Post-modern musical dazzles the senses

Rating: 10/10 (1 February 2002)

In 1915, after a private White House screening of D.W. Griffith's silent Civil War epic Birth of a Nation, President Woodrow Wilson hailed the movie, saying, `It's like writing history with lightning.' If any movie deserves to carry the moniker `written with lightning,' it is Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, a flamboyantly delirious post-modern spin on the creaky old `Let's-put-on-a-show' musical.
From its opening frames, in which an orchestra conductor wildly conducts the 20th Century Fox fanfare, it is clear that Luhrmann is not going to play to expectations. Strains of `The Sound of Music' and `Nature Boy' lead us into Montmartre, the Bohemian corner of Paris, where a young writer named Christian (Ewan McGregor) is penning his latest tome, an ode to the only love he has ever known.
The opening is somber and restrained, despite some truly eye-popping visual effects that take us into Christian's world. We are relaxed, but only for a moment. The second Christian's story propels into flashback, the audience is thrust into a world of sights and sounds that boggle (and almost assault) the mind. We are introduced to a bevy of bizarre characters, including John Leguizamo as a lisping Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jacek Koman as a narcoleptic Argentinian (don't ask) and Matthew Whittet as famed French composer Erik Satie.
It seems this group of Bohemians are looking for a new poet to provide lyrics for their latest musical offering, Spectacular Spectacular. One sip of absinthe, and Christian has suddenly joined their band of merry men. Of course, it helps that he is able to compose such poetic ditties as, `The hills are alive with the sound of music,' on a moment's notice.
It is here that we realize Luhrmann is going to populate his movie not only with a bizarre cast of characters, but they are going to be singing songs that we all know and love. It's a risky move, but Luhrmann makes it work as an integral convention for his story. Christian is a great and gifted poet. What better way to demonstrate this than by having him write truly memorable poems?
As Christian soon learns, the Bohemians still need the backing of Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent, in a role that truly shows his range), owner of the title nightclub. And the star of the show is to be none other than Zidler's `sparkling diamond,' Satine (Nicole Kidman). Zidler, however, has other plans, which include using Satine to secure the financial backing of an evil duke (Richard Roxburgh) to turn his Moulin Rouge from a nightclub into a legitimate theater and courtesan Satine into a legitimate actress. Things get complicated (well, as complicated as this type of music could possibly get) when, through a case of mistaken identity, Satine and Christian wind up together and in love.
That's the setup, and if it sounds like it borrows from countless other stories, well, it does. But Luhrmann knows this. He's not interested in telling a story that's never been told before. He wants to tell a story in a way that's never been done before.
To this end, Luhrmann succeeds. After an opening act that literally never lets up (think the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, only with song and dance), he settles into his story with a comfortable pace. We know pretty much everything that's going to happen for the next two hours, but thanks to Luhrmann's sometimes wacky sense of humor and truly phenomenal performances by his actors, it just doesn't matter.
Of course, Moulin Rouge! is a musical, so the quality of its musical numbers certainly play a large role in the movie's success. And to that end, the big question for those who haven't seen the movie yet is, `Can Nicole and Ewan really sing?' Well, the answer is yes and no. McGregor's voice is the better of the two, strong and confident like a chorus line singer determined to get the agents to sit up an notice. Occasionally, he tries a little too hard (in one of the movie's final songs, he actually spits in Kidman's face), but that's all in keeping with the grand operatic passion that Luhrmann is trying to capture.
Kidman can carry a tune, although she scoops up to some of her notes, and she sometimes seems a little unsure of herself. But her acting more than makes up for it. Her ability to range from light (very light) comedy to chest-thumping tragedy is truly remarkable. In her opening number (`Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend'), she displays a kittenish quality for which none of her previous performances has prepared us. And on top of that, thanks to Donald McAlpine's lush photography, she has simply never been more beautiful. If audiences didn't know better, they could easily mistake her for a movie goddess from the Golden Age.
Broadbent shines in every scene he's in, almost stealing the entire movie away from its leads with his hilarious take on Madonna's `Like a Virgin.' Roxburgh is a fitting, if two-dimensional villain, while Leguizamo is reduced to only a few minor bits, none of which demonstrate the actor's incredible talents or the character's depth.
But minor quibbles aside, Moulin Rouge! is not so much a movie as it is an experience. As Luhrmann has explained in interviews, the Moulin Rouge itself was the ultimate nightclub. The rush that people got from going to Zidler's electrified extravaganza in the 1890s is the same feeling modern audiences get from going to a great club with an awesome DJ. So, to give today's audiences that same feeling, Luhrmann has hired today's hottest remixers (including FatBoy Slim and Missy Elliott) to help fashion his musical statement. And he has cut his movie into quick edits, never once letting his camera sit still.
Some have complained about Moulin Rouge!'s use of previously written songs, but again, this is a cultural statement that Luhrmann is making. Today's musical culture is rapidly becoming more and more dependent on sampling. So Moulin Rouge! is the first `sampled' movie, which could place it on the brink of a new post-modern movement in film. Only time will tell.