Come What May song and scene is just amazing. I have to watch it again now haha!
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Sleek was what I was going for. The Come What May sequence is beautifully done. My favourite music part is the can can when we first see the Moulin Rouge, everything is so crazy.
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Spectacular review! It really is such a fantastic film and I think you’ve certainly used so many incredible words to describe just that! Certainly one of my favourites and an incredible unique musical.
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I think by the end of the review I was running out of positive adjectives to use.
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Must admit this isn’t one of my personal favourites but that’s just ME not an objective thing, it’s a beautiful film and very odd and unique. I love the use of Elton John’s Your Song!! I haven’t actually seen this for a while, maybe I should re-watch. What did you think of Baz’s Romeo + Juliet? (review?!)
Beautifully written review btw 🙂
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It’s quite a divisive film in the mound of love it or hate it. I remember quite liking Romeo and Juliet the last time I saw it.
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I’ve been wanting to watch this movie for ages, but can’t bring myself to, as I know it will break my heart, haha!
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It is a bittersweet movie that does have tragedy. Yet it also boasts spectacular visuals and humour.
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I believe in you, but I’m a chicken when it comes to drama – I cry too easily >.<
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I’d still watch it for the music, imagery and love story.
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Fair enough 💙
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If you see it, please let me know what you thought of it.
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I promise! 😀
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Wonderful to know, I hope you get chance to see this movie.
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