Review of Moulin Rouge! (2001) by Marianina S — 05 Apr 2015

MOULIN ROUGE is directed by Baz Luhmann and stars Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and Jim Broadbent. It revolves around a melancholy, lonely writer who tells the "story of love" as he calls it and how it would live on forever.

The film starts off with Christian (McGregor), with a freshly shaven handsome face doing a small segment of a kooky, loud play he is coming up with called Spectacular Spectacular. Turns out, he can sing his heart out and it doesn't sound forced. Then, he goes on in Moulin Rouge in Paris where a cabaret show is going on. It's very over-the-top and off, but it is supposed to be. With a showy musical segment, Satine, (Kidman) comes into the picture. She's breathy, kind and exuberant. Like Christian, she can sing to the heavens. When she mistakes him as the Duke, she takes him to her room and whips her hair, rolls around dramatically and strangely invites him for sexual relations but he's too nervous. You can tell they have an instant connection and this goes very well with the sound of music and dialogue. After an intense number, Christian, in the moment, truthfully reveals that he isn't a Duke and while Satine is shocked for awhile and tells him to hide while the actual Duke pops in, she slowly begins a real connection with him but she faints for the second time, obviously leading to something being wrong with her (an illness). The Duke pops up and catches them but they convince him that they are reciting the lines for Spectacular Spectacular. During another musical number, they explain the plot of the play and how Satine can become a real actress.

Luhmann makes MOULIN ROUGE shine as bright as the sun. Everything is gorgeous; the production set, the costumes, the make up and the visual atmosphere. It's as visually dazzling as The Great Gatsby. He directs this with vibrant colors and lets the actors loosely do their job in a very fun way.

Kidman never has a dull moment and stays strong from her entrance to her exit. She is so sultry and beautiful but vulnerable and youthful in this that she inhabits Satine's inner core as a hopeful woman living in a seemingly hopeless reality. It's very aristocratic and angelic.

McGregor is in one of his best roles, on the level of Trainspotting. He portrays Christian as a deeply depressed man that feels betrayed by life perhaps that took away his love and the only thing that kept him going. He is so real, heartbreaking that I was surprised that he wasn't given the acclaim Kidman had received.

Broadbent, as well as many of the other supporting characters, is very enhanced in his role as Zidler. He's quiet at first but very aggressive and silly but not sinister like the Duke.

The story may not be entirely original, but it is very engrossing and engaging with blunders of love and music. The best line in the film is, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and to be loved in return." It sparks magic as Toullous screams it at the top of his lungs to a full house. MOULIN ROUGE is either a love it or hate it movie, but I certainly loved it through and through especially with its improvement on the third act.