Moulin Rouge

A very strange and interesting film - definitely original.

I, for one, enjoyed it immensely.

Review pending.

Let me take this opportunity to beat you to the punch

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In today's sex crazed cinema, how could a film about French whores possibly go wrong? Baz Luhrman is no fool, and he knows how to make a statement. But with Moulin Rouge, he's really gone out on a limb.

Filled with modern pop culture references and contemporary themes, Moulin Rouge is set in turn of the centruy Paris, at the heart of France's bohemian revolution. The Moulin Rouge itself is a decadent French nightclub, where everything is for sale, especially the women. But the club owner and his whores have dreams for something more, and Moulin Rouge, in addition to being the story of two people and their forbidden love, is also about the Moulin Rouge's struggle for legitimacy as the club owner attempts to transform it into a legitimate theater.

While consistently surprising, and venerably beautiful, Moulin Rouge gets off to a rather shaky start. Indeed, judging from the first twenty minutes, Moulin comes off as a bad MTV parody, filled with excessive camera switches, loud flashing colors, and seemingly out of place pop music, while bereft of actual content. But the film matures, eventually opting for a more suitable style and pace as the story focuses in on its two star crossed lovers, Satine (played by Nicole Kidman) and Christian (Ewan McGregor).

After those first few annoying moments, Moulin Rouge quickly settles down into a beautiful and touching drama, mixed with waves of musical comedy and angst in an amazingly beautiful world unlike anything seen before. Luhrman's creative flair is completely unfettered, treating us to visual spectacles both darkly deceptive and intensely bright. The music, whether it be Madonna's "Like a Virgin" or the Police's "Roxanne" winds its way through the tale like a shiny blue serpent, bringing together moments of tension and moments of humor as part of a complete and touching whole.

Its clear that Luhrman knew exactly what he was doing in his music selection, for not only is the audience's emotion influenced by the song's words and music, but by the identity and feelings associated with their original versions. One can't help but quiver as the big Narcissistic Argentinean breaks into his guttural and deep rendition of "Roxanne". Nor could the audience resist a few chuckles when Moulin Rouge owner Zidler (Jim Broadbent) placates the villainous duke with his own version of Madonna's "Like a Virgin".

But the spotlight does not belong to Luhrman's creative vision alone, for his actors too turn in heady performances. Of special note are the stars, Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, who not only manage to fully capture the emotion and motivation of their two intense characters, but display heretofore unknown singing talent as well. Then there's John Leguisamo, the perennial cinematic clown, who's most notable roles so far have been as second tier video game characters and psychotic comic book clowns. Here he plays Toulouse Latrec, 19th century artist, drunken clown, and diminutive sage of the bohemian revolution. Not only does he sing with great luster, but he can apparently act as well, bouncing from character to character scene to scene with an almost uncanny ability to nail every line as though it were his last.

Moulin Rouge is far from perfect, but as usual, Baz Luhrman has managed to create something new... a real rarity in today's recycled Hollywood. He may not resurrect the Musical, but perhaps in some small part he can help recreate the excitement and creativity that so many writers and directors seem to have forgotten.

My review:

SUMMARY

In 1899, a young penniless writer named Christian (Ewan MacGregor) arrives in Paris, only to fall in love with Satine (Nicole Kidman), star dancer and courtesan at the Club Moulin Rouge.


RECOMMENDED FOR:

Anyone seeking the Bohemian ideals of truth, beauty, freedom, and above all things love.


REVIEW

Moulin Rouge is a strikingly original psychedelic fantasy that blends the nostalgic setting of end-of-the-nineteenth-century Paris with a tapestry of twentieth-century love themes and whirlwind twenty-first-century photography to create the most beautiful music video ever filmed.

It is also one of the weirdest movies I have ever had the pleasure to experience.

Now, when I say "weird", I mean it. Moulin Rouge is Cabaret on crack. It's Mary Poppins shot with dizzying camera angles and startling visuals that are simply crazy, from a singing "man on the moon" to an eruption of top hats. Regardless of whether this actually works for all audiences, the fact is that the movie is fresh, exciting, and rife with a sparkling degree of innovation that defines "movie magic".

Moulin Rouge is full of scenes that remain memorable long after the end credits roll. Satine has the perfect entrance for her character, descending onto the dance floor while singing "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend". The "Elephant Love Medley" scene is a poignant musical number that embodies the soul of the film. Justice is finally dealt to Madonna in retribution for her bastardization of "American Pie" in a rendition of "Like A Virgin" that surpasses the original, and is also the most joyously hilarious scene in the movie.

The transitions between the different locations in which the film takes place are lovably fast-paced zoom-out, zoom-in shots involving a vibrantly-rendered model of 1899 Paris, and allow the story to slip smoothly from scene to scene while adding significantly to the ultimate feel of the movie. The musical numbers themselves are for the most part staged in a fashion that switches between comical and dark when appropriate.

This is also a movie where the actors are actually given a chance to act - and they do so spectacularly. Nicole Kidman delivers an all-singing all-dancing performance to be remembered. Ewan McGregor pours heart and soul into his role, and succeeds in achieving the much-sought-after goal of escaping just being an actor (one whose name previously just screamed "young Obi-Wan", to boot) and effectively becoming the character.

Plot, however, is not an innovation to look for in Moulin Rouge. It has direct connotations of Shakespeare In Love (in itself, not entirely original either), and offers a new and breathtaking presentation of the time-worn love story between a writer and an actress that is interrupted by a smarmy aristocrat with a moustache, all culminating in a show-within-a-show that basically parallels the entire film. Do not see Moulin Rouge for an innovative love story. This is a movie aimed straight for presentation marks alone, and excels in that manner.

In the end, the one certainty about Moulin Rouge is that you will leave this movie thinking, "What was Baz Luhrmann on when he made this?" Then you might ask a second question: "Can I have some more?"

We are agreeing WAAY to much lately.

Yeah. Not healthy. We need another wire-fu flick over which we can duke it out again